Author Archives: John Sloan

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Thus Spake Zarathustra. Schmeitzner (Germany, original in German) 1883-1885. English translation Walter Kaufmann in The Portable Nietzsche. Penguin, London, 1954.F; 6/26. Every so often I decide to dive into some massive monument like this knowing that I’m going … Continue reading →

Bloom, Allan. The Closing of the American Mind. Simon & Schuster New York 1987. NF;5/26. I remember reading this soon after it was published (and me being less than a decade away from university) and being impressed. Rereading it now … Continue reading →

Murray, Jo. Dissection of a Murder. Dutton/Penguin New York, Pan Macmillan UK. 2026. F; 5/26. Robin came across this mystery and loved it. Looking for respite from nonfiction I gave it a try and I’m glad I did. Jo Murray … Continue reading →

May 2026 Always interested in new restaurants on the Coast, especially with an inviting-looking French menu like this one, we dropped in yesterday for a late afternoon drink and potentially dinner. It’s a pretty dazzling venue (formerly Ocean Club Café) … Continue reading →

Semple, Maria. Go Gentle. Putnam’s New York 2026. F; 4/26. I’m not sure why I chose this story particularly since it was on Oprah’s Book Club list. And predictably it starts with clever talk and a freedom-oriented divorcee who has … Continue reading →

Self, Will. The Quantity Theory of Morality. Grove, London, 2026. F;3/26. Self is a modern complicated character. He’s published over a dozen novels, short stories, and pieces of nonfiction, attended Oxford, was a teenage drug user but stopped heroin and … Continue reading →

April 2026. This Thai place came highly recommended but surprised us a bit by its atmosphere. It’s located in the East Village area and is a narrow but long room, quite crowded and busy at 6 PM. The lady outside … Continue reading →

April 2026. We have a spy in the form of a friend of our daughter who lives in the city and is keen on great food. He recommended this restaurant and said the Obamas had eaten here, which didn’t impress … Continue reading →

April 2026. We are staying in a B&B in Trumansburg New York and our hostess suggested this restaurant in Ithaca, 20 minutes to the south. Ithaca is the location of Cornell University (I had no idea) and seems to reflect … Continue reading →

April 2026. This is a remarkable eating experience combining high-class fine dining with a convivial large-group single table and a fixed menu. The owners are genuine culinary entrepreneurs and have a couple of other restaurants nearby in the Fingers Lake … Continue reading →