Category Archives: Uncategorized

Cahokia Jazz. Francis Spufford.

Posted on April 6, 2024 by John Sloan

Spufford, Francis. Cahokia Jazz. Simon and Schuster, New York, Simon and Schuster New York, 2023. F; 3/24. This long book grew on me steadily and I ended up pretty delighted. Mr. Spufford is 60 and a Cambridge English lit BA, … Continue reading →

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Ocean Club Café, Sechelt.

Posted on February 25, 2024 by John Sloan

February 2024 I was vaguely aware of this place that sits directly on a Georgia Strait walkway, below a couple of swish waterfront apartment buildings. I’m not sure why I had never walked along that waterfront but it’s the upmarket … Continue reading →

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The Possessed. Elif Batuman.

Posted on February 22, 2024 by John Sloan

Batuman, Elif. The Possessed. Farrar Straus and Giroux, New York, 2010. Memoir, 1/24. I really like this author. She is a trueblue lit academic: Harvard undergrad before it “woke up” and then a Stanford comparative lit PhD, also New Yorker … Continue reading →

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The Sun Walks Down. Fiona McFarlane.

Posted on January 14, 2024 by John Sloan

McFarlane, Fiona. The Sun Walks Down. Allen and Unwin, Australia, 2022. F;12/23. I enjoyed a light hearted story by McFarlane in the Paris Review (246) about a sexy offbeat flight attendant. It was cool-colloquial but there was a subtle buried … Continue reading →

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Artificial Intelligence

Posted on December 24, 2023 by John Sloan

Life is full of surprises but what I have to say on this subject probably won’t surprise anyone particularly considering the traffic these posts get… Like most people I’m interested in artificial intelligence but I am so far agnostic about … Continue reading →

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Women. Charles Bukowski.

Posted on December 18, 2023 by John Sloan

Bukowski, Charles. Women. Black Sparrow, Boston, 1978. F;12/23. This is one of several novels by a writer of a particular niche character that in the later 20th century included others like Henry Miller (this reference not typical) and (later) Jim … Continue reading →

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The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell.

Posted on December 7, 2023 by John Sloan

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero’s Journey. Harper & Row, New York 1990 (original publication). NF; 11/23. This is a compendium of quotes and interviews with Campbell, preceded by several exordia and apparently edited by a Dr. Stuart Brown, a psychiatrist with … Continue reading →

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Day. Michael Cunningham.

Posted on December 3, 2023 by John Sloan

Cunningham, Michael. Day. Random House, New York. 2023. F;11/23. When I saw this title and author in my weekly online Book Marks Bulletin I got excited. One of my favourite novels of all time is Cunningham’s The Hours. For some … Continue reading →

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Dissident Doctor. Michael Klein.

Posted on November 22, 2023 by John Sloan

Klein, Michael. Dissident Doctor. Douglas & McIntyre, Madeira Park, 2018. NF; 11-23. Like most Canadian family physicians I’ve known Dr. Klein by reputation for decades. He’s been a leader of Family Practice departments in various cities, and has published a … Continue reading →

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Tom Lake. Ann Patchett.

Posted on November 8, 2023 by John Sloan

Patchett, Ann. Tom Lake. HarperCollins New York, 2023. F;10/23. I read this novel with great pleasure. Some people might find it a bit of a guilty pleasure because it’s very girly, very American, and the serious grit is snuck in … Continue reading →

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