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Physician, public-health leader, fiction writer and journalist Michael Fine's latest, and superb, book, The Bull and Other Stories, displays his already celebrated mix of empathy tempered by an almost clinical realism; close observation of his characters' emotional, psychological, physiological and socio-economic circumstances, and their often contradictory values, all informed by his intimate study of American society and his acceptance of the ambiguities of memory.
His portrayal of his characters' hopes, fears and confusions displays his deep understanding of how so many of us -- especially those marginalized by poverty, illness and bigotry -- live today. But Dr. Fine also impressed me with his acute observation of nature, be it forests, fields, flowers, the weather or non-human animals.
And there's plenty of suspense! Will the beast charge, will the tree fall on the forester, will the crazy woman stab her captives, will somebody shoot, will the demonstration turn dangerous? (There are some potential movies in this book....)
Dr. Fine is a major writer.
-- Robert Whitcomb, president, The Boston Guardian, columnist for GoLocal24.com and former financial editor of the International Herald Tribune.
Michael Fine’s world is not fair but it is full. His characters are not beautiful but they have dignity. In this rich collection of stories we meet immigrants and youth, elderly and laborers - all grappling with life as it is; full of societal conflicts, pressing pain, small graces, fleeting wonder and occasional hope. To read about them is to read about us.
-- Chris Koller President The Milbank Memorial Fund
The short story may be the most difficult of all fictional genres. In The Bull and Other Stories, Michael Fine, already a writer of great distinction, demonstrates he is a master. From first sentence to last, this collection is a rare delight.
-- G Wayne Miller, Author and Providence Journal reporter
"The Bull and other stories, Rhythmic with a jazz cadence, poignant ,timely and timeless, vivid detail but above all Michael Fine is a storyteller and a damn good one at that."
-- Bert Crenca, Artist, Founder of AS220
“Michael Fine’s short stories rivet our readers in his monthly Sunday morning columns. We can imagine them sitting there with their morning coffee pondering the obvious and the not so obvious life dramas that Michael writes that capture you from the beginning, to the very end.”
—Nancy Thomas, President of Tapestry Communications; Co-Founder and Editor RINewsToday.com
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft collects the author's novel, four novellas, and fifty-three short stories. Written between the years 1917 and 1935, this collection features Lovecraft's trademark fantastical creatures and supernatural thrills, as well as many horrific and cautionary science-fiction themes, that have influenced some of today's important writers and filmmakers, including Stephen King, Alan Moore, F. Paul Wilson, Guillermo del Toro, and Neil Gaiman.
Included in this volume are The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath," "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," "The Color Out of Space," "The Dunwich Horror," and many more hair-raising tales.
Peter and David Wilson are two adventurous, adolescent brothers, who make a fantastic discovery in the nearby forest. One afternoon in late June, they stumble upon a huge mysterious cavern protected from the elements for centuries. Using dreams and deciphering riddles, they travel through underground passageways to meet the maker of their dreams. Through a series of strange and supernatural encounters, Peter and David must rely on resourcefulness, perseverance, and love to lead them to an opportunity they could never have imagined and make a decision that will change their lives forever.
There are so many stories that I have to share that are a result of my upbringing, my home, schools I attended and my Catholic faith that the only way to do them justice is to continue the remainder of the book in vignettes. These stories are a compilation of moments, days, weeks and years of feelings. These feelings exude a range of happy, sad, bittersweet, tender, determined and loving - all parts of me that show a person who refused to give in to the negative side of life. My positive attitude has always prevailed.
I will attempt to categorize my stories into ones that refer to my family, my love of travel, my passion for dance and teaching dance, my naïve nature, my business sense and all the people I met as a result. ENJOY!!!
TRY is an inspiring children's book with original song about not being discouraged to take a chance on anything you want to do. After all, any accomplishment in life starts with that first step of trying regardless of your fear of failure, not being any good, or caring about what others think. There are no limits if you just give it a go!
The song for TRY has an island reggae vibe and is super catchy! After one listen, just TRY and get it out of your head!
Try is meant to be an interactive book; not only in song, but in visuals. We encourage grown ups to ask their little reader to describe the conflict on each page on the left and how each character used their will to try to create the solution on the right. Our hope is that seeing the problem become a resolution will allow children to decipher their own means of problem solving. Now all you can do is try! Enjoy!
Without realizing it, many of us have forgotten the joy of expressing ourselves through movement and dance. In this story, Annie and Arthur remind us that we can all rekindle that joy. Annie finds a new dancing partner when she smashes into Arthur one day at school. He introduces her to a new style of dancing and with his help and the help of her friends, she discovers that she can dance and move in ways she never imagined. Annie and Arthur ask other school children to join in the fun of movement and dance. Now Annie includes new steps whereever she goes, dancing around the house, at school, and down the street.
This story supports children's development through music and movement, and helps parents remember when they danced as children. It encourages us to rekindle the creative side of ourselves through our innate love of music and dance. Annie's dancing affects her whole brain structure. Known as whole brain learning, movement helps to make connections between the right side or rational part of the brain and the left side of the brain which is concerned with creative activity.
Against this backdrop, the residents of Sterling Hall's fourth floor manage to form a lasting bond. A fraternal oasis in a student body known for apathy and lack of cohesion, Sterling 4 is populated by memorable characters: Mike "Wally" Hall, leader of the self-styled Mutants; Dwight, the wheelchair-bound video game wizard; Marcus, the sheltered, socially naive freshman; Chug Allen, student-politician and rascal king; Brandon, the blunt-spoken activist; and tomboyish Rosemary, Marcus's unspoken crush. Over four years, enduring friendships are born, rules broken, and traditions established as they move from the trials of adolescence to the waiting responsibilities of adulthood.
Set in the go-go 1980's, University is a fun-filled romp through undergraduate life, in an era fondly remembered, yet not far distant from our own time.
Eleven students and two teachers want to relive the year before the tragedy that killed them and try to change what happened. Right after they die, they arrive in Sojourn, a natural satellite located in a transitional space between their homes in Green Hills, Maine, and the First Heaven. If they stay in Sojourn, their bodies will vanish gradually, but they will reclaim them for special Earth-bound missions. While they are in Sojourn, five embodied Spirits conduct a tense courtroom trial in which they challenge the conflicting testimonies of the students about the events that precipitated the tragedy. This trial generates the background stories of the leading characters, as well as the abrasive exchanges between each of the Five Spirits and the students who are fighting to regain their lives on Earth. These stories include a student's wrongfully accusing a friend of causing a car accident that nearly killed six people; a jealous girl's dangerous plot against her rival for the love of a daring athlete; a popular group's spreading scandalous lies about a sometimes-rebellious youth and driving him into madness and crime; a Neo-Nazi's plot against a hundred students; a high school gang's attack upon an innocent girl; and a devious girl's attempt to thwart the school tragedy that she had devised. After the trial reveals the merits and wrongdoings of the group, the students and their teachers await the verdict that will decide their fates. If they are allowed to return to Earth, they must confront three perilous encounters that will determine whether they can alter their wrongdoing, prevent the tragedy that killed them, and win back the lives that they have lost.
VANISHING BY DEGREES is a Young Adult/Adult Fiction Crossover. Teens from ages 13-19 and Adults from ages 20 through 95 will be drawn to the novel.
WALL STREET WOMAN: A DATING LIFE IS A BESTIARY OF THE MEN IN THE ORBIT OF A SINGLE PROFESSIONAL WOMAN IN NEW YORK CITY.
This authoritative guide profiles men found almost exclusively in Manhattan, including the jet-setting Don Juan Dinero, the hip downtown artist The Visionary and the driven workaholic Treadmill. Others are universal types who are abundant in the big city: ladies' man Jack of Hearts, social climbing Club Cadet, ambitious Boy Wonder, aristocratic romantic Major Gelatin.
Some of these guys merely pass through town, like your high school boyfriend Teen Crush and the eternal dreamer Cloud Voyager. No guide would be complete without the men who are found anywhere and everywhere, such as the recently divorced Born Again Bachelor, very married philanderer Hopalong Husband, disappointed ex-professional Trainwreck and the deadly dull Dialtone.
Each man is thoroughly described so you can immediately recognize him - how he discusses his interests, presents his accomplishments, tells you he likes you, asks you to bed, and talks about your future together. Good reasons to date him are also proposed.
Finally, Mr. Right is celebrated in glorious detail. He's clearly worth waiting for.
When anyone asks, "Why aren't you married?" tell her to buy this book.
From David Orsini, the highly praised author of SCHEMES, DISGUISES, & TRAPS; THE WOMAN WHO LOVED TOO WELL; THE GHOST LOVERS; and VANISHING BY DEGREES comes another compelling novel--THE WEAVER OF PLOTS.
A woman shoots the lover who has betrayed her. A man rejects his infant son and lives to regret it. A woman's revenge, yoked as it is to her love/hate confusion, makes her its prisoner. These are some of the episodes that propel THE WEAVER OF PLOTS.
THE WEAVER OF PLOTS is a fast-paced novel with suspense, thriller, literary, and romantic elements. Spanning twenty-five years (1950-1975), the novel traces the causes and the aftermath of a woman's retaliation against the lover who has spurned her. The story inhabits the world of the urbane, super rich: fashionable Manhattan restaurants, elegant New York City apartments, New England beachside compounds, ornate estates, and mountaintop hideaways. It is a luxurious and cinematic backdrop that is colored and stained by competitive gamesmanship, sexual transgressions, and destructive intrigues.
The central character of the novel is Charlotte Scott, a privileged young woman who devises a plot to steal Noah Blake away from her best friend, Olivia Tanner. At first, it seems like a simple love triangle, but this complex narrative quickly draws the reader into multiple sub-plots that parallel and intersect the original triangle--including Charlotte's violent act of revenge against the lover who abandons her, as well as her unconventional relationship with two other men and her second act of revenge years later against Noah Blake.
THE WEAVER OF PLOTS addresses the ongoing conversation involving a woman's right to defend herself against callous and abusive men by portraying these men in an unflattering light. At the same time, the novel portrays Charlotte as a complicated and ambivalent character. As self-aware as she is manipulative and devious, Charlotte eventually finds that her acts of revenge--pushed too far--are recoiling upon her.
"Tom Linden, a Central Park tour guide with a masters degree in History, meets five members of the original inhabitants of Manhattan Island, who wake from four centuries of suspended animation, and seek his help to reclaim Manhattan island from the evil wizard Peter Minuit, who tricked them into a four hundred year lease. The lease is up, and they want their island back but Peter Minuit is a powerful and nasty wizard, and he won't give up his island easily."
The following evening, Tom sat in a shady glen in the park in the city eating his supper. There was a thud and a jigger, and what felt like an earthquake. Tom was shocked when suddenly surrounded by Native Americans in local seventeenth century garb. Five of them.
The leader of the natives was called Flying Cloud He and his tribe explain that Peter Minuit never bought the island and the lease is up. Tom, expert on Manhattan, is moved by their plight and leads them through a modern Manhattan. But Peter Minuit is a wicked sorcerer, and won't give it up so easily!
In the summer of 1942, Marc Roussillon, a heroic French pilot flying with the RAF, draws his wife Simone into a plot to save his best friend Jean-Claude, who has been captured by the Germans. Aware of her influence upon Gerhard Hauptmann, a German officer, Marc urges Simone to persuade Gerhard to help her set Jean-Claude free. But, unknown to Marc, Gerhard agrees to help her only if she will sleep with him. Just before Jean-Claude is freed, Simone joins Gerhard for ten days in Switzerland. Falling in love with Gerhard confuses Simone and makes her feel guilty. She still loves Marc, but she also needs Gerhard. Their new, complicated relationship alters both Marc's and Simone's perception of themselves and of each other. Yet, in spite of their emerging self-knowledge, their obsessions drive them into darker territories.
When he discovers that Simone has fallen in love with Gerhard, Marc tells Simone that they can save their marriage if she joins him in his plan to kill Gerhard. Lying, he convinces her that Gerhard is responsible for the deaths of many innocent people. Now Simone consents to Marc's plan. She will meet Gerhard at a Swiss ski resort. There, Marc plans to kill Gerhard.
But Marc's plan unfolds in ways that he does not anticipate. Simone discovers that Marc lied about Gerhard. Now she hurries to save Gerhard from Marc's revenge. In violent episodes that occur in Switzerland and in England, Marc, Simone, and Gerhard play out the turbulent resolution of their triangle.
A childrens' book celebrating over 300 years of history from 1700 to today. Discover how the entire world can be found in the one square mile of the city of Central Falls, Rhode Island.