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  The Sonnets of Michael Angelo...

  Michelangelo Buonarroti

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  Michael Angelo and Campanella represent widely sundered, though almost contemporaneous, moments in the evolution of the Italian genius. Michael Angelo was essentially an artist, living in the prime of the Renaissance. Campanella was a philosopher, born when the Counter-Reformation was doing all it could to blight the free thought of the sixteenth century; and when the modern spirit of exact enquiry, in a few philosophical martyrs, was opening a new stage for European science. The one devoted all his mental energies to the realisation of beauty: the other strove to ascertain truth. The one clung to Ficino's dream of Platonising Christianity: the other constructed for himself a new theology, founded on the conception of God immanent in nature. Michael Angelo expressed the aspirations of a solitary life dedicated to the service of art, at a time when art received the suffrage and the admiration of all Italy. Campanella gave utterance to a spirit, exiled and isolated, misunderstood by those with whom he lived, at a moment when philosophy was hunted down as heresy and imprisoned as treason to the public weal.The marks of this difference in the external and internal circumstances of the two poets might be multiplied indefinitely. Yet they had much in common. Both stood above their age, and in a sense aloof from it. Both approached poetry in the spirit of thinkers bent upon extricating themselves from the trivialities of contemporary literature. The sonnets of both alike are contributions to philosophical poetry in an age when the Italians had lost their ancient manliness and energy. Both were united by the ties of study and affection to the greatest singer of their nation, Dante, at a time when Petrarch, thrice diluted and emasculated, was the Phoebus of academies and coteries.This common antagonism to the degenerate genius of Italian literature is the link which binds Michael Angelo, the veteran giant of the Renaissance, to Campanella, the audacious Titan of the modern age. - Summary by Prefatory note to this volume

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  Trimmed Lamp The: and other...

  O. Henry

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  Born in 1862 and died in 1910, O. Henry’s birth name is William Sydney Porter; however, he adopted the pen name O. Henry while in prison. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime. 
  The Trimmed Lamp follows The Four Million and provides another series of short stories that take place in New York City in the early years of the 20th century and are representative of the surprise endings that popularized O. Henry’s work. They also capture his use of coincidence or chance to create humor in the story. O Henry wrote about ordinary people in everyday circumstances. He is quoted as once saying, “There are stories in everything. I’ve got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts and newspaper stands.” 
  I hope you enjoy the following readings as much as I enjoyed recording them. 
  (Summary by Marian Brown)

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  As a Man Thinketh

  James Allen

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  This short yet impactful work centers on the idea that thoughts shape reality. James Allen explains that a person's character, circumstances, and success are direct results of their thinking patterns. By cultivating positive and disciplined thoughts, individuals can transform their lives. The audiobook emphasizes personal responsibility and the power of mindset in achieving goals. It's a foundational text in personal development, offering simple but powerful insights into the connection between thought and destiny.

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  The Cleaner

  Frank Zafiro

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  THIS IS A COLLECTION OF RIVER CITY SHORT STORIES, featuring many of the characters you know from the series. I've included it in the series because many important events occur in (or make better sense after reading) these stories. However, it is not absolutely essential that you read these stories in order to follow the novels. If you wish to skip ahead to the next full novel, please do. If you choose not to, I believe your series experience will be richer. 
  This River City collection features stories about: 
  *A frustrated crime scene cleaner 
  *An off duty cop in a jam 
  * A patrol officer who believes in a strange fate 
  *A holier-than-thou Internal Affairs whose world gets turned upside down 
  Plus those that are criminally insane, surrounded by sadness or just trying to get by in a tough world. These are the many and varied characters of River City, brought to life in 17 short stories that fill in gaps and moments within the River City series that the novels don't explore.

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  Tales of Para Handy

  Neil Munro

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  Neil Munro's captivating tales of Para Handy, captain of the "Vital Spark", the "smertest" steamboat ever to sail the River Clyde.Whatever happened to the shaggy dog story? Very few, if any seem to be published these days. Maybe our lives are all too pressurised and full-on to allow us to kick back and listen to an engaging, diverting, well-told tale.PG Wodehouse was a master of the shaggy dog story, through his masterful fictional storytellers such as Mr Mulliner, The Oldest Member and even Bertie Wooster himself. But a close competitor was Neil Munro, creator of the much-loved "Tales of Para Handy", three  volumes of which were published from 1906 to 1923. These have been televised no fewer than 3 times, most recently in the 1990s with Gregor Fisher (who also starred as Rab C Nesbitt in the BBC2 TV show Naked Video) as the garrulous master mariner.The twenty-five stories performed by David Rintoul hail from the first collection, and every one is a gem. David was a huge fan of the 1960's TV series with Roddy McMillan in the starring role, and his love and knowledge of the tales shines out in his bravura performance. In the course of this audio, you'll get to know the regular cast - not just Para Handy himself, but the ship's irascible and scary engineer, Macphail, never without a penny "novella" in his hand; then there's The Tar, the lazy deckhand - and who can forget Dougie, the superstitious ship's mate? Add to that the crew of supporting characters - West Coast locals to a man (and woman) - canny, outspoken, lugubrious, eccentric . . . . and all huge fun. It's like having a second family. Try listening to one of them on your busy commute, and you'll be sure to arrive with a great big smile on your face!

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  The Business of Dying - The...

  Richard S. Wheeler

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  Collected here are ten Western short stories by Richard S. Wheeler, the award-winning author who makes storytelling look easy. 
  In “Mugs Birdsong’s Crime Academy,” celebrated criminal Mugs Birdsong decides to found an academy that will instruct lawmen on the ways and means of lawlessness. “The Last Days of Dominic Prince” is the tragic tale of a cattle baron and his final conflict with the forces of political correctness. “Dead Weight” introduces us to a coffin maker who constructs a work of art. And in the title story, two young men in the gold fields of California spend one last night together as one of them confronts his own imminent death. 
  This collection also includes “The Square Reporter,” “A Commercial Proposition,” “The Great Filibuster of 1975,” “The Tinhorn’s Lady,” “Hearts,” and “Looking for Love at a Romance Writers Convention.”

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