What do you think?
Rate this book
Spring Fevers
Love -- requited and unrequited Friendships discovered and lost Family in its many guises Spring is the time of new beginnings. New life. New love. Fevers can cause pain, but also inspire visions. In Spring Fevers you will find stories of relationships in the myriad forms they take. And you will see yourself in at least one of these stories, because we’ve all been there.
- GenresAnthologiesFiction
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2012
1 person is currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Matt Sinclair
8 books20 followersMatt Sinclair is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. He works as a journalist in New York City covering philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in the United States and with increasing focus on international philanthropy. In 2012, he established Elephant's Bookshelf Press, LLC, a traditional publisher of fiction and (eventually) nonfiction. Since its inception, EBP has published eleven books, including six anthologies, as of 2016. Its first publication of 2017 will be Lost Wings, the debut of Don M. Vail, whose urban fantasy novel takes place in San Francisco and the many levels of hell.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 28, 2012
The great thing about reviewing a book I'm in is that SPRING FEVERS is an antholgy featuring other writers. Talented writers. Some debuting with a brand new byline, while others are seasoned freelance writers. One, Mindy McGinnis, even has a debut novel coming out in 2013.
Relationships are complicated. They are intense, passionate and passionless. They tug at the heart strings or make us want to throw the heart away. Relationships need TLC, and SPRING FEVERS does just that with its variety of writers in a variety of genres.
From the brush of a first kiss to the last poignant farewell, the stories within this anthology are inspiring and thought-provoking. Some are light-hearted, while others are dark and mystical. What they all have in common, however, is their ability to convey all aspects of relationships--the good, the bad and the very different.
Relationships are complicated. They are intense, passionate and passionless. They tug at the heart strings or make us want to throw the heart away. Relationships need TLC, and SPRING FEVERS does just that with its variety of writers in a variety of genres.
From the brush of a first kiss to the last poignant farewell, the stories within this anthology are inspiring and thought-provoking. Some are light-hearted, while others are dark and mystical. What they all have in common, however, is their ability to convey all aspects of relationships--the good, the bad and the very different.
May 30, 2014
A Solid Collection
(Trigger warning for discussions of rape.)
One in a series of seasonally-themed short fiction anthologies, the stories found in Spring Fevers revolve around the idea of spring: "Spring is the time of new beginnings, new life, new love. And fevers can result in pain, unexpected visions, and an appreciation for health and normalcy." Relationships take center stage: from the shy first bloom of new love, with all the exciting possibilities it entails, to love long since withered, left for dead, and buried. Relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, ideas and their creators, the government and the governed, the oppressed and their oppressors; the stories run the gamut, and span multiple genres: fantasy, supernatural, science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction.
Spring Fevers first caught my attention because it includes a contribution by Mindy McGinnis. I absolutely adore her debut novel, Not a Drop to Drink, and hoped that "First Kiss" would help to tide me over until the release of In a Handful of Dust this fall. A supernatural rape revenge story, "First Kiss" is by far my favorite: creepy, unexpected, and very satisfying. At the current going price of zero dollars, you should check out Spring Fevers for this one alone.
I also enjoyed J. Lea Lopez's "The Adventures of Sasquatch," in which the protagonist - who is pushing 40 - still struggles to overcome teenage angst and self-doubt. ("'It's not a competition.' That's the one thing people get wrong about women. We're never really trying to compete with each other, only ourselves, our own insecurities.")
A.M. Supinger's "The Pit" handily sets the stage for a medieval-dystopian series (also with elements from the rape revenge genre), and "Only by Moonlight" (also by A.M. Supinger) sees a distraught young woman entreating the magical Stone House Lady for an abortion (again the product of a rape. Rape isn't as common a theme in Spring Fevers as my review might lead you to believe; and thankfully, it's always alluded to, never described in detail.) Last but not least, Supinger's "The Tree of Life" is a rather beautiful and melancholy tale about a phantom spirit who's trapped in this realm to assist The Tree of Life in bringing forth new creatures. Long since tired of his role and yearning for release, he finds a renewed sense of purpose in the ethereal beings who emerge from the Tree's delicate white eggs.
Spring Fevers is a fairly solid collection, with contributions ranging from fair to outstanding. The only piece I didn't much care for was "Step Zero," in which some jerk cheats on his wife (with his secretary! walking cliche much?), who inexplicably gives him a second chance.
There is also some rapey stuff in "Dreams" that I could have done without; namely, the narrator talks about wanting to grope (read: sexually assault) an unconscious woman who's passed out on his couch. "But I didn't, either because I'm a considerate guy or just a total chickenshit dweeb who doesn't have the mansack to grab a handful when the chick is passed out cold on my couch and pissed off at her boyfriend and she didn't look like she would've minded much anyway." Allow me to broach a third possibility: you are douchnozzle. (To be fair, perhaps we're supposed to read this character as a douchenozzle, but I didn't get that impression from the rest of the otherwise humorous story.)
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 on Amazon.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2014/06/09/...
(Trigger warning for discussions of rape.)
One in a series of seasonally-themed short fiction anthologies, the stories found in Spring Fevers revolve around the idea of spring: "Spring is the time of new beginnings, new life, new love. And fevers can result in pain, unexpected visions, and an appreciation for health and normalcy." Relationships take center stage: from the shy first bloom of new love, with all the exciting possibilities it entails, to love long since withered, left for dead, and buried. Relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, ideas and their creators, the government and the governed, the oppressed and their oppressors; the stories run the gamut, and span multiple genres: fantasy, supernatural, science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction.
Spring Fevers first caught my attention because it includes a contribution by Mindy McGinnis. I absolutely adore her debut novel, Not a Drop to Drink, and hoped that "First Kiss" would help to tide me over until the release of In a Handful of Dust this fall. A supernatural rape revenge story, "First Kiss" is by far my favorite: creepy, unexpected, and very satisfying. At the current going price of zero dollars, you should check out Spring Fevers for this one alone.
I also enjoyed J. Lea Lopez's "The Adventures of Sasquatch," in which the protagonist - who is pushing 40 - still struggles to overcome teenage angst and self-doubt. ("'It's not a competition.' That's the one thing people get wrong about women. We're never really trying to compete with each other, only ourselves, our own insecurities.")
A.M. Supinger's "The Pit" handily sets the stage for a medieval-dystopian series (also with elements from the rape revenge genre), and "Only by Moonlight" (also by A.M. Supinger) sees a distraught young woman entreating the magical Stone House Lady for an abortion (again the product of a rape. Rape isn't as common a theme in Spring Fevers as my review might lead you to believe; and thankfully, it's always alluded to, never described in detail.) Last but not least, Supinger's "The Tree of Life" is a rather beautiful and melancholy tale about a phantom spirit who's trapped in this realm to assist The Tree of Life in bringing forth new creatures. Long since tired of his role and yearning for release, he finds a renewed sense of purpose in the ethereal beings who emerge from the Tree's delicate white eggs.
Spring Fevers is a fairly solid collection, with contributions ranging from fair to outstanding. The only piece I didn't much care for was "Step Zero," in which some jerk cheats on his wife (with his secretary! walking cliche much?), who inexplicably gives him a second chance.
There is also some rapey stuff in "Dreams" that I could have done without; namely, the narrator talks about wanting to grope (read: sexually assault) an unconscious woman who's passed out on his couch. "But I didn't, either because I'm a considerate guy or just a total chickenshit dweeb who doesn't have the mansack to grab a handful when the chick is passed out cold on my couch and pissed off at her boyfriend and she didn't look like she would've minded much anyway." Allow me to broach a third possibility: you are douchnozzle. (To be fair, perhaps we're supposed to read this character as a douchenozzle, but I didn't get that impression from the rest of the otherwise humorous story.)
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 on Amazon.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2014/06/09/...
April 28, 2012
The short stories in this collection were solid 4s and 5s. I normally don't read short stories, but I picked this one up as quite a few of my friends are in it. And sure, that could taint my rating, but I don't think it has. Their skill and stories surprised me and some of them really stood out and won't soon be forgotten.
I LOVED J. Lea Lopez's story about connecting with someone romantically. It reminded me a lot in the feel and tone to Jennifer Weiner's stories (one of my favourite authors). It made me wish there was a whole novel of this character so I could follow her longer.
Matt Sinclair's story about cheating was an interesting one as I wasn't sure which character to believe until the end. I liked that.
Cat Wood's story about love in an elderly couple made me cry. It's sweet to see people still so in love when they are in their 80s. (As you can tell, they felt real to me!)
A.M. Supinger's story about the pit broke my heart. Just when I was about to skim she (the author) grabbed me about the throat and shook me to my core. I loooove a story like that. Horrified shock--but in a good way. Well, not 'good' for the characters... but you know. A good read.
R.S. Mellette's story was intellectual and a bit philosophical about a boy coming of age. Intriguing.
Mindy McGinnis' story had me guessing and doubting until the end. Do you believe a child protagonist?
MarcyKate Connolly's story about meeting on a subway and making that connection with an unexpected stranger was sweet. I found myself wanting the character to get her wish.
Robb Grindstaff's story made me laugh at the differences between men and women. He illustrates that point quite nicely.
Yvonne Osbourne's story about a romance starting during the war felt very real and the situation that arises is something I've wondered about myself. I liked the way she portrayed it.
S.Q. Eries story about married couples, betrayal, brothers, and friends wove a nice tight circle. The emotion built and waned in all the right places.
The stories in this anthology run you through the whole gambit of emotions and cover all kinds of relationships. Strange as it may be to say, I learned about writing short stories by reading this anthology. Some of these stories felt like gratifying snippets from a larger story while others had a perfect arc in their few thousand words. Not an easy task to accomplish!
A great read--and it's free on Smashwords! (And for those who prefer paper--I hear a paperback edition is coming out too.)
I LOVED J. Lea Lopez's story about connecting with someone romantically. It reminded me a lot in the feel and tone to Jennifer Weiner's stories (one of my favourite authors). It made me wish there was a whole novel of this character so I could follow her longer.
Matt Sinclair's story about cheating was an interesting one as I wasn't sure which character to believe until the end. I liked that.
Cat Wood's story about love in an elderly couple made me cry. It's sweet to see people still so in love when they are in their 80s. (As you can tell, they felt real to me!)
A.M. Supinger's story about the pit broke my heart. Just when I was about to skim she (the author) grabbed me about the throat and shook me to my core. I loooove a story like that. Horrified shock--but in a good way. Well, not 'good' for the characters... but you know. A good read.
R.S. Mellette's story was intellectual and a bit philosophical about a boy coming of age. Intriguing.
Mindy McGinnis' story had me guessing and doubting until the end. Do you believe a child protagonist?
MarcyKate Connolly's story about meeting on a subway and making that connection with an unexpected stranger was sweet. I found myself wanting the character to get her wish.
Robb Grindstaff's story made me laugh at the differences between men and women. He illustrates that point quite nicely.
Yvonne Osbourne's story about a romance starting during the war felt very real and the situation that arises is something I've wondered about myself. I liked the way she portrayed it.
S.Q. Eries story about married couples, betrayal, brothers, and friends wove a nice tight circle. The emotion built and waned in all the right places.
The stories in this anthology run you through the whole gambit of emotions and cover all kinds of relationships. Strange as it may be to say, I learned about writing short stories by reading this anthology. Some of these stories felt like gratifying snippets from a larger story while others had a perfect arc in their few thousand words. Not an easy task to accomplish!
A great read--and it's free on Smashwords! (And for those who prefer paper--I hear a paperback edition is coming out too.)
March 14, 2012
I really enjoyed reading every story in this anthology! Knowing so many of the authors from FTWA, AQC and blogging made it even better. From joyful to shocking, from thought provoking to gasp aloud, these stories were stand outs! Loved it :)
January 6, 2014
A fantastic collection of short stories!
August 11, 2012
This is a great collection of short stories that left you wanting more each time one finished. Its got intrigue, happiness, humor, sadness, and witty sarcasm. I liked each individual story and got a feel for the different writing styles of each author. Where some stories were light hearted, others were deep. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a short read on a busy day.
August 28, 2020
Nice short stories.
Not what I was expecting. Some were a little sad. Not much super natural or sci-fi. Just short nice stories.
Not what I was expecting. Some were a little sad. Not much super natural or sci-fi. Just short nice stories.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews