Don’T Take the Same Plane as Me


Book Description

Heres your perfect holiday read! When Tricia left the childrens home aged 17, the exceedingly dark and onerous cloud continued to follow her! She was still very much in survival mode when at 21, she bumped into John, a middle-class ex-hippie, with just a tatty suitcase and a fiver to his name. Despite an extremely turbulent courtship, three years later they finally tied the knot. Over the years, and in spite of very limited resources, they still managed to embark on a number of hilarious and ill-fated holidays abroad. These vacations begin with their tragic Greek honeymoon, followed close on the heels by a girls day trip to France that goes horribly wrong. You will be shaking your head in despair when you read about her camping disasters, numerous timeshare travesties, and hopelessly stressful European hotel breaks, as well as the lengths she is willing to go to, just to get an extra Disney ticket! For your own well-being and safety, when you next take a flight, do check the name of the lady sitting next to you. If she answers to the name of Tricia Bennett, it may be wise at that point to quietly leave the plane and reschedule your flight! Oh, and just incase your eyesight is as seriously deficient as hers, the two little figures parachuting out of the plane are the pilot and co pilot, baling out while they still have the chance to do so!




The Art of Non-Conformity


Book Description

If you've ever thought, "There must be more to life than this," The Art of Non-Conformity is for you. Based on Chris Guillebeau's popular online manifesto "A Brief Guide to World Domination," The Art of Non-Conformity defies common assumptions about life and work while arming you with the tools to live differently. You'll discover how to live on your own terms by exploring creative self-employment, radical goal-setting, contrarian travel, and embracing life as a constant adventure. Inspired and guided by Chris's own story and those of others who have pursued unconventional lives, you can devise your own plan for world domination-and make the world a better place at the same time.




Hi, Gramps!


Book Description

An old man, affectionately known as Gramps, remembers and records some of the major events that shaped his life; from the accidental death of his only son to his own declining years. Spot-lighted are the lives of four boys. We watch appalled as Chase, the biological grandson, deals with cancer. We follow the maturing of Roger (who is rescued and subsequently adopted by Gramps) as he deals with a haunting past; Bradley, a young American boy who becomes an honorary grandson adding to the fun-side of Gramps experiences; and we feel for Edward as he deals with the loss of his best friend and later a disastrous courtship. Meet the Rev. Dr. James Hayward, the pompous headmaster of St. Johns; the over-weight, tactless Mrs. Henderson with her multiple chins; Caleb, the avid young fisherman who springs a surprise on Chase and Bradley that neither of them would ever have expected; the young Indian schoolboy who is victimized by the school bullies; young Phelps, the rat-faced stooge of the cowardly Harrington-Blake and others. The author has presented his public with an inspirational book that deals with issues such as the unfairness of life; stereotyping; judgmentalism; racism; corporal punishment; guilt; past regret; heartbreak; death; etc., from a practical, Christian perspective without being "preachy".




Right Away & All at Once


Book Description

An expert in business turnaround shares his inspiring approach to problem-solving: “A fascinating read” (Mitt Romney). Visionary leader Greg Brenneman believes that true business success and personal fulfillment are two sides of the same coin. The techniques that will grow your business will also help you achieve a rich, purposeful, and integrated life. Here, Brenneman takes what he’s learned from turning around or tuning up many businesses—including Continental Airlines and Burger King—and distills it into a simple, clear, five-step roadmap that anyone can follow. He teaches you how to: *prepare a succinct Go Forward plan *build a fortress balance sheet *grow your sales and profits *choose all-star servant leaders *empower your team For more than thirty years, Brenneman has seen these steps foster dramatic results in a variety of business environments. But he also came to realize that he could apply these same principles to improve his life and build a lasting moral legacy. He found he could make better decisions by carefully taking the most important facets of his life—faith, family, friendship, fitness, and finance—into consideration. Brenneman’s inspiring examples, from both his business and his life, demonstrate the astounding effects these steps can have when you apply them—right away and all at once.




Reports and Documents


Book Description




Why I Hate Flying


Book Description

Provides an irreverent look at waiting at check-in, security gate, crowded seating, and airline food.







Homecoming


Book Description

Growing up with his mother in Germany, Peter Debauer knows little about his father, an apparent victim of the Second World War. But when he stumbles upon a few pages from a long-lost novel, Peter embarks on a quest that leads him across Europe to the United States, chasing fragments of a story within a story and a master of disguises who may or may not exist. Homecoming is a tale of fathers and sons, men and women, war and peace. It reveals the humanity that survives the trauma of war and the ongoing possibility for redemption.




Violence Girl


Book Description

The proximity of the East L.A. barrio to Hollywood is as close as a short drive on the 101 freeway, but the cultural divide is enormous. Born to Mexican-born and American-naturalized parents, Alicia Armendariz migrated a few miles west to participate in the free-range birth of the 1970s punk movement. Alicia adopted the punk name Alice Bag, and became lead singer for The Bags, early punk visionaries who starred in Penelope Spheeris' documentary The Decline of Western Civilization. Here is a life of many crossed boundaries, from East L.A.'s musica ranchera to Hollywood's punk rock; from a violent male-dominated family to female-dominated transgressive rock bands. Alice's feminist sympathies can be understood by the name of her satiric all-girl early Goth band Castration Squad. Violence Girl takes us from a violent upbringing to an aggressive punk sensibility; this time a difficult coming-of-age memoir culminates with a satisfying conclusion, complete with a happy marriage and children. Nearly a hundred excellent photographs energize the text in remarkable ways. Alice Bag's work and influence can be seen this year in the traveling Smithsonian exhibition "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music."




The Book of Two Ways


Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light comes a “powerful” (The Washington Post) novel about the choices that alter the course of our lives. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong. Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients. But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made. After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife. As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?