The Grand Life

Author: Patrick L Griffin OAM
Publisher: Australian Self Publishing Group
ISBN: 1922327425
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
The Grand Life' is the funny and touching memoir of the life and times of Patrick Langley Griffin OAM, growing up in the post war years of a gloomy Britain in the 40's and 50's, then through his long career an hotelier in some 'Grand' hotels in England and Australia. Part 1: 1946 to 1947 Patrick L Griffin OAM, growing up in the post war years of a gloomy Britain in the 40s and 50s, through his fifty years as a hotelier in grand hotels across the UK, Europe and Australia. His memoir is filled with characters famous, infamous and hitherto unknown. From his first star encounter with Charlie Chaplin, the memoir is filled with tales of film stars, rock legends, celebrities, Heads of State and politicians, as well as the British Royal Family. No less enjoyable are the tales of ordinary folk, just as full of laughs, tears and crazy behaviour. The memoir is full of humour, candour and genuine empathy for the common humanity that binds us all. Born in Rugby, England in 1946, his early youth was spent in Swanage, Dorset, where the family had moved to escape the German bombing while their father served in the RAF. Although not academically inclined, his charm, wit and unfailing ability to make lemonade when he was given lemons ensure his childhood and public school years are filled with adventures and hilarious mishaps. His career started in 1963 as a trainee manager at Te Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, a very traditional Victorian-era five-star hotel, where he found his passion for hospitality. Half a century of social and political change comes to life, from post- war austerity and bureaucracy through the Swinging Sixties and the 'Summer of Love' in Amsterdam, to England's industrial upheaval and 'Winter of Discontent' of the Seventies. He moved to Australia as the century drew to a close for a new beginning, opening two hotels that would set a new benchmark in luxury hotel standards. His resilience and sense of humour helped him to survive and thrive.

The Grand Life: Confessions of an Old School Hotelier in the Digital Age

Author: Patrick L Griffin OAM
Publisher: Patrick Griffin OAM
ISBN: 0645055948
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 1144

Book Description
A funny, moving and heartfelt memoir of social upheaval from postwar Britain to the digital age. Patrick Langley Griffin OAM grew up in the post war years of a gloomy Britain in the 40s and 50s and his career spanned fifty years as a hotelier in Grand hotels across the UK, Europe and Australia. His memoir is filled with characters famous, infamous and hitherto unknown. From his first star encounter with Charlie Chaplin, the memoir is filled with tales of film stars, rock legends, celebrities, Heads of State and politicians, as well as the British Royal Family. No less enjoyable are the tales of ordinary folk, just as full of laughs, tears and crazy behaviour. The memoir is full of humour, candour and genuine empathy for the common humanity that binds us all. Born in Rugby, England in 1946, his early youth was spent in Swanage, Dorset, where the family had moved to escape the German bombing while their father served in the RAF. Although not academically inclined, his charm, wit and unfailing ability to make lemonade when he was given lemons ensure his childhood and public school years are filled with adventures and hilarious mishaps. His career started in 1963 as a trainee manager at The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, a very traditional Victorian-era five-star hotel, where he found his passion for hospitality. Half a century of social and political change comes to life, from post-war austerity and bureaucracy through the Swinging 60s and the ‘Summer of Love’ in Amsterdam, to England’s industrial upheaval and ‘Winter of Discontent’ of the 70s. He moved to Australia at the dawn of a new century to open two new upscale hotels, and survived and thrived in the global financial crisis that shook the world.

Mars Life

Author: Ben Bova
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780765357243
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 468

Book Description
Jamie Waterman's discovery of cliff dwellings on Mars opened up a whole new scientific frontier. Now, as science and politics clash, Jamie desperately tries to save the Mars program and uncover as much information as possible about the fate of the planet's vanished inhabitants.

Grand

Author: Charles Johnson
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 1488057206
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 99

Book Description
National Book Award winner and MacArthur Genius Fellow Charles Johnson reflects on the joys of being a grandparent in this warm, inspiring collection of wisdom and life lessons—the ideal gift for any new parent or grandparent An award-winning novelist, philosopher, essayist, screenwriter, professor and cartoonist, Charles Johnson has held numerous impressive titles over the course of his incomparable career. Now, for the first time, with his trademark wisdom and philosophical generosity, he turns his attention to his most important role yet: grandparent. In Grand, Johnson shares stories from his life with his six-year-old grandson, Emery, weaving in advice and life lessons that stand the test of time. “Looking at the problems I see in the world around me,” Johnson writes, “I realize that there are so many things I want to say to him about the goodness and beauty that life offers. What are the perennial truths that I can impart to Emery that might make his journey through life easier or more rewarding?” Johnson shares these truths and more, offering profound meditations on family, race, freedom and creativity. Joyful, lucid and deeply comforting, Grand is Johnson at his most accessible and profound, an indispensable compendium for new grandparents and growing grandchildren alike, from one of America’s most revered thinkers.

The Mudd Club

Author: Richard Boch
Publisher: Feral House
ISBN: 1627310584
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418

Book Description
"I was a Long Island kid that graduated college in 1976 and moved to Greenwich Village. Two years later, I was working The Mudd Club door. Standing outside, staring at the crowd, it was "out there" versus "in here" and I was on the inside. The Mudd Club was filled with the famous and soon- to- be famous, along with an eclectic core of Mudd regulars who gave the place its identity. Everyone from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, and Robert Rauschenberg to Johnny Rotten, The Hell's Angels, and John Belushi: passing through, passing out, and some, passing on. Marianne Faithful and Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, William Burroughs, and even Kenneth Anger— just a few of the names that stepped on stage. No Wave and Post- Punk artists, musicians, filmmakers, and writers living in a nighttime world on the cusp of two decades. This book is a cornucopia of memories and images, and how this famed wicked downtown club attained the status of midtown and uptown. There was nothing else like it— I met everyone, and the job quickly defined me. I thought I could handle it, and for a while, I did. "—Richard Boch

Colo's Story

Author: Nancy Roe Pimm
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
ISBN: 0984155449
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 82

Book Description
Follows the life of Colo, the first gorilla born in captivity, from her birth at the Columbus Zoo to her development into an adult, her progeny, and her distinction as the oldest living gorilla in the world.

Being a Distance Grandparent

Author: Helen Ellis M a
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781838167035
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Book Description
Is your family geographically scattered? Has globalisation made your family a Distance Family? This book tells the candid story of how Distance Parents and Distance Grandparents struggle - and succeed - to adapt to their new reality. This isn't family life as they had imagined it. If you are a Distance Parent or Distance Grandparent, all those how, why and what-if questions will find answers in these pages. You'll realise, perhaps for the first time, that you're not alone on your journey. Helen Ellis, researcher, writer, anthropologist and a veteran of Distance Grandparenting, examines everything from smart ways of tweaking your communication routines to tips for nourishing precious family relationships. These moving stories will soothe and inspire you, and more importantly, help you embrace your ever-changing Distance Family role. Are you a Distance Family daughter, son or grandchild living a globalised life? Do you worry about the folks back home? Is that you? Taking time to learn about Distance Familying from your parent's or grandparent's perspective is a heartfelt act of love. With knowledge comes understanding... with understanding comes empathy... and that is a good thing for Distance Families. Being a Distance Grandparent - a Book for ALL Generations will make a difference to your Distance Family. The first part of a three-book series.

Ain't Life Grand!

Author: Mary Engelbreit
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1449429858
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 74

Book Description
I compiled this book as a tribute to grandmothers both new and 'experienced.' Families just wouldn't be complete without them." --Mary Engelbreit Lauded by the Wall Street Journal for creating a "vast empire of cuteness" and dubbed "a Norman Rockwell for our times" by People magazine, Mary Engelbreit offers the perfect gift for grandmothers by pairing her signature art with quotes, poems, and short narratives honoring grandmothers of all ages. A sampling of passages includes: * "A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween." -Erma Bombeck * "When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window." --Ogden Nash

8 Ocean Angels the Road to Infinity for the Gifted

Author: Grant King
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1628386150
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 231

Book Description
Who are ocean angels? What distinguishes them from other people? Are you one of them? In 8 Ocean Angels, the author, Grant King, presents notable characters he considers as real-life ocean angels—such as Francois-Marie Arouet, Massimo Bontempelli, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ezra Pound, and Socrates—and describes how they ultimately represent these entities in how they see life and relate to nature and the entire cosmos. The narrative uses repetition of words, lines, and ideas to create a meditative tone, effectively drawing you into mantric reading as you go through each chapter. A book on enlightenment and discoveries, it beckons for introspection, guiding you to the awareness of your real capabilities, of the real nature of life, and of the truth about our relationship with a higher power. Spiritual and personal, the book paves the way for the understanding that we are not solitary entities but are interconnected elements in a majestic and grand design.

The Distance Between Us

Author: Reyna Grande
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451661800
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Book Description
In this inspirational and unflinchingly honest memoir, acclaimed author Reyna Grande describes her childhood torn between the United States and Mexico, and shines a light on the experiences, fears, and hopes of those who choose to make the harrowing journey across the border. Reyna Grande vividly brings to life her tumultuous early years in this “compelling...unvarnished, resonant” (BookPage) story of a childhood spent torn between two parents and two countries. As her parents make the dangerous trek across the Mexican border to “El Otro Lado” (The Other Side) in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are forced into the already overburdened household of their stern grandmother. When their mother at last returns, Reyna prepares for her own journey to “El Otro Lado” to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years, her long-absent father. Funny, heartbreaking, and lyrical, The Distance Between Us poignantly captures the confusion and contradictions of childhood, reminding us that the joys and sorrows we experience are imprinted on the heart forever, calling out to us of those places we first called home. Also available in Spanish as La distancia entre nosotros.