One Hell Of A Ride

The hell-bent-for-leather story of helicopter magnate Craig Dobbin, a larger-than-life figure and one of Canada's greatest entrepreneurs. One Hell of a Ride traces the life, triumphs and tragedy of Craig Laurence Dobbin, weaving a tale that is inspiring, amusing, tragic and, like its subject, never less than gripping. Dobbin was an irrepressible Newfoundlander who counted prime ministers and U.S. presidents among his friends, teetered on the edge of bankruptcy for much of his life, and remains a legend among all who knew him. Born during the Great Depression, Dobbin built a small empire in real estate and discovered the joy of fishing in remote salmon pools. To reach these he bought a helicopter. Ten years later, he was running CHC Helicopters, a public corporation earning hundreds of millions of dollars annually, most from ferrying men and equipment to offshore oil platforms. He soon grew the company into the largest operation of its kind in the world. When he died in October 2006, Dobbin left behind a legacy of business and personal achievements unmatched by any Canadian of his time. Everyone who dealt with him agrees: they will never see his like again.

“A HISTORICAL LIFE STORY OF “PIERRE “PETE” CHARETTE “A “DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION” AGENT, HIRED TO WORK UNDERCOVER IN FRANCE A ON THE “FAMOUS CORSICAN MOB! KNOWN AS “THE FRENCH CONNECTION” HIS CASES WERE HISTORICAL AND WORLDWIDE AND FILLED WITH “DANGER AND INTREAGUE”. BOYKIN ROSE Associate Deputy Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice. In today's society, the word "hero" is thrown around freely with little regard to the actions or circumstances involved. But Pete earned that title, although he'll never use that title or admit it. But isn't that one of the traits of a true hero? If you want to learn what life as a DEA Agent can be like, the dangers, the excitement, staying focused on your mission, this is the book for you. Pete doesn't tell stories about what others did while he sat back and watched. He lays out firsthand knowledge of how he worked undercover in a seedy and violent world when any day could realistically be his last. This isn't Hollywood, this is real life from a man who lived it!!! Steve Murphy DEA NARCOS

Journals, letters and family stories give heart and soul to sterile historic records. This is a collection of one man's stories - sometimes factual, sometimes altered by decades of retelling and selective memory. Boyer Palmer is an ordinary immigrant whose life was an extraordinary rags-to-riches story. He was a tough young Swede from North Minneapolis, a pioneering businessman and a self-made millionaire. He was sometimes loving, sometimes a tyrant, and always an adventurous boy. "What a life I have had! I've dined with cab drivers and kings, sheiks and gurus, ambassadors and presidents. I've survived hurricanes and tempted fate on land, on water and in the air. I've ridden the rails with hobos and crossed the European continent in a luxury train. All over the world, I discovered an essential goodness in the people I met, a goodness that transcends political and economic differences. I worked hard, played hard and lived a happy life with an amazing wife and a terrific bunch of kids. Life was, and still is, one hell of a wild and wonderful ride!" This is the story of "one hell of a ride" taken by Boyer Palmer, his triumphs and tragedies, told through the prism of time and tears.

"Ranging from above the Himalayan Mountains to the beginnings of Lake Lanier in Georgia, from the solitude of solo flight to the fellowship of family life and civic organizations, and from the discipline of the military to the ever-changing world of business, Ed Jared gives us one "Greatest Generation" perspective on his experience of the twentieth century as he tells us the story of his rich and fascinating life."--Cover.

It's Been One Hell of a Ride is a pretty sarcastic, totally true, and comical ride. A two-part book started as a journal of our family story to my Timm men. It's a book on how we began this ride. How we dealt with many life hiccups with humor. How we picked our battles and learned to breathe through the struggles. How we enjoyed the little things. Also, to remember the good times, remember the bad times, and to learn from it and move on. Keep trucking as this is your ride and ultimately up to you to make it the best ride it can be! In this creating process, it dawned on me that this book is not just for us but also for others. It's for all pondering their place on the path. It reassures all panickers this isn't going the way it was planned and that's okay. You just let the ride take you, learn to love it, and find the humor in it, as the grass really isn't greener over here or there. I'm sure many of you can relate that our rides have bumpy paths, but we always have the option to steer it in a different direction.

Hootie & the Blowfish’s drummer chronicles the band’s rise, fall, and rebirth, as well as his path from addiction to recovery and a more fruitful life. For a time, there was no bigger band in the world than Hootie & the Blowfish—rock & roll’s unexpected foil to the grunge music that dominated the early ’90s airwaves.?In Swimming with the Blowfish, Jim?Sonefeld, drummer and one of the band’s principal songwriters, reveals the inside story of the band’s humble beginnings, meteoric rise, sudden fall, and ultimate rebirth—and in the telling he opens his heart to readers about addiction, recovery, and faith. Hootie became ubiquitous in the ‘90s—their debut album Cracked Rear View was one of the best-selling in the history of rock music; they won two Grammy Awards; their live performances were played alongside the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., and even Willie Nelson and Neil Young; and they appeared at the biggest venues in the world. Though Jim enjoyed the perks that came with fame—the parties, the relationships, the money, the drugs and alcohol—eventually it all became a camouflage that hid a deeper spiritual malady. As his life was careening toward disaster, he reached out his hands to seek relief in twelve-step recovery, eventually settling into a loving, but by no means uncomplicated, homelife. A book that encapsulates a band still beloved by legions of fans, Swimming with the Blowfish is much more—an unpretentious, emotional story of one man’s spiritual path to a more fruitful life. Jim’s journey is shattering, redeeming, and ultimately as comforting as your favorite flannel shirt. Praise for Swimming with the Blowfish “I’ve truly relished hanging out with the fun-loving, mischievous ‘Soni’ through the years, but this book exposes a more deeply-rooted, impassioned side he didn’t always show. He captures the spirit of the surreal and sometimes unsettling life behind the scenes of one of my favorite bands, sincerely revealing that he is as fragile as the rest of us. It’s an eloquent yet humbling example of a lesson we can all learn from—that no degree of fame or fortune leaves us immune to experiencing pain, powerlessness, and regret.” —Dan Patrick, sports broadcaster and host of?The Dan Patrick Show? “Jim Sonefeld details his rollercoaster ride through rock and roll, addiction and sobriety with searing honesty and grace.” —Radney Foster, singer-songwriter of Foster & Lloyd and author of?For You?to?See?the?Stars

Imagine a White House MASH written by a Reagan-Bush staffer/speechwriter who saw it all--clueless president, witless sycophants, panicked encumbents, soon to be out on the street. Only a true story of high power at a very low ebb could be this funny.

First book in New York Times-bestselling Seanan McGuire's witty urban fantasy InCryptid series about a family of cryptozoologists who act as a buffer between humans and the magical creatures living in secret around us. "The only thing more fun than an October Daye book is an InCryptid book." —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Sookie Stackhouse series Cryptid, noun: Any creature whose existence has not yet been proven by science. See also "Monster." Crytozoologist, noun: Any person who thinks hunting for cryptids is a good idea. See also "idiot." Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night... The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity—and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city...