Download or read book Fool s Paradise written by Steven Gaines and published by Crown. This book was released on 2009-12-29 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the acclaimed bestselling author of Philistines at the Hedgerow comes a remarkably revealing profile of the Miami Beach no one knows–a tale of fabulous excess, thwarted power, and rekindled lives that will take its place among the decade’s best works of social portraiture. Created from a mix of swampland and dredged-up barrier reef, Miami Beach has always been one part drifter-mecca and one part fantasyland, simultaneously a catch basin for con men, fast-talk artists, and shameless self-promoters, and a Shangri-La for sun worshippers and hardcore hedonists. In Miami Beach it’s often said that "if you’re not indicted you’re not invited." But the city’s mad, fascinating complexity resists easy stereotyping. Fool’s Paradise is more than just a present-day profile of a dark Eden. Gaines journeys back into the city’s social and cultural history, unearthing stories of the resort’s past that are every bit as absorbing–and jaw-dropping–as those of its present. The book begins with a snapshot of the city’s current excess (this is, after all, a sun-washed hamlet that boasts, on a per capita basis, more bars–and breast implants–than any other place in America), then plunges into the Beach’s origins, chronicling the audacious rise of such hoteliers as the Fontainebleau’s Ben Novack and the Eden Roc’s Harry Mufson, the sharp-elbowed tactics of Al Capone and Frank Sinatra, and the Mac-10 shooting sprees of the Marielito and Colombian drug lords. From there, the narrative shifts to two wildly eccentric souls who gave their lives to preserving the city’s architectural dazzle and creating its color palette, introduces us to "the Most Powerful Man in Miami Beach," and arrives finally in the modern day, where we meet, among others, a kinky German playboy who once owned a quarter of South Beach and publicly flaunts his sexual escapades; a fabulously successful nightclub promoter whose addictive past seems to have given him a portal into the night world’s id; and a gaggle of young sexy models, dreamers, and schemers on a mission to achieve significance. Evoking the Beach’s surreal blend of flashy Vegas and old Hollywood glamour, as well as its manic desperation and reckless wealth, Gaines persuasively demonstrates that though the Beach is–in the words of its most famous drag queen–"an island of broken toys . . . a place where people get away with things they’d never get away with anyplace else," it casts an irresistible spell.

Download or read book A Fool in Paradise written by Neil Hutchison and published by Proglen Trading Co., Ltd.. This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following hot the heels of his best seller, Money Number One, Neil Hutchison continues his in-depth investigation into the tourist playground of Pattaya. This collection of short stories, originally published individually under the pseudonym 'A Fool in Paradise', form a collage of insights into the machinations of this fantastic city on the eastern seaboard of Thailand. Anyone who has read Money Number One will enjoy this follow-up book as it reinforces the conclusions drawn and advice presented in the former through the personal experiences of the author. The tales are fast-paced, humourous, well written and ALL TRUE. Well, almost. Sir Winston Churchill quipped that "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." If that is true, then Neil is a success story because his love and enthusiasm for Pattaya and its people has not diminished over the years. The highs, lows, ups, downs, laughter and tears portray a convincing analysis of the human condition. As Neil says, "Pattaya is to a writer what a room full of fruit bowls is to an artist." The last story, 'Footprints in the Sand', is a particularly poignant tale of just how the city can affect its visitors and guests, even those who should know better. Written with his heart firmly on his sleeve, it proves that no matter how smart we think we are or how old we get, we just never learn. This tale is a 'must read' for any foreign male contemplating a long-term liaison with a Thai lady.

Download or read book Robert B Parker s Fool s Paradise written by Mike Lupica and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When an unknown man is found murdered in Paradise, Jesse Stone will have his hands full finding out who he was--and what he was seeking. When a body is discovered at the lake in Paradise, Police Chief Jesse Stone is surprised to find he recognizes the murder victim--the man had been at the same AA meeting as Jesse the evening before. But otherwise, Jesse has no clue as to the man's identity. He isn't a local, nor does he have ID on him, nor does any neighboring state have a reported missing person matching his description. Their single lead is from a taxi company that recalls dropping off the mysterious stranger outside the gate at the mansion of one of the wealthiest families in town. . . . Meanwhile, after Jesse survives a hail of gunfire on his home, he wonders if it could be related to the murder. When both Molly Crane and Suitcase Simpson also become targets, it's clear someone has an ax to grind against the entire Paradise PD.

Download or read book Fool s Paradise written by John Gierach and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-05-06 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A lighthearted and lyrical new collection of observations on fly-fishing by the author of Still Life with Brook Trout features whimsical complaints about what the author believes is wrong with the world, both within and outside the fishing community. 50,000 first printing.

Download or read book Money Number One written by Neil Hutchison and published by Proglen Trading Co., Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-05-13 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enter Pattaya with your eyes wide open, not like a lamb to the slaughter. The original guide to Pattaya by Neil Hutchison, author of A Fool in Paradise. From landing at Bangkok airport through to going home again, everything is covered. From hotels to entertainment, from motorbike taxis to Baht buses, from beer bars to go go bars, and from bar hostesses to freelancers, you will find it in this book. And most of all find out how the Thai entertainment workers think about their visitors. Or as Neil says: "The politically correct single man's survival guide to the adult entertainment of Pattaya, Thailand." What others say: "A must for male visitors to the Land of Smiles." Bernard Trink (Bangkok Post) "A fun read with an important message. ... I would recommend that the single male, with fire in his heart and conflagration in his jocks should study the book before having his first beer. He will save more than the price of the book. ... Should be incorporated in the price of incoming plane tickets and made compulsory reading." Lang Reid (Pattaya Mail)

Download or read book A Fool s Paradise written by George Beardon and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2022-05-04 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Fool's Paradise was written (nonaEUR"fiction) to show the young people growing up in the "jungle" (the ghetto) that crime does not pay and the soaEUR"called fast life isn't worth the time. It's better to be free, raising a family and having a square job, than to be in prison boasting about how rich you used to be but can't even afford a candy bar in prison.

Download or read book A Fool s Paradise written by Anita Konkka and published by Dalkey Archive Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Overeducated, unemployed, recently dumped, and depressed, the 38-year-old nameless narrator is a familiar American character, except she's Finnish. It is the 1980s, her married Russian lover has recently left her, and the narrator compulsively writes in her journal as she tries to put her life back together. Obsessed with omens, astrology, dreams, fortune-tellers, and other objects of the paranormal, the narrator is both funny and morose.

Download or read book The Fool is Back written by Neil Hutchison and published by Proglen Trading Co., Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-06-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of human stupidity is not a new science but it certainly makes fascinating reading. An interesting thing about the human race is that if there is a way to screw up, someone will eventually stumble upon it. Enter the fool. By the author of the Pattaya best seller Money Number One and the updated Money Still Number One, this the sequel to A Fool in Paradise, adding a further 32 stories to the colourful tapestry that is Pattaya, Thailand. In the opinion of many people including the author, Pattaya is the most wonderful place on the planet. As with A fool in Paradise, the stories are all true or based on true events. 'A Brief History of Pattaya' takes a lighthearted look at what the history books don't tell you whereas 'Miss Goodbar' offers advice to foreign men on how to choose, woo and cohabit with their Thai dream girl. 'Boys at Play' is the unofficial, unauthorized and unholy account of one holiday of lifetime. When you take six mischievous Aussie mates, add ten days of unsupervised freedom and put them together in South East Asia's number one party town, you get a true adventure of unbelievable proportions; full of fun, laughter, love, sex and tragedy. Why tragedy? Because none of them could ever speak about it, except amongst themselves. Apart from one photograph, this remains the only record of their tale. So pull up a chair, take your shoes off and relax. For your reading pleasure, The Fool is Back!

Download or read book A Fool s Paradise written by Nancy Flowers Wilson and published by Writers and Poets USA. This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Story about two bright black young women and their struggle to pull through their downfalls and come to terms with the happenings.

Download or read book Fool s Paradise written by Stewart Justman and published by Ivan R. Dee Publisher. This book was released on 2005 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the channels of the mass media, celebrity psychologists urge us to realize that society has robbed us of our authentic selves. That every moral standard or prohibition imposes on our selfhoods. That what we have inherited from the past is false. That we ourselves are the only truth in a world of lies. That we must challenge "virtually everything." That we must "wipe the slate clean and start over." Each of these "principles" is a commonplace of pop psychology, and each has almost unimaginably radical implications. Where did pop psychology come from, and what are its promises--and fallacies? How is it that we have elevated people like Phil McGraw, Theodore Rubin, Wayne Dyer, M. Scott Peck, Thomas Harris, John Gray, and many other self-help gurus to priestly status in American culture? In Fool's Paradise, the award-winning essayist Stewart Justman traces the inspiration of the pop psychology movement to the utopianism of the 1960s and argues that it consistently misuses the rhetoric that grew out of the civil rights movement. Speaking as it does in the name of our right to happiness, pop psychology promises liberation from all that interferes with our power to create the selves we want. In so doing, Mr. Justman writes, it not only defies reality but corrodes the traditions and attachments that give depth and richness to human life. His witty and astringent appraisal of the world of pop psychology, which quotes liberally from the most popular sources of advice, is an essential social corrective as well as a vastly entertaining and stimulating book.

Download or read book Fool s Paradise written by Dean Stewart and published by Heyday Books. This book was released on 2001 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carey McWilliams (1905-1980) -- lawyer, activist, historian, editor of The Nation for two decades -- wrote the history of California as no one else could, or would. Alternately scathing, amusing, and disturbing, his sharp and literate accounts shatter the myths meant to obscure the real workings of the state, revealing always the relationship between the exploited and those who would exploit them.Readers will find that McWilliams's writing on history and the issues of his day is still relevant -- in fact, it is the basis for the field that we now call California studies

Download or read book A Fool s Paradise written by Sydney Grundy and published by . This book was released on 1898 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Paradise Dogs written by Man Martin and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-06-07 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adam Newman once had it all. But then he lost it. Now Adam yearns to reunite with his estranged wife, Evelyn, and recapture the Edenic life they once had running Paradise Dogs, the roadside hot-dog restaurant now legendary throughout central Florida. He has a few obstacles along the way. For starters, there's his impending marriage to Lily. There's also the matter of a quarter million dollars' worth of diamonds that he mislaid, along with what appears to be a shadowy conspiracy that is buying up land around the Cross-Florida Canal (and which may or may not be a product of Adam's alcohol-infused imagination). Despite his own troubles---and a brief stay in Chattahoochee---Adam looks to mentor his son, Addison, in the ways of love. Awkward, unsure, and employed as the world's least accurate obituary writer, Addison pines for a beautiful and painfully earnest linguistic student but must compete for her attention with his older and more sophisticated half brother from Evelyn's first marriage. But if anybody can set these worlds in order, it is Adam, who has an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time and allowing others to believe he's someone he's not. Whether it's delivering a baby, rescuing a marriage, or exposing a Communist conspiracy, our protagonist is up for the job. Paradise Dogs, from Georgia Author of the Year Award winner Man Martin, is a farcical tale of paradise lost, the American Dream, and the true measures of love

Download or read book Paradise Road written by Jay Atkinson and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2010-02-12 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Noted writer Jay Atkinson recreates Jack Kerouac's legendary On the Road journeys in contemporary North America Jack Kerouac's iconic 1950s novel On the Road is a Beat Generation classic, chronicling the adventures and misadventures of Kerouac's travels crisscrossing North America with Neal Cassady, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and other colorful companions. Now gifted writer Jay Atkinson hits the road to retrace Kerouac's legendary journey today. The author's experiences offer fascinating insights on American culture and society then and now and illuminate his own quest for self-understanding and discovery. Contrasts the life and landscape of Kerouac's 1940s and 1950s America with the realities today Filled with unexpected adventures and strangers encountered on Atkinson's trips to New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Denver, Mexico City, and the California coast Reveals Atkinson's engaging reflections on the search for personal identity and self Other titles by Jay Atkinson: Ice Time (a Publishers Weekly Notable Book of the Year) and Legends of Winter Hill (a Boston Globe bestseller) as well as the novels City in Amber and Caveman Politics Absorbing and beautifully written, Paradise Road is essential reading for Kerouac fans as well as lovers of engaging travel memoirs and anyone interested in American life and culture.

Download or read book This Side of Paradise written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published by The Floating Press. This book was released on 2009-04-01 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Side of Paradise is a novel about post-World War I youth and their morality. Amory Blaine is a young Princeton University student with an attractive face and an interest in literature. His greed and desire for social status warp the theme of love weaving through the story.

Download or read book Foolkiller written by Gregg Hurwitz and published by Marvel Comics Group. This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Los Angeles Times best-selling author Gregg Hurwitz (The Crime Writer) and Lan Medina bring you a gritty, no-holds barred crime thriller! Move over Frank Castle, there's a new vigilante in town. When the Foolkiller strikes, the punishment fits the crime. It's a display for all to see, the truth in all its brutal glory, our hidden secrets gutted and turned inside out for the front pages. A vigilante artist, a madman performer, the Foolkiller has been brutally introduced to the human joke, and he wants to make sure fools everywhere take note. What he reveals may not be what you want to see. Or what you want to admit. But he makes one thing certain: If you're a fool, you cannot hide. Collects Foolkiller #1-5.

Download or read book Another Side of Paradise written by Sally Koslow and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-05-29 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Koslow’s imagined account of the real-life affair between [F. Scott Fitzgerald] and the seductive expat is captivating.” —People magazine In 1937 Hollywood, gossip columnist Sheilah Graham’s star is on the rise, while literary wonder boy F. Scott Fitzgerald’s career is slowly drowning in booze. But the once-famous author, desperate to make money penning scripts for the silver screen, is charismatic enough to attract the gorgeous Miss Graham, a woman who exposes the secrets of others while carefully guarding her own. Like Fitzgerald’s hero Jay Gatsby, Graham has meticulously constructed a life far removed from the poverty of her childhood in London’s slums. And like Gatsby, the onetime guttersnipe learned early how to use her charms to become a hardworking success; she is feted and feared by both the movie studios and their luminaries. With his mentally-ill wife Zelda away in a sanitorium, Fitzgerald fell hard for Sheilah, who would help revive his career until his tragic death three years later. Working from Sheilah’s memoirs, interviews, and letters, Sally Koslow revisits their scandalous love affair and Graham’s dramatic transformation in London, bringing Graham and Fitzgerald gloriously to life with the color, glitter, magic, and passion of 1930s Hollywood. “A stunning, utterly captivating read.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times–bestselling author of The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything “Rich in historical detail, celebrity dish, and old-fashioned human drama.” —Good Housekeeping “You’ll be surprised by the nuance and new details that Another Side of Paradise brings to light.” —Meryl Gordon, New York Times–bestselling author of Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend “Intoxicating.” —Publishers Weekly