The Death of an Orchid


Book Description

The Death of an Orchid recounts the tale of Sebastian, a passionate realist, as he encounters for the first time a girl with the imagination to get him off the ground. Driven by nostalgia to reunite with her, Sebastian finds himself drifting dangerously far from reality and ensnared in a scheme capable of haunting his most twisted nightmares. Sebastian is a pragmatic young man: captivated by romance, yet seldom capable of escaping reality. Upon meeting Bella, a spirited dreamer with an imagination to paint landscapes, Sebastian finds his deepest fantasies enmeshed for the first time with actuality. For weeks, he is charmed by Bella's grace and paralyzed by her allure. Everything in the world seems ideal, as if the stars have aligned above. Then, dark clouds obscure the skies. As Bella returns to school at the end of the summer, Sebastian feels the distance strain their relationship. Determined to persevere, he embarks on a journey to reconnect with the girl who once danced endlessly in his dreams. Then, haunted by a disturbing discovery, Sebastian finds himself questioning everything he once knew about romance. At what point is it too late to wake up?




Death Orchid


Book Description

If you like books that take place in Hawaii, you'll love this story. Revenge and greed… a deadly combination in paradise. Jessica Kealoha retired from the LAPD and moved to Kona, Hawaii, for the sun, sand, and a billionaire boyfriend. She thought she was over fighting organized crime in her previous life with the Soviet Crime task force in LA. But she will have to battle the Russian mob one more time to save her family. When a Russian assassin seeks revenge for the death of his brother at the hands of Jessica, he kidnaps her newly adopted son and demands an eye for an eye in a way she never expected. ★★★★★ You won’t be able to put down this compulsively addictive second book in the Hawaii Adventure Series. Especially if you like Hawaii Fiction with strong female leads. ★★★★★Wow! From the first few pages to the last, non-stop action with our heroes fending off assassins and kidnappers. Anyone who wants a peek at Hawai’ian culture teamed with a great story should not hesitate to pick up this book. - Reader review.




Royal Orchid The Death-Hunters


Book Description

A vengeful dragon.A magician lurking in the shadows.A ragtag team fighting to stop the planet from plunging into turmoil.When fourteen-year-old Ivy falls through a portal into Ghost Orchid, she is scared and alone. Then, she meets a group of teen rebels fighting to save the icy wasteland. But are they really the good guys? Or are they as crazy and dangerous as they seem?Struggling to understand her place in this strange world, she listens to a slithery voice in her head which promises a way out - a way home. But is she prepared to abandon her new friends, her kea and snow-mouse? Or will she stay and fight to stop Ghost Orchid and Earth from descending into chaos?




Death of an Orchid Lover


Book Description

Nature. Nurture. Murder. L.A. actor Joe Portugal just wants to keep the mealybugs off his cacti, give a little boost to his love life, and maybe make a few commercials along the way. And with a small acting role nailed down, Joe has every reason to mind his own business. But he doesn't. That's because a man who loved orchids has been found dead. And so has a woman who asked for Joe's help. Never one to walk away from a challenge, Joe is plunging into a world unlike any he's seen before--the frenetic, highly competitive world of the orchid enthusiast. And suddenly Joe Portugal--actor, cactus lover, reluctant sleuth--is discovering that solving murder cases among the flora, fauna, and fanatics who thrive in L.A. isn't just a hobby, it's his true calling...especially since a killer has already come calling on him.... Includes The Joe Portugal Guide to Orchids.




A Twist of Orchids


Book Description

Third in the acclaimed “Death in the Dordogne” series. Winter in the Dordogne: delicious food, ruggedly beautiful scenery, unscrupulous orchid hunters, illegal drugs, a poetic house-breaker, and three mysterious deaths and counting . . . Expat Montrealer Mara Dunn and orchid-loving Brit Julian Wood are living together in an uneasy, on-and-off way. When bad things start to happen to their friends–first Amélie Gaillard falls mysteriously to her death, leaving behind a husband with Parkinson’s who is visited by a murderous apparition, then a local Turkish couple’s son disappears and is soon found dead of an overdose–each has a very different way of helping out. So different that each begins to wonder if they are really meant to be together. But when Julian, with his unerring understanding of the orchid-lover’s mind, thinks he has found the link between the local spike in drug traffic and murder, one of them might lose the other–permanently.




Orchid of Death


Book Description

Will the nightmare ever end? A murder in a beautiful English village and many secrets revealed. A vicar, respected by all his parishioners, runs for his life with his young lover. His wife, Daphne and daughter, Louise are left heartbroken.Louise Anderson is incarcerated for the murder of her married lover; but the village of Camberley Edge has many more messages for the discerning reader.The legal twists and turns will intrigue as will the methods used to unearth the facts.The truth will finally be uncovered but what suffering that will bring. Love, deceit, greed set in a place that we all are familiar with but also the darkness, hopelessness of prisons. The masters at work in the greatest of our courts.Law is a good master when disposed of fairly but cruel when not. As is life.




Orchid


Book Description

The prize-winning history of the orchid: “an engaging and enlightening account of one of the Earth's most mythologized botanical wonders” (Richard Conniff, author of House of Lost Worlds). At once delicate, exotic, and elegant, orchids are beloved for their singular, instantly recognizable beauty. Found in nearly every climate, the many species of orchid have had varying forms of significance in countless cultures over time. Following the orchid’s journey from Ancient Greek medicine to twentieth century detective novels, science historian Jim Endersby explores the flower’s four recurring themes: science, empire, sex, and death. Orchids were a symbol of the exotic riches sought by 19th century Europeans in their plans for colonization. They became subjects of scientific scrutiny for Charles Darwin, who investigated their methods of cross-pollination. As Endersby shows, orchids—perhaps because of their extraordinarily diverse colors, shapes, and sizes—have also bloomed repeatedly in films, novels, plays, and poems, from Shakespeare to science fiction. Featuring many gorgeous illustrations from the collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Orchid: A Cultural History was awarded the Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize by the History of Science Society. It is an enchanting tale not only for gardeners and plant collectors, but anyone curious about the flower’s obsessive hold on the imagination in history, cinema, literature, and more.




Death in the Orchid Garden


Book Description

Filming her public television garden show in Hawaii, Louise Eldridge has a date with murder when she discovers the body of an arrogant botanist and must weed through a wealth of suspects to catch a killer.




The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2021


Book Description

New York Times best-selling author and renowned science journalist Ed Yong compiles the best science and nature writing published in 2020. "The stories I have chosen reflect where I feel the field of science and nature writing has landed, and where it could go," Ed Yong writes in his introduction. "They are often full of tragedy, sometimes laced with wonder, but always deeply aware that science does not exist in a social vacuum. They are beautiful, whether in their clarity of ideas, the elegance of their prose, or often both." The essays in this year's Best American Science and Nature Writing brought clarity to the complexity and bewilderment of 2020 and delivered us necessary information during a global pandemic. From an in-depth look at the moment of the virus's outbreak, to a harrowing personal account of lingering Covid symptoms, to a thoughtful analysis on how the pandemic will impact the environment, these essays, as Yong says, "synthesize, evaluate, dig, unveil, and challenge," imbuing a pivotal moment in history with lucidity and elegance. THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE AND NATURE WRITING 2021 INCLUDES - SUSAN ORLEAN - EMILY RABOTEAU - ZEYNEP TUFEKCI - HELEN OUYANG - HEATHER HOGAN BROOKE JARVIS - SARAH ZHANG and others




Modern Loss


Book Description

Inspired by the website that the New York Times hailed as "redefining mourning," this book is a fresh and irreverent examination into navigating grief and resilience in the age of social media, offering comfort and community for coping with the mess of loss through candid original essays from a variety of voices, accompanied by gorgeous two-color illustrations and wry infographics. At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it’s clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let’s face it: most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We’re awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit. Enter Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner, who can help us do better. Each having lost parents as young adults, they co-founded Modern Loss, responding to a need to change the dialogue around the messy experience of grief. Now, in this wise and often funny book, they offer the insights of the Modern Loss community to help us cry, laugh, grieve, identify, and—above all—empathize. Soffer and Birkner, along with forty guest contributors including Lucy Kalanithi, singer Amanda Palmer, and CNN’s Brian Stelter, reveal their own stories on a wide range of topics including triggers, sex, secrets, and inheritance. Accompanied by beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and witty "how to" cartoons, each contribution provides a unique perspective on loss as well as a remarkable life-affirming message. Brutally honest and inspiring, Modern Loss invites us to talk intimately and humorously about grief, helping us confront the humanity (and mortality) we all share. Beginners welcome.