The Orchid and the Lion


Book Description

Dorian Vidales left his cushy but constrictive life on Earth behind to become the star femme Dom at a space station brothel. Convinced that love makes people stupid and will ruin everything he's worked so hard for, Dorian remains happily married to his career. But when Laith Ritter, a gorgeous trans man, is hired at the brothel and Dorian gets roped into training him as a sub, he'll find it hard to follow his own "don't get attached" rule. At first, having a bratty, inexperienced live-in sub is more chaos than he expects, but it soon becomes everything he could never admit he needed. As he trains Laith, Laith helps Dorian find himself outside of his high-strung, overly controlled work persona. With their relationship growing more and more serious, Dorian realizes this is what was missing in his otherwise glamorous life. But amidst the glitz and glamour of the space station-a haven for people otherwise disenfranchised by Earth's Purity Laws-trouble is brewing. When a pro-Purity politician gains power and begins pushing her political agenda, Dorian and the man he's falling in love with will be thrust into a dangerous fight to keep the station free. The trials they face will test their burgeoning romance and change their lives forever. The Orchid and the Lion is the first book in a kinky, sensual series about love, self-acceptance, and fighting for what you believe in. CONTENT WARNINGS: This book is sexually explicit, and contains profanity, kinks, and fetishes that may not be everyone's cup of tea. Some of these characters use drugs and/or alcohol, and a major character suffers from PTSD. The following content may also be upsetting to some readers: transphobia, homophobia, whorephobia, brief violence, death, mentions of suicide, and off-page sexual assault. I tried to approach each of these topics with respect and use them only as the story required them. For a full list of the sexual content, visit www.gabrielhargravewrites.com




The Orchid and the Dandelion


Book Description

"Based on groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless children--and the adults who love them." --Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts. A book that offers hope and a pathway to success for parents, teachers, psychologists, and child development experts coping with difficult children. In Tom Boyce's extraordinary new book, he explores the "dandelion" child (hardy, resilient, healthy), able to survive and flourish under most circumstances, and the "orchid" child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile), who, given the right support, can thrive as much as, if not more than, other children. Boyce writes of his pathfinding research as a developmental pediatrician working with troubled children in child-development research for almost four decades, and explores his major discovery that reveals how genetic make-up and environment shape behavior. He writes that certain variant genes can increase a person's susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors. But rather than seeing this "risk" gene as a liability, Boyce, through his daring research, has recast the way we think of human frailty, and has shown that while these "bad" genes can create problems, they can also, in the right setting and the right environment, result in producing children who not only do better than before but far exceed their peers. Orchid children, Boyce makes clear, are not failed dandelions; they are a different category of child, with special sensitivities and strengths, and need to be nurtured and taught in special ways. And in The Orchid and the Dandelion, Boyce shows us how to understand these children for their unique sensibilities, their considerable challenges, their remarkable gifts.




The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale


Book Description

What is a Nittany Lion? The most frequently asked question about Penn State University is answered definitively for the first time in this beautifully illustrated book. Penn State librarians Jackie Esposito and Steven Herb have devoted hundreds of hours of research to uncover the fascinating and colorful history behind the beloved Penn State icon. Elements of the tale include the tragic legend of Indian Princess Nita-nee, for whom the majestic mountain in Central Pennsylvania is named; the story of the Original Nittany Lion, the elusive mountain lion that once roamed the hills of Pennsylvania; the 1904 Penn State baseball game at Princeton University, where the idea of a school mascot was born; the creation of the famous limestone Nittany Lion Shrine on Penn State's University Park campus; and the "Men in the Suit," the many Penn State students who have played the role of the Nittany Lion Mascot. This tale is also the story of many important figures in Penn State and Pennsylvania history, including folklorist Henry Shoemaker, baseball player and student leader H. D. "Joe" Mason, sculptor Heinz Warneke, famous mascot Norm Constantine, and football coaching legends "Rip" Engle and Joe Paterno. Sure to be of interest to Penn State's 340,000 living alumni and the countless numbers of Nittany Lion fans all over the world, this book will also appeal to folklorists and Pennsylvania historians.




The Orchid Seekers


Book Description




The Orchid Genome


Book Description

This book provides information on genome complexity and evolution, transcriptome analysis, miRNome, simple sequence repeats, genome relationships, molecular cytogenetics, polyploidy induction and application, flower and embryo development. Orchids account for a great part of the worldwide floriculture trade both as cut flowers and as potted plants and are assessed to comprise around 10% of global fresh cut flower trade. A better understanding of the basic botanical characteristics, flower regulation, molecular cytogenetics, karyotypes and DNA content of important orchids will aid in the efficient development of new cultivars. The book also describes the composition, expression and function of various microRNAs and simple sequence repeats. Information on their involvement in all aspects of plant growth and development will aid functional genomics studies.




Heart of a Lion


Book Description

"This is one stirring account of one stirring journey: the trek of a fellow creature through a hostile, man-made world--and through our imaginations." --Bill McKibben, author of EAARTH: MAKING A LIFE ON A TOUGH NEW PLANET Late one June night in 2011, a large animal collided with an SUV cruising down a Connecticut parkway. The creature appeared as something out of New England's forgotten past. Beside the road lay a 140-pound mountain lion. Speculations ran wild, the wildest of which figured him a ghostly survivor from a bygone century when lions last roamed the eastern United States. But a more fantastic scenario of facts soon unfolded. The lion was three years old, with a DNA trail embarking from the Black Hills of South Dakota on a cross-country odyssey eventually passing within thirty miles of New York City. It was the farthest landbound trek ever recorded for a wild animal in America, by a barely weaned teenager venturing solo through hostile terrain. William Stolzenburg retraces his two-year journey--from his embattled birthplace in the Black Hills, across the Great Plains and the Mississippi River, through Midwest metropolises and remote northern forests, to his tragic finale upon Connecticut's Gold Coast. Along the way, the lion traverses lands with people gunning for his kind, as well as those championing his cause. Heart of a Lion is a story of one heroic creature pitting instinct against towering odds, coming home to a society deeply divided over his return. It is a testament to the resilience of nature, and a test of humanity's willingness to live again beside the ultimate symbol of wildness.




Aesop's Fables


Book Description

In this elegantly designed volume, more than 60 of Aesop's timeless fables are humorously retold and brought to life by four-time Caldecott Honor winner Jerry Pinkney. Full color.




The Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus


Book Description

The last book by the legendary explorer, activist, filmmaker, and oceanographer offers a call for action to preserve our world, its wildlife, and its natural wonders for future generations, looking at the impact of human action on our precarious environment.




The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Orchids


Book Description

A combination of botanical beauty and practical advice in Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing Orchids will inspire beginners and experienced growers to love and grow 60 beautiful orchids and 12 inspirational projects. From growing from seed to harvesting vanilla pods, the projects will bring the wonderful world of orchids to life and produce confident, keen growers wanting to expand their experience of these exotic flora.




Wily Violets and Underground Orchids


Book Description

In this book, Peter Bernhardt takes us on a grand tour of the botanical realm, weaving engaging descriptions of the lovely shapes and intriguing habits of flowering plants with considerations of broader questions, such as why there are only six basic shapes of flowers and why the orchid family is so numerous and so bizarre. Everyone from amateur naturalists and gardeners to plant scientists will find Wily Violets and Underground Orchids a lively guide to botanical lore.