Summer Rayne Oakes, an urban houseplant expert and environmental scientist, is the icon of wellness-minded millennials who want to bring nature indoors, according to a New York Times profile. Summer has managed to grow 1,000 houseplants in her Brooklyn apartment (and they're thriving!) Her secret? She approaches her relationships with plants as intentionally as if they were people. Everyone deserves to feel the inner peace that comes from taking care of greenery. Beyond the obvious benefits--beauty and cleaner air--there's a strong psychological benefit to nurturing plants as a path to mindfulness. They can reduce our stress level, lower our blood pressure, and improve our overall outlook. And they offer a rare opportunity to find joy by caring for another living being. When Summer Rayne Oakes moved to Brooklyn from the Pennsylvania countryside, she knew that bringing nature indoors was her only chance to stay sane. She found them by the side of the road, in long-forgotten window boxes, at farmers' markets, and in local garden shops. She found ways to shelve, hang, tuck, anchor, secure, and suspend them. She even installed a 150-foot expandable hose that connects to pipes under her kitchen sink, so she only has to spend about a half-hour a day tending to her plants--an activity that she describes as a "moving meditation." This is Summer's guidebook for cultivating an entirely new relationship with your plant children. Inside, you'll learn to: Pause for the flowers and greenery all around you, even the ones sprouting bravely between cracked pavement Trust that your apartment jungle offers you far more than pretty décor See the world from a plant's perspective, trading modern consumerism for sustainability Serve your chlorophyllic friends by learning to identify the right species for your home and to recreate their natural habitat (Bonus: your indoor garden won't die!) When we become plant parents, we also become better caretakers of ourselves, the people around us, and our planet. So, let's step inside the world of plants and discover how we can begin cultivating our own personal green space--in our homes, in our minds, and in our hearts.

A focused practical guide to useful and edible plants found in the San Francisco Bay Area that can also be helpful in discovering similar plants in other regions of California

Inside the Lion's Den is the remarkable story of Ken Shamrock's ascent to the top of reality martial combat. A legendary Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter and former professional wrestler, Shamrock is an inspiration to thousands. This is the story of his rise from a troubled youth to champion in the ring in both America and Asia. The first "King of Pancrase" in the Japanese fighting circuit, and the first "Superfight Champion" of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Shamrock also founded the Lion's Den in Northern California, a facility that has trained many champion MMA fighters. Readers and fans will learn the secrets of Shamrock's ultra-efficient submissions fighting system and the training regimen that he and his trainees followed. With over 150 dynamic photos, Inside the Lion's Den is both an inspiring portrait of the fighter known as the "World's Most Dangerous Man" and an invaluable guide for the martial artist, novice and master alike.

This is not your grandmother's gardening book. You Grow Girl is a hip, humorous how-to for crafty gals everywhere who are discovering a passion for gardening but lack the know-how to turn their dreams of homegrown tomatoes and fresh-cut flowers into a reality. Gayla Trail, creator of YouGrowGirl.com, provides guidance for both beginning and intermediate gardeners with engaging tips, projects, and recipes -- whether you have access to a small backyard or merely to a fire escape. You Grow Girl eliminates the intimidation factor and reveals how easy and enjoyable it can be to cultivate plants and flowers even when resources and space are limited. Divided into accessible sections like Plan, Plant, and Grow, You Grow Girl takes readers through the entire gardening experience: Preparing soil Nurturing seedlings Fending off critters Reaping the bounty Readying plants for winter Preparing for the seasons ahead Gayla also includes a wealth of ingenious and creative projects, such as: Transforming your garden's harvest into lush bath and beauty products Converting household junk into canny containers Growing and bagging herbal tea Concocting homemade pest repellents ...and much, much more. Witty, wise, and as practical as it is stylish, You Grow Girl is guaranteed to show you how to get your garden on. All you need is a windowsill and a dream!

Life with a potted plant is undeniably better. And better yet is the ability to grow and replicate new, healthy houseplants without ever having to visit a garden centre again. Learn to share, swap and celebrate the miraculous methods of multiplying all of your favourites at almost no cost at all. And here’s the secret: it’s really, really easy. Plants are designed to multiply. They spread their roots, send off inquisitive shoots, and regenerate themselves in all sorts of exciting and unexpected ways without any help. Even for the beginner indoor gardener, a single leaf can hold enough life to be successfully grown into a brand new plant. With Root, Nurture, Grow, you’ll quickly discover how to propagate any houseplant, take cuttings, cultivate runners and offsets, divide plants at the roots and even grow brand new root systems in the air. You’ll learn pruning methods that produce no waste, organic rooting medium recipes, and eventually enjoy gifting and swapping newly grown greenery with friends, family and other houseplant hoarders you’ll meet along the way. As well as myriad propagation methods, the book includes practical DIY projects to better nurture and display your plant family, including a homemade propagation chamber and simple self-watering planters.

Cork, Ireland 1965The residents of Chapel Street go about their business and enjoy knowing everyone else's.Despite money being tight, Liam Tobin is the happiest boy in Ireland. He has everything he needs, a happy family, loving parents and a chance to realise his dream of one day becoming a priest. Patrick Lynch lives across the street but his life is in stark contrast to his friend Liam's. Patrick hates his father, with good reason. He knows there is only one way to escape and he is determined to take it, but one decision threatens to destroy all of Patrick's dreams. Hugo FitzHenry seems to have it all, wealth, power and a position in life, but Hugo has a dark secret, one that could ruin everything if it got out.The three boys are thrown together by fate, and through the years the boundaries of their friendship is tested to the limit. Only by sticking together can they prevail. Or fail.

Unprecedented in its scope, Rainbow's End provides a bold new analysis of the emergence, growth, and decline of six classic Irish-American political machines in New York, Jersey City, Chicago, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Albany. Combining the approaches of political economy and historical sociology, Erie examines a wide range of issues, including the relationship between city and state politics, the manner in which machines shaped ethnic and working-class politics, and the reasons why centralized party organizations failed to emerge in Boston and Philadelphia despite their large Irish populations. The book ends with a thorough discussion of the significance of machine politics for today's urban minorities.

James Michael Curley, the most powerful Irish-American politician in Boston until John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress, was the stuff of legend before his life became fiction in the film The Last Hurrah. Here, in this short-form book from historian Francis Russell, is the story of this twice jailed champion of the people.

Sure, being a courier for a secret, possibly terrorist society has its risks, but the pay was worth it. At least I thought it was until I was ordered to make a late-night run to Boston to meet an opium-addicted, vodka-addled contact, who blows the deal. Now I am being hunted as I hobble, injured through the streets of Beantown. When I discover a gun and my new assignment, I wonder if perhaps I made a bad career choice.