Saturday, May 31, 2008  The Orchid Thief  I read this for my
online book group this month. It's one of those books I wouldn't
have picked up myself, but I'm kind of glad I read it. It
certainly isn't one of my favorite books by any means, but I
learned some things, so that makes it worthwhile.  Susan Orlean
uses the story of John Laroche, a Floridian orchid grower who
has been charged with stealing orchids out of a state park, as a
framework for her book. The book, to me, is more about the
uniqueness of Florida--the land, the people, the flora and
fauna. But, maybe that's what I glommed onto because I love
Florida and that's the part I liked.  I actually don't like
orchids. I've always thought they are kind of weird and creepy.
But, it was interesting digging into the whole "orchid world"
and looking at the history of orchids. I'm still trying to
figure out why people have been so obsessed by them over time.
People do some crazy things for plants!  Friday, May 23, 2008
The Host  This book was touted as being