“The Orchid Thief” by Susan Orlean

Before reading this book, I expected “The Orchid Thief” to be about orchid cultivating, centered around one unusual man with an unusual passion for plants: John LaRoche.  I had already viewed the film, “Adaptation”, which was based very loosely on “The Orchid Thief,” but assumed the film’s bizarreness was attributed to the screenwriters, and not the content of the book itself.

However, “The Orchid Thief” IS bizarre.  Initially author Susan Orlean wrote a story for the New Yorker about John LaRoche’s involvement with orchid poaching in a state park.  This story spurred a desire to expand the topic into a book, and a two-year stint shadowing members of the South Florida orchid community ensued.  While Mr. LaRoche continues to be a central character in the book, “The Orchid Thief” is rich in further crazy history about people’s obsession with these tropical plants.

I admit, I expected “The Orchid Thief” to be a little boring.  I was pleasantly surprised with Susan Orlean’s gift for relaying facts in such an engaging manner.  Her depth of research presented in the book is also admirable.  Even if a reader has no interest at all in orchids, they will enjoy reading about the human capacity of ludicrous desires for possession and control over something as simple as a flower.

Are you feeling FOX’s “Glee”?

It is approximately four episodes into FOX’s latest teen-angst primetime TV show, “Glee”.  This show is filled with some of the most cliched storylines of all time:  the extremely popular, handsome quarterback wants to be more than just an athlete, the nerdy glee club leader is really quite cute under her dorky apparel, a teacher’s wife fakes a pregnancy to keep her husband from ending their marriage.  But just when I feel myself cringing in despair over the lameness of “Glee”, in enters the cast of misfit characters that keep me engaged episode after episode: the artfully dressed and hypochondriac school counselor, the sadistic cheerleading coach, the ultra-feminine male glee club member, and the fabulous peace-keeping principal.

“Glee’s” main premise is reviving a dying glee club, fueled by the Spanish teacher, a former glee club star himself.  Set to an eclectic mix of new music, and oddly chosen older songs, “Glee” executes wonderfully choreographed song and dance numbers woven intermittently between the side stories of love, loss, and plenty of high school backstabbing.  Perhaps the diverse subject matter covered in each episode is an attempt to win a wider viewing audience, and perhaps it is also smart screenwriting.  I cannot place what the appeal of “Glee” is for me personally yet, but this show has definitely gotten my attention.

View “Glee” Wednesdays on FOX after “So You Think You Can Dance”.

“The Bagthorpe Saga” by Helen Cresswell

Earlier this summer I read the first seven books of the Bagthorpe Saga by Helen Cresswell.  The fictional Bagthorpe family consists of four children, three being genii who collect “strings to their bows”, and the fourth child being “Ordinary Jack”.  Their father is a television writer, and their mother is an advice columnist.  The paternal grandparents and the family dog, Zero, reside in “Unicorn House” as well.  Other essential characters include Uncle Parker, Aunt Celia, and cousin Daisy who live just down the road, and Mrs. Fosdyke, housekeeper/cook for the Bagthorpes.

Throughout this series, the Bagthorpes become contest winners, television stars, and self-sufficient survivalists.  Grandma is arrested at a Bingo hall, Daisy does countless amounts of damage to the Bagthorpe residence, and the entire clan spends a memorable summer ghost-hunting in Wales.  They endure strange visits from extended family members, including Great-Aunt Lucy, who doesn’t believe in “time”.

This series has been the most enjoyable reading experience I have had in a long time.  Although young adults are the target reading audience, the clever antics and witty conversations of the Bagthorpe family welcome adult readers as well.

The Bagthorpe Saga:
1. Ordinary Jack
2. Absolute Zero
3. Bagthorpes Unlimited
4. Bagthorpes v. the World
5. Bagthorpes Abroad
6. Bagthorpes Haunted
7. Bagthorpes Liberated
8. The Bagthorpe Triangle
9. Bagthorpes Besieged
10. Bagthorpes Battered