Book Review: Orchid Thief

I listened to Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief on tape, mostly while running the 50-miler last weekend. There are some pretty crazy stories about orchid hunters exploring wild jungles back in the day, so half-way through I was thinking "I want to be a crazy obsessed orchid nut," just like reading Michael Pollan's books made me wish I knew about wild mushrooms. It probably didn't help that Mt. Diablo was covered in beautiful California poppies. But the book got really tiresome by the end. If you read it, seriously, stop after the main court case is resolved. Nothing happens in the rest of the book. Or better yet, just go watch Adaptation instead.

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