The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

A book a co-worker came across cleaning shelves has now become one of our most recommended books at the library branch where we work. There is something to the old adage that no one who has any interest in books should ever attempt to clean bookshelves.  I had never heard of it or the author Susan Orlean before the discovery, but being a mystery addict who grows orchids it was impossible not to start it and once started it is a book you will have trouble not finishing.

For me, it was one of those books that I kept counting ahead as I wanted to pace myself into letting this one last.  My first discovery:  you need not care for flowers or mystery to get into this one.  Maybe this is her one great book; maybe all her books are great; but this is a great book.

Realizing “great” is a vague term, I challenge you to read just one passage about the swamp area of Florida without feeling itchy and kind of sticky and needing a drink — a cold one. It would be enough to be able to put a reader “in location”, but Susan Orlean can also put you into a character (some pretty odd ones, but you will identify).  This is a book about why some people do what they do…maybe.

Oh, I think it is best to read this in the summer…kind of like seeing Laurence of Arabia in a cold theater…heat just adds to this one.

Reviewer:  Pat

Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

I just completed the 2nd book in the Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz.  I loved it! The antics of this totally dysfunctional family continued to crack me up.  The Spellman family owns a private investigating firm which they run from their home.  Their cases are usually pretty cut and dry, but the interactions of the family members and other key characters will leave you wanting more.  The writing style reminds me of the Plum books by Evanovich.

A great, funny read.  Now where is my recorder……(for further explanation, you must read the book).

Reviewer:  Vicky

A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur’s Court by Marianne Mancusi

Kat Jones is a fashion editor at La Style magazine and she gets sent to a Renaissance Fair to do a report on the emerging trend of medieval clothing.  When a fortune teller tells her that she will die this day, she laughs it off.  But a freak jousting accident causes her to pass out and when she awakes, she finds herself in the court of King Arthur.  She will have to use all her wits to stay alive long enough to get back into the 21st century.  Luckily, she ends up with her own Knight in Shining Armor.  Will it be enough to save Camelot?

I suppose that this book would fall under the genre of time-travel romance, and while there are small parts of the book that are completely predictable, there actually is a cute storyline in there, too.  Not my normal choice of reading material, but a pleasant little distraction.

Reviewer:  Angela

One Second After by William Forstchen

One Second After is set in a small North Carolina town “one second after” an atomic explosion high above the earth has rendered anything that relies on electricity or computers totally useless.  Life as we know it has ended.  Everything reverts to survival of the fittest as the food supply dwindles, medical supplies run out and the worst in humankind begins to surface.

It’s not exactly light summer reading, but I found it very interesting in a train wreck sort of way.  As with all apocalyptical fiction, it makes you think about how you would fare in such a situation.  As someone with no survival skills whatsoever – I once bought a case of Diet Coke when we were urged to stock up on supplies in the face of a coming winter storm – this book made me realize if fiction ever becomes fact, I’m seriously doomed.  But the story is engaging and scarily believable.  If you enjoyed the book Alas Babylon or the TV series Jericho, you will probably enjoy this book.

Reviewer:  Linda

Da Vinci and the Code He Lived By (DVD)

Put together by the History Channel, this DVD explores the man behind the legends.  From his humble beginnings as an illegitimate son to his place in the courts of nobles, Da Vinci was a visionary who was years ahead of his time.  This DVD gives a great visual biography of the man and the legend.

Reviewer:  Angela

Mothers and Sons by Colm Toibin

A selection of nine short stories exploring the complex relationship between mothers and sons.  Not your standard “feel good” book, Toibin manages to look at human nature in an honest and sometimes disturbing way.  Beautifully written, these essays will remain with you for some time.

Reviewer:  Angela

American Shaolin by Matthew Polly

This book will soon be available to Fort Smith Public Library readers.  It is an odd mix, both in the basic subject matter and possibly its target audience.  The library will have it under adult non-fiction, but it is suggested by some that it should be an adolescent or teen offering.

A combination of dedication and love of the martial arts, it is an American outsider’s inside-look at China and a glimpse of Chinese monastic life.  It is also a coming of age story for a young man filled with insecurity, immaturity, and self-doubt…tempered with teen-age bravado.  I would guess the target audience would be young men, maybe even adolescent-stage males, but it is peppered with language that would take the paint off any parent who happens to pick it up and read a chapter.

Although maybe language is anymore a generational thing, and what he thinks about (mainly himself and anything that directly relates to him, his future, his sexuality, his manliness, his maturity, etc.) might target his audience better than I would realize, I read it because I raised two sons.  And although they are both past this stage, I ended up ordering a copy of the book for them both.  Something about the book was very appealing to me and if you are interested in the “coming to knowledge and self-acceptance as an adult” journey – told through martial arts by a self-confessed potty mouth – try this one.  I know I do not sound wholly positive, but I did enjoy it and for me to buy two books in the land of good libraries says something.

Reviewer:  Pat

Pest Control by Bill Fitzhugh

Bob is an exterminator with a conscience and a dream.  When he leaves his job with Bug-Off, he knows it is the perfect time to start his own environmentally safe (no poisons) pest control company.  When Bob drunkenly answers a newspaper ad, an international misunderstanding turns Bob’s life upside down.  Now people think Bob is The Exterminator, a new world-class hit man.  Suddenly, Bob finds himself running from the CIA, the world’s top 10 assassins, and his landlord (to whom he owes $320 in back rent).

A delightfully absurd novel and a rollicking good read!

Reviewer:  Angela

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

What would you do if the face of your beloved adopted son stared out at you from a missing child flyer?  What if you started to suspect the child you are raising was actually kidnapped in a car jacking two years ago?  This is the situation Ellen finds herself in.

This book is a fairly easy read, and the moral questions have stayed with me.  This is the first book by Scottoline I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.

Reviewer:  Angela

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle

Coffeehouse Mysteries No. 1

Coffee drinker Clare is divorced and managing a coffee shop.  When she finds her assistant manager unconscious, Clare is determined to protect her baristas from future harm.  However, police have ruled the incident an accident.  An enjoyable read.  And it’s a story involving coffee!

Reviewer:  Lacey