Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews

Hello everyone.  I hope you're have a great day.

When we first got married, we immediately bought our first house.  I loved the home improvement shows.  This Old House was a Saturday morning necessity.  Who doesn't love Norm Abram with his New England accent and snuggly looking plaid flannel shirt.  It used to be about how to keep old building techniques alive.  They would discuss how to bend wood in one show, where to install inconspicuous air conditioning vents in the next.  Now things have changed.  First, there is almost always a blonde woman, okay maybe not blonde but still a lady with perfect hair. Next there is a cure all for every single house, paint the interior gray.  I realize gray is a nice neutral, but does every house on the planet need to have gray walls?  Next, the kitchen.  There must be a solid surface countertop, some kind of stone, with an elaborate tile backsplash.  First cabinets had to be dark, then we moved to whitewashed, then white, now shows have moved on to painted cabinets, often in green or .... guess what.... gray! Now add a farmhouse sink and voila, perfection.  Okay, I shouldn't mock the sink.  I like the farmhouse sink, in stainless not white, it stains and chips.  At least they are bigger than the old "show" sinks, where they were divided into a medium and tiny side.  Ever try and wash a cookie sheet, or roasting pan in those?  Might as well do dishes in your bathtub! I have more observations, but I'll try and spare you.

I received a copy of Between a Flock and a Hard Place from Minotaur Publishing.  It was around Thanksgiving and hubby grabbed it, thinking it would be a festive read.  His review is below.

I recently read Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews. This is the first of Andrews’ novels I have read, and my introduction to the Meg Langslow series of mysteries, already well underway.  A crew is renovating a house for a TV special, but all does not go well. The reader is quickly immersed in a hilarious crisis involving half the hypothetical town in Virginia.  Meg is aided and hindered by a procession of characters and pets that run the gamut from stable to a bit zany. Meg the heroine handles all with seeming ease and influence.  The atmosphere is endearing and makes one want to travel to the nearest small town, at least not one overrun with poultry.  

Hubby said he really enjoyed it and I found him chuckling several times.  The story takes place over just two days and with turkeys running all over the place, he was skeptic, but this novel really turned him around.  Now, frankly, I'm curious about this writer.  Not only did hubby enjoy this particular story but I understand she has a huge following, another author to put on my tbr.

By the way, speaking of houses, why don't new houses have formal dining rooms? I don't want to eat Christmas dinner in the kitchen.  Just like the Wizard of Oz, I don't want people to see the magic behind the curtain...or the mess!