I have been MIA for a while, but fear not, nothing bad has been happening and I haven't given up reading. I've read a bunch of books but I got really off track on blogging.
You see what happened was just after my last post on 5/13, I began canvassing for a local candidate for state representative. Canvassing is when you go knock on people's doors and if they answer you give information about the candidate you are canvassing for, and ask them if they will be supporting your candidate.
I did so much walking!!!! 15-20 thousand steps per day, and it was HOT and sometimes it rained. But in the end, it was all worth it! My candidate won his primary! It was hard work, and I was tired! My knocking fist got sore, and one day I got a little sunburn, I think it was as hard as training for the marathon last year!
Right after the primary was over, I traveled with the hubs to my mom's side of the family for a family reunion. It was wonderful to see family I have not seen in years! Then we came back from that and boom! time for Youngest Child's college orientation! Now, this weekend we are having a graduation party for Oldest Child's college graduation and Youngest Child's high school graduation!
I hope you are having a lovely July!
Here is my review of a new cozy mystery, which hopefully will be a long-lived series, Renovated To Death by Frank Anthony Polito. When it comes to the first book in a new Cozy Mystery series it can be a little overwhelming for the reader who is meeting a whole cast of characters and looking for clues to solve a murder. That being said I always cut the writers some slack when evaluating their first books.
What makes Renovated to Death stand apart from most cozies is that this book is that our amateur is a gay man. In my experience, most cozies are from a straight female perspective. This book takes place in Michigan and the local gay community is integral to the story. At first, I thought the characters were a bit on the stereotypical side, but then I realized this is a cozy with a healthy dose of humor. If you read this book, now you know going in to see the humor!
If you like home DIY and are a fan of HGTV, you'll really appreciate the home renovation talk in this book. The main character PJ and his husband JP (ah, cute couple names!) are hosts of a home renovation show and there is lots of talk about home renovation projects and restoration.
I found this to be a fun, fresh take on the genre and I look forward to future adventures with PJ and JP.
4 stars!
