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Title of Book: Dying to Decorate Dying to Decorate, Friday Afternoon Club Mystery Series #1
I shoo Daisy, our dog, off the pile of Josh’s clean clothing. I sniff a couple of the T-shirts on top. They have a definite dog smell. Do I toss these back in the dirty laundry pile? Or should I just put them away and hope Josh doesn’t get a whiff? Once again I’m faced with every mother’s dilemma when making such a choice: would I be able to hold up under questioning of Dr. Phil? The Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) is a group of women who support each other as they raise their children. In Dying to Decorate, book one of Cyndy Salzmann’s series, one of the group unexpectedly inherits a house. The ladies of the club, worried about their depressed friend, volunteer to spend a weekend repainting and wallpapering the house to get it ready to sell. Then they hear rumors about a ghost. The hilarity of the book comes mainly from Liz, the narrator. Liz writes a Martha Stewart-ish newspaper column about gracious living, while her own home is in chaos. The friends are great characters, Liz, the out-of-whack advice columnist, Lucy, depressed, in mourning and lonely, Marina, the take charge policewoman, the quietly perfect Mary Alice, and others. They all bring their strengths to the group, taking turns supporting each other through the trials and joys of motherhood. Cyndy Salzmann is the author of three self-help books and now she’s published her first novel and it’s hilarious. The excerpt above is a perfect example of the humor lacing the pages of Dying to Decorate. At the same time Liz is telling of her struggle with stubborn teenagers, unruly dogs and endless laundry, she’s telling a bigger story. A story of women’s friendships. A story of historical importance through the journal. A story of faith. I emailed Cyndy to see if she’d like to add anything to this review. She replied, “The concept for the series came from my own Friday Afternoon Club here in Omaha which taught me the value of investing in friendship. We have been getting together for 15 years now –since our children were babies. They know me in the way only true friends do –and I can count on them to celebrate the good times and help me shore up the bad.” “My passion is to encourage women so that’s why I enjoy speaking so much. It gives me a chance to meet my readers face-to-face.” But Dying to Decorate is a hilarious, poignant, wise Sleep Robber. You can learn more about Cyndy, her work and her Home Haven ministry at www.realandsimple.com. |