Time for a funny summer read

   Now that we’re deep in the dog days, I think it’s time for a laugh or two. One of my favorite funny summer reads is Donna Andrews’ Meg Langslow series. Meg is a blacksmith by trade who is blessed — and sometimes cursed — by a quirky family. And, yes, it seems she is always stumbling across dead bodies and mysteries to solve.
   I have fallen a little behind in the series — her latest is “Cockatiels at Seven.” But I recommend the first book, “Murder with Peacocks,” as a way to meet the characters and get a sense of the fun that will follow. In this Malice Domestic award winner, Meg tries to juggle three weddings while dealing with that dead body.
   After that you can pick up any of the other books with ease. Just choosing among the clever titles is fun. My favorites include “Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos,” “We’ll Always Have Parrots” and “Owl’s Well That Ends Well.”