I couldn't help but smile last week when my facebook feed started including numerous mentions of Christmas. Not just craft ideas (which may take a while to make) and festive recipes (for which you'll need to buy ingredients and maybe have a trial run before the big day) but also people saying that they'd been out Christmas shopping. In September ?! Shouldn't we at least wait until Halloween is out of the way first ?! Well, I have to admit, I'm about to be just as bad, as I've just finished reading Mike Martin's latest release, Christmas in Newfoundland : Memories and Mysteries.
If you're a fan of Mike Martin, you'll already know his key character, Sgt Winston Windflower - the big-hearted Mountie who lives in Grand Bank with his wife Sheila and their baby daughter Amelia Louise, putting just as much effort into walking the dog and polishing off a slice of peanut butter cheesecake as dealing with any local crimes. (If you have missed out on the series so far, feel free to head over and check out my reviews.)
This book is not really involved in the collection of Sgt Windflower mysteries though, so even if you don't know the series, you can still enjoy it wholeheartedly. It features a heartwarming series of nostalgic festive tales, as well as a new Christmas-themed story involving Windflower. Think of everything that essentially sums up the perfect Christmas : friends, gifts, oodles of food and a generous dollop of snow on top. It's all in there !
I really enjoyed looking back at Christmases past, when things as simple as taking a bus ride to check out all the local Christmas lights on display or walking down a massive, ice-encrusted hill with your mum to go Christmas shopping were a necessary prelude to the big day. It was lovely to catch up with some of the well-loved characters from the books but see them in a new light, taking a glimpse at their childhood lives in Grand Bank. Sgt Windflower still holds these same values deep in his heart, and the effort he puts into making sure everyone has a great Christmas is uplifting and satisfying.
When you're just about fit to have a nervous breakdown in a couple of months, because your child's much longed-for Christmas present is out of stock or you can't manage to lay your hands on the vital ingredient for your festive baking, it's the perfect book to dip into to help you remember what Christmas is really all about - as Mike Martin says himself, good food, good friends and always another chair at the table !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £10.71
- Paperback: 152 pages
- Publisher: Ottawa Press and Publishing (20 Aug. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1988437253
- ISBN-13: 978-1988437255
Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book in order to share my honest review.
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