“A Wish for Winter”

“May your darkest days always be filled with light. May your home always be filled with family and love. May your holidays always be filled with memories new and old. May your coldest days be filled with warmth.” (7)

“Forgiveness. Darkness. Light. Hope.” (178)

I felt like I fell into a Hallmark Christmas movie. Single 40 year old looking for a perfect match. MUST be a “Santa” and LOVE books.  The Single Kringle. I was hooked on the pursuit of the perfect Santa match. Although the storyline dragged a little in the middle, the ending did not disappoint. Loss. Grief. Forgiveness. Love. 

“We’re only strangers to one another if we choose not to connect.” (265)

My grandmother was an expert at talking to people she didn’t know, finding those links that allowed her to relate to strangers. In the novel, Susan made connections that bridged gaps, brought communities together, and healed lives. Having a conversation, seeking ways to find friendships. I suppose that is what the Christmas season is all about…and maybe connections should be sought each and every day.

A Santa Connection!

“The Twelve Suspects of Christmas”

A romp through France. A slow romp…more of a saunter really. Solve a cold case. Solve a modern crime. Beat a villain over the head with your cane. Teach “dogma” classes. Become a licensed P.I. Drink A LOT of tea. Find a friendship you never thought could happen.

I loved these old ladies. Their spunk. Their intuitiveness. Their perseverance. Who wouldn’t want to solve a crime with them? One accepting of her “old age” limitations. The other fighting “old age” tooth and nail. Both finding something is the other that enriches their lives.

Crimes solved. Friendship solidified. It’s a happily-ever-after ending that included the mob, grandchildren, convertible sports car, an old lover, and again, A LOT of tea.

This is the second of three novels I chose to kick start my holiday season!

“The Road to Christmas”

 

“That’s the frustrating thing about kids growing up. They spend all those years driving you nuts, and just when you get them to the point where you can enjoy them, they go and get lives of their own.” (48)

Family. Family. Family. No family is perfect. When we struggle to keep up appearances…when do we decide it’s time to simply pull the plug? 

Told in three “voices,” the story took us up the story mountain, then dropped us. Of course, I was rooting for the happily-ever-after ending, but for some reason it felt rushed. One minute the family is desperately trying to get “home” to Christmas without killing each other, and the next minute everything is hunky-dory. 

A little sappy at times…the theme of growing old and fighting limitations to one's freedom and mobility hit home. (I recently spent a week with my 83 year old mother-in-law) Family. Family. Family. Yep, it’s all about family.

This was the first of three novels I chose to kick start my holiday season!

“Death of a Lesser God”

“The British in India believed themselves a race of gods - lesser gods, but gods nonetheless.” (117)

“Allow me to paraphrase the Bible. ‘What does it profit a nation if we gain our freedom but forfeit our soul?’” (117)

“He remained defiant. There was no remorse, no apology. No acknowledgment that his actions had been anything other than righteous.” (368)

Narcissism. Righteousness. Arrogance. Hate.

The color of your skin shouldn’t matter. The religion you choose to practice shouldn’t matter. Culture, race, gender…shouldn’t matter. But it did in India in 1950. And there are some strong parallels to our world today. Politics. Power. Greed. Pushing people down to claw your way up. Seeking out the truth, sometimes blindly. 

Empathy. Innocence. Camaraderie. Understanding. Love. 

I wanted a “happily-ever-after” ending…although the crime was resolved, I can’t help thinking that Persis Wadia is not done yet. There is still a better ending waiting for her…I hope.

These caught my eye and warranted sharing…

“…[the] building with a billboard above the door and another on the roof that made it look as if it had just committed a crime and was trying to hide behind a mustache and a hat.” (93)

“His eyebrows alone looked as if they’d happily mug old ladies and leave them in a dark alley.” (213)

More thoughts on books and stuff at mytossiecup.blogspot.com

“The Lost Man of Bombay”

1950 Bombay, India

A frozen corpse.  Murder.  A female inspector . A POW camp. An ancient classed society. Romance. Religion. A thief. Greed. Jealousy.

Everyone is sweating profusely. Clues dropped like candy into trick-or-treat bags. Solve the crime. Throw in some romance. Add a dash of history to keep the story interesting. 

Take advantage of a country struggling to pull itself back together…lies, deceit, faith. How does one navigate it all and keep their cool (both literally and figuratively)? India. Fighting with itself for control. Looking for solid footing on which to build its future.

“Mrs. Stein Solves a Crime”

 

A cozy mystery. Just what I needed to read. No blood. No guts. No deranged killer. Just a crime that needed to be solved. It was great to revisit the San Francisco boarding house, and its quirky inhabitants. Crime solved, perpetrator exiled. Onto the next mystery!!

“The Book Woman’s Daughter”

Monsters…”you can kill the one under the bed, but there are always a few more in the back of the closet waiting.” (286)

Miscegenation (marriage or cohabitation between two people from different racial groups).

Women’s rights.

Power.

Women working men’s jobs.

Struggle.

Abuse.

Emancipation.

HATRED.

Why do we fear what we don’t understand? Why do we perpetuate hatred, based on that fear? What is it we are really afraid of? How is one’s struggle to survive a call to react with violence? To stand in judgment? The common denominator is always that we are all human beings. To be treated with respect.

Books.

“But your mother changed all that with the books…

Books are the cornerstone to greater minds.” (307)