Transported

I've not been on the computer as much as I normally am lately.  Usually in the summer months I'm not on the computer as much for various reasons.  It's very hot upstairs in summer where my laptop lives; I'm usually to be found pottering about in the garden in the summer months; I'm very busy reading a book or magazine (hopefully in the sun in the garden) - you get the picture.
Now, I'm not complaining, but the weather so far in July has been pretty abysmal here in central Scotland.  My vegetables thought we'd moved to the Mediterranean in April, May and parts of June.  It was almost wall to wall sunshine during lockdown (and thank goodness for it!)  but now its gone all normal on us and we're taking it badly, as are my vegetables!  My poor sweet corn is sitting glaring at me, refusing to produce any stalks of corn.  Not to mention the giant snails are thoroughly enjoying eating all my lettuce as they march around on these wet nights!      
All through lockdown I struggled to read anything.  I couldn't settle to any genre.  I eventually read Anne of Green Gables which was lovely and it got the juices flowing again and I started reading again.  I came across an author I'd never read before and boy do I love her books.  I've probably told you before that I'm a lightweight when it comes to books and films.  I don't like blood or gore or even fighting or great anger etc.   In books I like a nice story that muddles along and all turns out right at the end.  If there is a wee twist in the tale so much the better.  My new author is Karen Swan.

At first glance I thought she might be just a bit too lightweight even for me.  Debbie Macomber falls into that catagory although I admit to having read more than a few of her books too!  What I love about Karen Swans books are the descriptions of the places they are set in.   The first one I read, The Hidden Beach was set in Sweden and I was ready to hop (at a two metre distance you understand) on a plane to Sweden to see the places she mentioned myself.  That said, her books all seem to be about people with way more money than I can even imagine so I probably would struggle to see the places she talks about!  The next book I read was set in The Hamptons on Long Island and boy do I want to go and see it for myself, it sounds amazing if a bit over the top (plus, see sentence above)!  I've now ordered two more books from Amazon and one is set in Greece and the other is in Spain and I can't wait to be transported to those places.  She also writes Christmas books but I've avoided them so far.  Anyone who knows me knows I love all films Christmas but books not so much.  The films can be as cheesy and predictable as you like but in a book somehow its too twee!  However, as I said, her descriptions of the places in her books is such that I might have to get a christmas one to see if she does the same thing, if she does she will be my new best author!  The book I just finished 'The Summer Without You' is over 500 pages long and I read it in two days.  It means I didn't get much else done but I was in the Hamptons don't you know!! x