Chapter 25 - The Summer Skies

We have a tendency to stay at home during the summer and bouncing back and forth from the beach to the mountains, why wouldn't we? We often have family or friends visiting (both this year) and except for a brief few days planned in Williamsburg, Virginia we will pretty much be at home. That doesn't mean that I won't be traveling however, albeit through books.

There are, of course, places I'd love to go back to (like France and Italy) and places I've never been (like a deserted island or a remote island off the coast of Scotland, for example). Here are some books for you to consider if you will also be an armchair traveler this summer.

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan - Jenny Colgan is a Scottish author who mostly writes about, well, Scotland. In this release from 2023, Morag McGinty is a third-generation pilot catering to those who wish to fly to some of the remote islands off the coast of Scotland. Her boyfriend is trying to convince her to move to Dubai with him and Morag has that under consideration as she flies. A storm takes her unexpectedly to Inchborn Island, a mostly uninhabited island where she meets someone who helps her put things into perspective.

Death in Provence by Serena Kent - When Penelope Kite decides to leave her ex-husband and selfish step-children behind and move to Provence she is excited about renovating the old house she has purchased. Excited, that is, until she finds a dead body floating in her swimming pool. An old hand at investigations having worked in forensics in the British Home Office, she soon finds herself in a Provencal ratatouille of sorts. Interesting characters and beautiful scenery abound in this first of a series.

The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza - With her business failure and dissolution of her marriage, Sara Marsala is feeling a loss of her self. Then her beloved grandmother Rosie dies and Sara is beside herself with grief. Rosie's death leaves Sara with a ticket to Italy, a possible piece of valuable real estate, and a family secret. Rosie has always believed that her mother was murdered and Sara decides she will find out more. The book is a wonderful trip around Italy as well as a good mystery.

A Separation by Katie Kitamura - A young woman agrees with her faithless husband, Christopher, it is time they separate. They don't share this with family or friends but as our heroine starts to move on with her life she gets word that Christopher has gone missing in a remote region of southern Greece. When she agrees to go looking for him, she realizes that she really never knew the man she loved.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware - Ruth Ware has been a favorite author of mine for a while but like every author she has hits and misses. This one is definitely a hit. Lyla and her boyfriend Nico, an actor, are kind of rocky right now and when he gets a chance to be on a reality TV show to compete for the title of One Perfect Couple, she agrees to audition with him. As contestants on the show they are whisked away to a deserted island with four other couples. When they arrive, things go from bad to worse and finally all couples must band together to survive.

Did I mention that most of these have some sort of mystery involved? So if you like mystery and want to imagine a beautiful locale, try one of these!