Let's not make a big song and dance about it, but we are getting towards the end of summer. In two weeks the kids will be back at school and pretty soon the days will begin to get shorter. Before long we can start dreading the approach of Halloween and November 5 and a blitzkrieg of fireworks that lasts nights on end. Good grief, it's only 127 days to Christmas!
Perhaps I am overstating the case a bit and, hopefully, we may get another blast of good weather.
But if your holidays are over – whether they have been in Benidorm or Blackpool – take heart from an alternative way to relax.
Debbie Hicks of The Reading Agency, a charity that helps inspire people to read more, says: “There's mounting evidence that reading is a great de-stresser. Losing yourself in a book allows you to escape from everyday life. It's a bit like getting all the benefits of a holiday – without even packing your bag.”
It's also a lot cheaper than a holiday and think of the destinations you can choose from?
Victorian saga, Middle East thriller, solving crimes in LA, romance in the Seychelles. At the moment I'm deeply involved in the politics of Ancient Rome, courtesy of author John Maddox Roberts, and when I've finished my sojourn there, I have an alternative future to investigate as expounded by C J Sansom. And both of them are better than a flight to America.
The world – past, present and future – becomes your oyster when you enter a library or bookshop or check out what's available for your e-book reader.
Much easier than organising a taxi to the airport at four in the morning for a week away. Especially when the best bit is arriving back home shattered after the return 12 hour trip, putting the kettle on and sinking into your favourite chair with a cup of tea.
Simple pleasures.
Like a good book.
