Tower and Town, June 2026 (view the full edition)A Good ReadYes, all right, I know I said recently that there are really too many books set during the Second World War even for me, but what can I do? Sadly for you, dear readers, who may be hoping for my opinion about the latest Must Read novel, I'm just not that interested in cutting-edge contemporary, bold, experimental fiction. I'd rather read about the Home Front than a dystopian tale in which a non-binary protagonist defies an oppressive regime to form a tentative romantic relationship with an AI ChatBot. Printed in lower case. * So I settled down happily with Judith Eagle's Blitz Sisters. It's a children's book, but I reckon I'm old enough to read whatever I want. I would have loved this when I was 12, and I enjoyed it now. It's a family story, set - you guessed it - during the war. Divided into three sections, giving us the point of view of each of the three sisters, the narrative spans the years between 1939 and 1948 covering family dynamics, love, loss and drama. It's not unlike Noel Streatfeild, or Hilary McKay, or Nina Bawden - good for reasonably mature young readers who will, we hope, grow up to read and love Elizabeth Jane Howard. Also for (small) children (and me) are two picture books Is this a Plum?** by Dan and Finn Ojari has lovely illustrations glimpsed through holes in the pages which turn out to be sections of something completely different. Shape, colour, rhyme and silliness, just the thing for entertaining little ones. And though Absolutely Fine by the brilliant and funny Emma Chichester Clark is described as a 'gentle and comforting ... beautiful and moving' (yuk!) book which teaches children how having - or being - good friends can help you through bad days, I forgive it because it's lively and funny with excellent illustrations. (I'm all for affirming the positive you understand, I just don't like it clunkingly intruding on a good story.) Finally, someone has reminded me that Father's Day is in June. Let's not give Dad a book about WW2, or cars, or sport, or anything obvious like that. The Dog's Gaze by Thomas W Laqueur is a history of how the relationship between humans and dogs has been captured in art. Beautifully produced, lavishly illustrated with engrossing text, it's a lovely gift book. *I don't know if such a novel actually exists. Yet. It can only be a matter of time. ** Spoiler. It's a bum. Debby Guest |