Having read the First Look, I was keen to get stuck into reading "These Days"! I have to admit that I did enjoy the book but not as much as I had expected. This was largely because it really was a tragic tale and I suppose I was expecting something a little more light hearted such as the Rationbook series, which is also about the Second World War. The story largely follows two very different sisters over a short period of time during the Belfast Blitz. It was interesting to learn a little bit about Ireland's involvement in the war and the experiences of the people who lived there. There are lots of very interesting and complicated characters and I found that you do hope for the best for them, but sadly for many things do not work out. Overall, in my opinion this is a good book but it was just a little bit too realistic for my taste. Avoid it if you prefer a nice easy read but otherwise why not give it a go.