IN THE WEEK THAT MY COLLEAGUES ARGUED FOR TURNING BOOKS INTO APPS I WANT TO CHAMPION THE TRADITIONAL

BOARD GAMES

My copy of The Great Penguin Bookchase has now been pulled out on Streatham Common and in various London pubs. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve failed to find my way back to the centre of the board first, but would still recommend this game to anyone who has ever read Frankenstein and Burglar Bill. You don’t have to be a literary know it all to enjoy it, the sometimes badly edited questions are on topics as varied as classic literature, science and nursery rhymes.

The design detail behind the player’s counters were what really won me over - the miniature bookshelves, which you have to fill with tiny books to win the game are inspired. Essentially a bookish alternative to Trivial Pursuit, The Great Penguin Bookchase is the perfect accompaniment to a summer picnic or drinking session, unlike those anti-social apps.

AH

BOOKS WITH COVERS
The Junior Officers’ Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey has received a massive media campaign, I think seeing the poster for it at Colliers Wood tube every morning finally made me give in and read the much hyped title. For anyone who has ever read Michael Herr’s Dispatches this book will be a disappointment. Clearly also an admirer of Herr, Hennessey at times, tries to emulate his style but fails to be as searing or well constructed. The book is mediocre at best, sometimes well written, and sometimes revelatory, but lacking in the sharp shocks of Jarhead, Chickenhawk, or Generation Kill. The Junior Officers’ Reading Club is a bit too stylised, filled with pop culture references that detract from the importance of the subject matter, your time would be much better spent reading any of the other titles mentioned.

AH