Cathedral of the Wild | Boyd Varty

Boyd Varty is a very young man to live the life he has! In this book he sets down an autobiography full of insight and depth well beyond his thirty or so years.
Anyone who has travelled or lived in Africa will have an affinity with this book as Boyd grew up in the wildest parts and through historically significant times in South Africa's history.
His great grandfather bought a failed cattle farm bordering Kruger National Park, for his own hunting pleasure. Many exploits are told of his legendary lion hunts and other adventures in the bush.

The Varty family live life to the fullest, on the edge of fear and excitement at all times. Boyd's father and Uncle John set out when 15 and 18 to establish eco tourism and a conservation park on the family farm when their father died. In the 70's it was unheard of to let the land revert to natural state and watch animals rather than kill them.
Boyd tells of what it was like growing up in Londolozi Gamer Reserve with his parents, sister, uncle and many local workers. They were heavily criticised for employing and working with black people in the area, rather than impose the laws of apartheid. Once Mandela was released from prison, he spent some time at Londolozi to recover and acclimatise to freedom.

This is a remarkable story, well told. Leaves me wondering what Boyd will achieve in the next 30-50 years, and sure makes me want to go to the reserve and spend some time in a most remarkable place.

The Town that Drowned | Riel Nason

As the title suggests, a town is drowned by the building of a dam. Set in rural Canada in 1960's this is a wonderful portrayal of the lives of people involved in resettling after the news is given to them that their town will be relocated.
The main narrator is Ruby, a teenager who is a misfit in her community but a very good observer of those around her. Her brother Percy, although never described as such, has Aspergers Syndrome and Ruby's narrative is ofter about how her family and community learn to live with Percy's unusualness. The action progresses over the months it takes for everyone to be relocated out of the flood zone.

This is a very good read, full of poignant moments, weird and wacky characters who populate the town and the ongoing challenge of accepting the dam which will drown all they know.

A Fort of Nine Towers | Qais Akbar Omar

I picked up this book no really knowing much about it, it's author or Kabul... Although the style was hard to get into, once I got used to the cadence of the language it was riveting.

This is the account of Qais' life growing up in Kabul through three decades of civil war, invasions and restitution.
Although Afghanistan has been in the news for time immemorial, this account brings home the day to day struggle of the everyday people trying to feed and house their families, educate their children and live 'normal' lives in the country they love. It's remarkable how passionate Afghanis are about their nation and how much suffering they have undergone in the last thirty years because of it.

This book is worth reading as it is a detailed account full of emotional insights into Qais family, humour and despair. It outlines the struggle they have gone through  just to stay alive. I've learned a lot through reading it, and have grow in compassion towards them and other refugees who turn up at our doors, battered and weary form similar regions.