The Killing of Butterfly Joe | Rhidian Brook

This is such a great story, populated by eccentric characters, in an American dream that was believable of the ''80s.
It's a surreal landscape and a very weird story, but a real pleasure to read.
The narrator of the story is a sad Welshman Llew Jones who decided a cure for his grief is to go to America and write about his experiences. He meets Butterfly Joe and they go on a road trip to sell rare butterflies and re-establish the fortunes of the Boscoe family.
Things get weird. The Boscoe family has a huge collection of rare butterflies collected by the mythical Father, who abandons the family in search of adventure. The matriarch rules with a rod of iron and fear. She is heavily scarred from a fire in the family home.
Joe's siblings and hangers on work in the family business of mounting and selling butterflies. Things get weirder...

Overall this is a fun book to read, the belief in the American Dream driving them through the landscape and educating Llew. It's a little like the Budapest Hotel, if you enjoyed that, you'll love this.

A Great Month of Books

I've been recording all I read for the last forty years. It's a great way to remember what I've read as there are over 1762 entries! Each record has the basic information about the book with a one-word lasting impression: excellent, very good, good, boring...

In the last month I've read 10 excellents in a row. Never before has there been such a long string of great reads so I thought I'd share the list, and review them all here over the next few days.

The List of Ten great reads:

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Hanoi, Adieu by Mandaley Perkins
The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H Winthrop
Second Sight by Aoife Clifford
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett
Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin
Balck-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin

I hope you can enjoy some of these titles.

Border | Kapka Kassabova

This book is a page turner from the start. Not in a conventional way, but because of the people you meet in it's pages, the landscape which speaks with a unique voice and the beauty of the writing.
The Border refers to the only remaining patrolled, fenced border in Europe, that between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Throughout history it has been a region of conflict and violence as people try and escape into Europe. The conflict between Islam and Christianity has waged war in the valleys and deep forest of the area, creating displaced people, abandoned villages and many life histories altered by the Border.

Kassabova lived in Bulgaria, later emigrating with her family to New Zealand. From there she returned to Europe as an adult and pursued a writing career.

She has an amazing ability to meet people, empathise with them and in turn tell their stories in a beautiful way which enlightens the reader. There is so much history in this area.

Kassabova travels mainly by car around the region engaging local guides to show her the local sights and personalities. There is a very useful map in the front, where you can follow her travels.
I'd love to see an illustrated version of this book as the landscape is a character in itself.