A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

Mark Haddon wrote a wonderful first novel, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and he has written a compelling and delightful followup in A Spot of Bother. A Spot of Bother is the story of George, who at 61 is having a sort of breakdown. George's wife Jean is having her own mid-life adjustment, and having an affair. Daughter Katie is about to marry Ray, a man who is not very well-liked by her family. Son Jamie is having problems with his boyfriend, who is demanding more from him than he feels comfortable giving. A Spot of Bother is a comedy of errors, with the emphasis on comedy.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book, with highly sympathetic characters, who often behave like complete jerks. Great fun.

Number9Dream by David Mitchell

Number9Dream tells the story of Eiji Miyake, who goes to Tokyo at age 20 to try and find his father. Eiji has been raised by his grandmother, after being abandoned to her care as a child. Eiji's mother is an alcoholic, and his father is unknown to him. In the course of seeking out his father, Eiji runs afoul of the Yakuza, gets a couple of jobs, makes friends, falls in love, listens to John Lennon on his headset, reminisces about his childhood, and enters into elaborate fantasies and dreams. Sometimes stream-of-consciousness, sometimes drifting in and out of reality, drifting back and forth in time, and always seeking--Eiji is a compelling hero with a wild story to tell.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner is a first novel that exhibits astonishing storytelling skill. It is the story of two boys, Amir and Hassan--told by Amir. Amir and Hassan lives in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir is the son of a wealthy man, whose mother died at his birth. Hassan is the son of the household servant, and is a Hazara. Hazaras are Shi'a, among a largely Sunni population, and they are ethnic minorities, as well. The Hazara are considered low-caste by the majority Afghans.

Amir tells the story of the childhood he shared with Hassan in a more peaceful Afghanistan, before he fled for America with his father as a teen. There is a secret at the heart of Amir's story, and I won't reveal it here, but the secret has plagued Amir's conscience, and the book is his story of how he repaid Hassan for his childhood lapses.

Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier

Child of the Prophecy is the final book in Juliet Marillier's Seven Waters trilogy. Each book follows the fate of a different person, and this third book follows Fainne, the daughter of the druid Ciaran and Niamh, the sister of Liadan--who was the protagonist of the second book. I read the whole book, before I got around to checking on the internet to find out how to pronounce the lead character's name. Here's a place to find some pronunciations for Gaelic names: http://www.namenerds.com/irish/irisham.html
Fainne is apparently pronounced like Tanya, only starting with an F. Ciarian is pronounced like Kirin. The first two books in the trilogy included a pronunciation guide at the front. This third book, with the most difficult names to pronounce, did not.

Anyway, all that aside, this was a fitting finale. Unlike some multi-part series, it did not fizzle out, but ended in a very satisfying manor, which I won't reveal here. Fainne has been raised by her father, Ciaran, in near isolation. Her father has raised her to understand her Druidic heritage (from him) as well as her sorceress heritage (from her grandmother, the evil sorceress, the Lady Oonagh. When she becomes a young woman, Ciaran sends Fainne to Sevenwaters to stay with her mother's kin. It is while visiting Sevenwaters that Fainne must meet her destiny, for she is involved in the prophecy that has driven the story of all three books. Fainne struggles with her desires to protect those she loves while fighting the powerful charms of the Lady Oonagh. This was a gripping and thought-provoking finale.

Blue Hole by G.D. Gearino

Blue Hole is a mystery and a coming-of-age novel and a Southern Gothic, all at the same time. Blue Hole tells the story of Charley Selkirk, a high school senior who gets kicked out of school during the last week of his senior year. Charley takes a job with a photographer (Tallasee Tynan) who lives in his town, Barrington, GA. Tallasee is local, in that she lives in Barrington and grew up there, but she is also an outsider, in that she spent several years modeling and working as a photographer outside her small Georgia town.

While working with Tallasee, Charley gets involved in investigating the disappearance of another young man. Tallasee and Charley look for the missing boy in a local hippie commune, and soon they find themselves in danger and that the missing boy is a likely murder victim.

Wrapped around the story of Charley and Tallasee's investigation is the story of Charley's mother, his brother who died accidentally in childhood, the local sheriff, and a scary drifter.
The mysteries are all solved when the threads come together at the end of the book.

Blue Hole is a quick and compelling read. The characters, if not altogether believable, are enjoyable.