Mumpy's Library

The Oxford Murders

Looking for an intriguing novel to begin the New Year?

Mystery, Murders, Motivations and Mathematics.

This books has it all.

The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez is not just a fascinating murder mystery but also a puzzle that captures the reader and keeps you feverishly turning pages until the end. 

The story is told from the perspective of an Argentinian mathematics graduate student who has just arrived at Oxford and is enjoying the novelty of English subtleties and a tendency toward reserved silence until this tranquil world is upset by a series of murders.  The first murder is of his elderly landlady, Mrs. Eagleton.  He discovers her body in her parlor while accompanied by the renowned logician Arthur Seldom.  Seldom then reveals that he had received a message with the words, "the first of a series" and the address of Mrs. Eagleton with the time 3 p.m. written beneath.  The paper also contained a symbol, a carefully drawn circle in black ink.  The beginning of a logic puzzle, the solution to which may be the only clue to stopping the murders.

Messenger Of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

Messenger Of Truth, the fourth book in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series, is filled with a pervasive melancholy that casts its shadow upon Massie and her clients.  Jacqueline Winspear masterfully creates a tangled emotional web in which Maisie, with her fine-tuned skills of sensitivity, is ensnared.  The war is over but the devastation and dire economic situation have resulted in crime, disease, death and desperation throughout Maisie’s beloved London.  When Miss Dobbs is called upon by a fellow former student of Girton College to investigate the circumstances of the death of her brother, a controversial war artist, there are no shortage of suspects or motives if indeed his death were not an accident.  Maisie must face her own war demons if she is to find the answers necessary to solve the case.  A task made all the more difficult by the tragic events in the life of her assistance Billy and faced with the deteriorating romantic relationship with Andrew Dene. 

Messenger Of Truth will be available August 22, 2006.

**Haven't read Pardonable Lies yet?  Check out Mumpy's review here.

A Long Shadow

A Long Shadow is the newest installment in the Ian Rutledge mystery series by Charles Todd.  Rutledge, a police detective still recovering the emotional effects of what he experienced in the trenches of the Great War, sets out to solve the mystery of a bizarre shooting of a small village policeman with a bow and arrow.  What he unearths however is an unsolved missing persons case, a haunted wood that illuminates the superstitious nature of the villagers and people who may not be who they claim.  All of this while being hounded by an unknown adversary, a"dead" soldier as one boy describes him, who's attacks are escallating with no clue as to his identity.  A thrilling read!

The Unburied

The Unburied begins with a search for a lost manuscript that could make or break the academic career of the eccentric main character Edward Courtine.  While a grand mystery unfurls, with many twists and turns including a grisly murder, Courtine's tenuous grasp on reality begins to show signs of wear about the edges. 
Charles Palliser, author of The Unburied and Quincunx, is a master of character development.  The Unburied becomes an interesting illumination of obsessions and motivations.

Cool Summer Reads

As the days become unbearably hot I find myself turning to books with cool, snowy settings.  Looking for a cool summer escape?  Mumpy highly recommends The Unburied by Charles Palliser and A Cold Treachery by Charles Todd.  Enjoy!

The bBook

There is an excellent post over at The Red Ferret Journal about the new bBook, a braille iPod like device for reading ebooks.  As the folks at RFJ mention most blind literary lovers will opt for audiobooks, however the bBook will be a great bit of gear for deaf blind book lovers.

via The Red Ferret Journal and Mobilemag

Literary identity theft or an unconscious unintentional act?

The controversy continues over whether young author Kaavya Viswanathan intentionally plagiarized from the works of Megan McCafferty. 

April Showers Bring May Reviews!

Look forward to reviews of the epic sci-fi novel Orphanage by Robert Buettner, it's sequel Orphan's Destiny and the truly engrossing religious thriller The Last Cato by spanish author Matilde Asensi.

Toby tries to get Mumpy's nose out of that excellent book for a few minutes of playtime! 

The Company

I have just finished the first Company novel In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker.  A novel full of brilliant science fiction concepts yet surprisingly character driven. 
An excellent introduction to The Company! 

The Grand Complication

The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil is a pure work of art.  The mystery which revolves around the search for a lost historical timepiece contains all of the elements of an intriguing mystery.  The eccentric characters are an added pleasure while the construction of the text itself into a novel of 360 pages reflecting the importance of the timepiece is truly inspired.

The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon

The Last Kabbalist Of Lisbon is an amazing read.  The tinder of plague, the wood of drought and the flame of religious intolerance begin a wildfire of riots against the Jews or "New Christians" in the Lisbon massacre of April 1506.  During the onset of the riots the lead character, Berekiah Zarco, discovers the body of his murdered uncle and that of a young woman.  Details at the murder scene lead Berekiah to conclude that his uncle, a kabbalist wise man, was murdered not by an "Old Christian" but by one of their own.  The novel then takes off at a feverish pace and the methodical study of his uncle's murder is all that anchors Berekiah amidst the chaos of violence and terror.  Although graphic (contains physical and sexual violence) this is an outstanding novel.

Between Myself And Them

Between Myself and Them is the best collection of disability short stories that I have ever read. Ever.
Between Myself and Them is a book that you will want to own multiple copies of; one for yourself and copies to lend out to friends, family, coworkers and yes even your doctors.  You will not only want to share the enjoyment of this book (for which there is an abundance) you will also want to spread the 'understanding.'  There are so many universal disability truths and experiences shared in Between Myself and Them that will allow the able-bodieds in our lives to 'get it', to really understand what it is to be different, and will have the crip community nodding it's collective head in agreement.

I would like to thank Second Story Press for the opportunity to review such an enjoyable literary treasure.

Black Friday Book Bargains

Wishing to avoid the large retailers this Black Friday I spent the day browsing through three used bookstores. 
I walked away with bags of books including two books by Frank Herbert (The Dosadi Experiment & The Jesus Incident).    I am looking forward to a weekend of reading. 
How did others spend Black Friday?  Any great Book Bargains?

A Shadow On The Glass

A Shadow On The Glass book one of the The View from the Mirror series by Ian Irvine was one of the best fantasy novels that I have ever read.  I am currently finishing up The Tower on the Rift, book two of this series, and Irvine continues to keep the reader enthralled.  This series is massive without being unwieldy.  A true masterpiece.  Mumpy highly recommends!

Zanesville: A Novel

I was given the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of Zanesville: A Novel. I had some high expectations for this book, since I usually enjoy off kilter novels, however I found this one a bit lacking.  It seemed to me that author Kris Saknussemm was trying too hard to shock the reader (through often unneccessarily graphic descriptions) and not enough effort on keeping the plot cohesive.  But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself.  Zanesville will be available from Villard Publishing October 11, 2005.

Cancergiggles: Mountains are Easy

Some of you may be familiar with the Cancergiggles Blog.  Now you can enjoy Cass Brown's humor and experiences in book form!  Cancergiggles (Mountains are Easy) published yesterday. 
"At the beginning of January 2004 Cancergiggles began life as a series of random articles which I posted on the internet.  With about 3 years experience of living with cancer and having come close to being a very dead person, I thought I may be able to pass on a few thoughts which may help or comfort people who found themselves in a similar hilarious sitution." --Cass Brown

Not enough Dick in movies?

If you agree, then you are in luck.  A Scanner Darkly will be based on the Philip K. Dick novel of the same name.  Fred is a narcotics cop out to bust drug dealer Bob Arctor.  Arctor takes massive doses of Substance D, a drug that splits the brain into two opposing entities.  So is Fred really out to catch himself?
A Scanner Darkly will be filmed using a combination of live action and overlaid animation.  The film stars Keanu Reeves, Robert DowneyJr., Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder.

Other great Philip K. Dick  stories that have been transformed to film include Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner), Second Variety (Screamers), We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (Total Recall), Imposter (Imposter), The Minority Report (Minority Report), and Paycheck (Paycheck).

A bit of retro summer reading...

Currently Reading: The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake
Just Finished: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
Earlier this month: The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Win L100

DK is releasing it's revised and updated 8th edition of the First Aid Manual and is looking for folks in the UK to take a first aid survey.  The first 50 people will receive a copy of the book and the survey enters contestants in a drawing for L100 of DK books!

Pardonable Lies

Jacqueline Winspear has created another mystery masterpiece with her third Maisie Dobbs novel Pardonable Lies.

Maisie Dobbs, female sleuth and former battlefield nurse, tackles three major cases in Pardonable Lies.  Maisie is brought in by inspector Stratton of Scotland Yard to interview a young girl suspected of murder.  Although evidence puts her at the scene of the crime  Maisie believes in the girl's innocence.  Sensitive to the loss of her own mother at a young age Maisie strives to find the truth before young Avril Jarvis is  separated from her mother permanently with a life prison sentence.  Upon arriving home to her room at the Compton residence she finds Lord Compton waiting for her with a request to assist his friend Sir Cecil Lawton prove his son's death.  Lawton's wife never believed the reports that her son had died in France during the War and on her deathbed made Sir Cecil promise to find their  son.   This leads Maisie's friend Priscilla to ask her to conduct a similar investigation into the death of her eldest brother Peter.  Priscilla lost  all three of her beloved brothers in the War yet Peter's body was never found. 

Maisie with two cases leading her back to France must face her own demons in her search for truth.  Maisie must find the strength to face her own bloody past  if she  is to  find out what truly happened to these two soldiers. 

Pardonable Lies releases August 2005 and is currently available for preorder through Amazon.  I highly recommend this novel for any fan of the mystery genre, however giving this book the mystery label does not in fact do it justice.  Winspear breaks beyond the bounds of popular mystery fiction providing us with the clues and investigations that we have grown to love while providing a rich tapestry of historical context and  introducing characters with a depth rarely found in modern fiction.

Great Reads

I have recently finished two great books, The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  If you have a weekend of April showers and want to curl up with a good book I definitely recommend both of these novels.

Simon Says You Win!

If you belong to a book club that enjoys mysteries, then head on over to the Simon & Schuster, Nelson George Book Club sweepstakes.  Win a phone call from  Nelson George author of the new D Hunter mystery The Accidental Hunter.  Two lucky book clubs will win.

Cardinal Speaks Out Against Da Vinci Code

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone claims that the bestselling book  The Da Vinci Code is an absurd book of lies that poses a risk to the Catholic Church.  He will be attending a roundtable discussion, as keynote speaker, in Genoa this week to refute the book.  What I find interesting about this is that The Da Vinci Code is FICTION.  Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, has never made any claims that the book is non-fiction.  The Cardinal, and the Church, appear to be in an uproar over a clever piece of fiction writing. 

A Feast for Crows

A Feast for Crows, book 4 in the incredible A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin is finally coming!   Book four begins with a brief time of peace, the evil King Joffrey having been vanquished, but with the end of wars and clear alliances comes a time of chaos.

Fans of the series can preorder the book now at Amazon.  A Feast for Crows will be released July 26, 2005.

Art Theft: Today's Headlines Mirror Upcoming Novel

Yesterday theives broke into the restaurant of the Hotel Refnes in Oslo, Norway Sunday night.  They removed three artworks by Edvard Munch, the painting The Blue Dress and two lithographs, which they pried from the walls with crowbars.  The stolen artworks were recovered by police today and suspects have been brought into custody.
This is not the first time.  Munch's artwork has been a popular target for art thieves.  In August of last year three gunmen stole two pieces of artwork from the Munch Museum in broad daylight.
In 1994 Munch's painting The Scream was stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway the same morning that the Winter Olympic Games began in Oslo.   This exciting tale, and the successfull sting operation to recover the artwork, is the basis for Edward Dolnick's new book The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves and The Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece. 
The Rescue Artist releases in hardcover June 28, 2005.

Celebrating All Things Irish

With St. Patrick's Day on the horizon March is wonderful time to celebrate all things Irish.   
Over Nine Waves: A Book of Irish Legends by Marie Heaney is an excellent introduction to Irish myths and legends.  The Anchor Book of New Irish Writing is a wonderful cross-section of contemporary Irish fiction including 23 short stories and a novella.  Of course no discussion of Irish literature could be complete without the influential works of James Joyce.   Dubliners by Joyce is an excellent collection of  15 short stories illustrating the lives of Dublin's poorer classes. 
For younger readers, or just the young at heart, there are a multitude of wonderful fanciful children's books such as Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka,  Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill, St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, and Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk.

Tell Me About It

Read a good book lately?  Bursting at the seams to tell someone what you thought about the book? the characters? the author?

I welcome your thoughts, opinions and insights.  Write a review, recommendation or just a book you think is worth checking out (or terrible!) to:  mumpy.typepad.com@gmail.com or click on the Email Me link in the left sidebar.

World Book Day 2005

World Book Day for the UK and Ireland will take place this year on Thursday, March 3rd.  Publishers, libraries, booksellers, authors, and booklovers will come together to celebrate and spread the joy of reading.
Numerous events will be available to people of all ages, with special Book Tokens and events for school children.  In an enormous effort to encourage book lovers to recommend books to others there will be millions of free postcards available for sending to friends and family.  If you would like to send an e-card you can do this directly from the World Book Day website at http://www.worldbookday.com/
As you can see various artists have contributed artwork for these book recommendation postcards.  There is something here for everyone.

The Greedy Bastard Diary

Funny man Eric Idle has published a new book The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America.  The Greedy Bastard Diary encompasses Idle's experiences while on the road during his comedy tour and reminiscenses from his past.  The release of The Greedy Bastard Diary coincides with the broadway opening of Idle's show Monty Python's Spamalot a broadway musical adaption of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Gideon Oliver is Back

Good Blood is Aaron Elkins' newest addition to the Gideon Oliver mystery series.    With a kidnapping and the discovery of old bones forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver is again in his element.  This time Gideon and his wife are invited to vacation in beautiful Italy with a friend who is visiting relatives.  When the son of the family they are staying with disappears Gideon is quickly enlisted by the family and local authorities to lend his forensic skills to the investigation.
Good Blood is the eleventh addition to the Gideon Oliver series which includes Old  Bones, Twenty Blue Devils and Skeleton Dance.   Aaron Elkins is also the author of the Chris Norgren art mystery series and the wonderful stand alone novel Loot.

Judges Announce Man Booker International Prize 2005 Contenders

The first ever Man Booker International Prize 2005 will be announced in London in mid-2005.  Judges John Carey, Alberto Manguel and Azar Nafis have announced that they have narrowed the contenders down to eighteen authors from around the world.  The judges list includes Margaret Atwood, Saul Bellow, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gunter Grass, Ismail Kadare, Milan Kundera, Stanislaw Lem, Doris Lessing, Ian McEwan, Naguib Mahfouz, Tomas Eloy Martinez, Kenzaburo Oe, Cynthia Ozick, Philip Roth, Muriel Spark, Antonio Tabucchi, John Updike, and A.B. Yehoshua.

Gonzo is Gone: Hunter S. Thompson 1937-2005

Hunter S. Thompson journalist, activist, and author was found dead in his Colorado home Sunday.  Police have ruled the cause of death to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. 

Thompson will be remembered for his "gonzo" style and for such works as Hell's Angels, Hey Rube, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. 

Discovering Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto, grew up in Kobe and now resides in Tokyo, Japan.  Murakami, graduate of Waseda University and former jazz bar owner, has become one of the best contemporary fiction writers.  Haruki Murakami has a unique style that reaches out and captivates the reader.

Kafka on the Shore, Murakami's latest book, blurs the lines between the waking and sleeping world with his unique dreamlike style.  Kafka on the Shore begins with the journey of fifteen year old Kafka Tamura as he runs away from home interspersed with top-secret US Department of Defense and Army Intelligence reports about strange events called The Rice Bowl Incidents of 1944.  Murakami skillfully weaves a complex tapestry from seemingly unrelated events and characters.

Don't miss Haruki Murakami's other great literary works such as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, After the Quake: Stories, Norwegian Wood, Sputnik Sweetheart, Underground, The Elephant Vanishes, South of the Border, West of the Sun, Dance Dance Dance, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, and A Wild Sheep Chase.

New Sherlock Holmes Novels on the Horizon

Caleb Carr, author of The Alienist, beguiles us with his first crack at Doyle's infamous sleuth Sherlock Holmes.  Holmes and Watson are summoned to assist in the investigation of the murders of Queen Vicoria's architect and palace forman by Holmes' brother Mycroft.  Upon arrival Holmes and Watson find themselves the target and begin to unearth a plot against the Queen and an assasination of The Italian Secretary to Mary Queen of Scots at the same location three hundred years before.

The Italian Secretary will become available April 10, 2005.

Mitch Cullin's depiction of Holmes in A Slight Trick of the Mind is of an elderly man in his twilight years who divides his time between writing correspondence, completing a manuscript regarding a previously undocumented case, and sharing his love of beekeeping with his housekeeper's young son.

A Slight Trick of the Mind will become available April 19, 2005.

For fans who want even more Holmes should keep an eye out for Laurie R. King's latest Mary Russell novel Locked Rooms due out June 2005. 

The Friar and the Cipher

The Friar and the Cipher: Roger Bacon and the Unsolved Mystery of the Most Unusual Manuscript in the World is Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone's exploration of the mysterious Voynich Manuscript and the theory that this coded manuscript was written by Dominican friar Roger Bacon.

The Goldstones take us on a journey involving the Church, code-breakers, mysterious documents and the discoveries of Roger Bacon.  The Friar and the Cipher promises to present us with a beguiling mystery.