RIP Henning Mankell-- Reviews and Links in Memoriam

I had heard Mankell was sick, but I was still saddened to hear of his death especially because I was just talking about the beauty of his non-crime novel, Italian Shoes, and how it is one of my all time favorite hidden gem book discussion choices.  Click here for a full report of when I led a discussion of this book back in 2011; it's a discussion and a book I still remember vividly.

While I really appreciated Mankell's place as the father of Nordic Noir, I also know he was a complicated person.  I think the New York Times did a great job reconciling the man as a person and an author of great import in their obituary this morning. The obituary lists many of the authors who became readalikes for Mankell too.

To honor his contribution to world of popular literature, here are some of my favorite links from RA for All where Mankell and his influence are mentioned [you can click here for every single one]:

• Without Mankell, I never would have read Jo Nesbo.  Here is a link to my review of The Snowman and The Leopard.
• Here is post I did about the Greatest European Crime Writers via The Guardian
• Here is every time I have mentioned "Nordic Noir" on the blog including the Nordic Bookblog site, which is full of excellent information to help the influx of readers who will be coming in for these books to honor Mankell.

And finally, I again implore you to read Italian Shoes no matter what you think of Mankell. It is a haunting story of a man confronting his past mistakes and attempting to redeem himself as he is also coming to terms with his own mortality. [And, it is short....]