Which version of Maya are you using or are you using Maya yet?

Have you tried the PLE version of Maya it's free!

I like you have just started with 3D animation, and acquired Maya 8.5.
I got Mastering Maya 8.5, from Autodesk Maya Press.
So far it reads fairly well easy to understand, so IMHO is a good book to start with.

I hope this Helps

Chris