It showed up on my doorstep just yesterday and until I saw it, I had no idea it was even in the works (my fault for not hitting Matt Ruff's blog regularly). I assume the book was sent my way as I have enjoyed Matt's prior novels, especially BAD MONKEYS (reviewed at Bookslut in 2007) and SET THIS HOUSE IN ORDER (at my site in 2008). THE MIRAGE takes Matt in a whole new and incredibly daring direction. From his site:

November 9, 2001: Christian fundamentalists hijack four jetliners. They fly two into the Tigris & Euphrates World Trade Towers in Baghdad, and a third into the Arab Defense Ministry in Riyadh. The fourth plane, believed to be bound for Mecca, is brought down by its passengers in the desert.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Other captured terrorists have been telling the same story, and other “artifacts” have been found. The president wants answers, but Mustafa and his team soon discover there are other interested parties. The gangster Saddam Hussein is conducting his own investigation. And the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee—a war hero named Osama bin Laden—will stop at nothing to hide the truth about the mirage.

Oh, bring it on Matt Ruff - bring it on so we can all take another wild adventure ride with you. Writing like this never gets old, folks; never. It makes me so glad to have this reviewing gig - it's like the best sort of Christmas present.

Oh My. With every single Connie Willis book (short story, novella, novelette) that comes my way I fall harder and harder in mad literary love for this writer. She enjoys Old Hollywood and screwball comedies more than I do (Was this even possible? I didn't think so) and incorporates that love into many of her stories. Yes, she can certainly be deadly serious in her writing as well (and those are also works I treasure) but it's the comedies that really give me joy. Her upcoming novelette from Subterranean Press is more in that vein and while I shall appropriately review All About Eve as the "Cool Read" in my Oct column I had to tell you now that if you are a Willis fan you are totally going to love this one.

Claire Havilland is your basic Broadway legend whose somewhat slimy manager sets her up in a dubious publicity grab with a famous pioneer of artificial intelligence and his theater crazy niece. Claire's meeting with them finds her seeing the world from a new perspective and taking a side on the issue of whether or not "artificials" will be the space age housekeeping Rosies we've all dreamed of or some very serious competition in the job market. While she considers all the sides to the argument, Claire spends a lot of time thinking about Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve and how much she doesn't want to be in a revival of Chicago but would love a shot at Desk Set. (My heart nearly burst with sheer glee at the first mention of that one.) And then there is a whole series about the history of the Rockettes and why we should love them not only for those splendid high kicks but also because of how they worked to preserve Radio City in 1979 (and won!)

All About Eve is fun with an I, Robot/Three Laws kind of message. It is classic Willis in that the banter is fast and witty, the references classic and the questions deep and sincere. What can I say, I loved every single page. (And Desk Set!!!)

[The Christmas party in DESK SET - of course!]

1. RE: KidLit Con. The booklet is very nearly done and more importantly in the capable hands of Sarah Stevenson who saved my butt on Friday after I sent her an emailed with the words "Panic Commencing" in the subject line. Let's just say there were a lot of jpegs that needed to become part of a pdf and after weeks of getting everything together I had reached the end of my capabilities and, um, panicked. Sarah saved my butt and the beauty that is the booklet will be largely due to her.

2. There has been a ton of other KidLit Con related happenings but I won't bore you with those. Suffice to say it is all coming together and more importantly, this week should see things coasting along a bit with all the big decisions made and only a bit of monitoring (for continued registration) and printing (of booklet) left to do. Whew.

2. RE:Map of My Dead Pilots. In celebration of last week's fabulous first review of MAP (and the first report from someone who isn't an agent or editor type or, um, married to me), I bought a new watch! Now when something not so fabulous happens with the book, I can look at my watch and remember the first fabulous moment. This is something every writer should do, I think. It helps you weather the tough times.

3. I also turned in the pictures for my postcards and all the book excerpts for the back. (This ended up taking awhile as it wasn't so easy to get my hands on the pics.) (We're talking photos from pre-digital camera days.) There will be six different designs: one of the cover and five of photos from AK. I'm hoping they make folks look twice, especially reviewer type folks at a variety of magazines where I will be sending them to stir up interest.

4. And I'll be sending emails to different people this week about the book and the e-galley and all that sort of promo stuff. We are in the trenches now, kids, and all the grunt work is truly commencing.

5. RE: Ballou High School. Some great news to report from the Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou HS earlier this year. I recently heard from school librarian Melissa Jackson and they now have four books for every student! As they started the year with less than one for each student, this is quite the improvement and she is really excited. Go us! (More on all this at GLW, shortly.)

6. And the KidLit Con/RIF partnership continues with the fundraiser still going strong. We crossed the $1,000 mark (which was our goal) and now are looking to do even more for this most excellent organization. Give all you can, please, and help spread the word.

7. As to reviewing, I have read three books for the October "Bradbury Weather" column: WHITE CROW by Marcus Sedgwick (I've already posted on my love for it), RIFTWALKER by Susan and Clay Griffith (Book 2 in The Vampire Empire series - awesome!) and ALL ABOUT EMILY by Connie Willis which will be my "Cool Read" and a mash-up of artificial intelligence and the history of the Rockettes. I adore Willis and this novelette is everything she does well. Totally.

But I still need to find some more titles from the piles downstairs. Working on it.

8. AAAAAAND five books for Booklist due by the 15th which include one on climate change, one on plastics in the ocean, one on the doomed Scott expedition, one on Alaskan politics (ouch!) and one on girl geeks (yea!). That's a lot of Booklist reading; it must be fall.

9. What's left.....well all kinds of stuff good, bad and otherwise. We are hoping to go to Providence & Boston this weekend but that all depends on power being back on and that kind of thing. I'll keep ya posted.