kambrogi in 2010

I’m pretty psyched for the year’s reading. I plan to make a stack for each month. It will include the book club read/s, the book/s to be reviewed for Belletrista, and something from last year’s TBR list that I am still hoping to get to. This stack will probably include items I am picking away at (like The Black Book: 35th Anniversary Edition currently) and anything I am reading for research purposes (currently Wall to Wall America: Post Office Murals in the Great Depression, which I may never actually finish). I continue to reserve the right to discard any book that doesn’t catch my interest, so my stack will be considered my “reading intentions.”

AND I want to leave a slot each month for something I pick on a whim! There was too little of that last year.

PLUS I will go ahead and post the TBR items from last year that I never got to, in hopes of giving myself further incentive (in looking it over, I realize I did read one a month from that list, which wasn’t so bad).

Previous reading threads:
kambrogi in 2009
kambrogi in 2008

The January stack includes one book I have read 1/3 of and decided to set aside (Damaged doesn't suit my mood at the moment), and one I have finished and adored (In this House of Brede). Review to come.



I am working on A River Runs Through It (thanks to Laytonwoman3rd) right now, and hope to jump into Light in August, a reread, (thanks again to LTW3) right after. The book club reads are Too Close to the Sun: Growing up in the Shadow of my Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor, which I really have no idea if I will really want to read, and Crime and Punishment, which I am currently trying on audio (a first for me). No, it is not likely that I will read them all! :-)

The TBR list I am currently whittling (not that it's all the TBR's I have!):

Flaubert’s Parrot
The Satanic Verses
The Famished Road
Oxygen
The Electric Michelangelo
American Pastoral
Blonde
The Optimist’s Daughter
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Light in August
The Pickwick Papers
Emma
Moby Dick (maybe ...)
More Philadelphia Murals

Oh, my goodness. Did you review In This House of Brede? Would you believe it's one of the books I plan to read for the Off the Shelf Challenge? I'm glad to hear you loved it. I think I have another of her titles hanging around, too.

Oh, my, we are sisters, aren't we?

Funny, I think I read it about 5 years ago and it did absolutely nothing for me, and in fact I only have a vague memory of it. But this time -- it totally rocked my boat, for all that it is very quiet and unassuming.

Will get that review done.

#1 In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. Although this is a gentle book, it managed to draw me in to a remarkable degree. I was so involved with it that each day when I wasn’t reading, I continued to feel as though I were living in its world, and couldn’t wait to return in the evening to find out what was going on. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

BTW: My son's fiancee gave it to me for Xmas -- double points for her!

Found you! And starred you! Yay!
And what a nice future daughter-in-law ...

I like it! I really like it! Your thread that is. But, ooooh! Just reading the review of In This House of Brede makes me shudder.

Thanks for stopping by, lindsacl. Why does it make you shudder, Bonnie? That whole religion thing?

>9 kambrogi:: That, and how nuns--whether they're shut up in a convent or not--are used to do all "dirty work" for the men who have all the power and authority in the church.

Yeah, I am with you on that (as brought out so beautifully in Doubt, the movie). It's just one of many things that bug me about the Catholic Church, and most other organized religions. This book is a very traditional and respectful view of the Church, something that is almost unfamiliar today. It's kind of like Leave it to Beaver, representing an idealized world that no longer exists, if it ever did. Still, I appreciated the simple power of it, simply as a fictional story of a woman's search for her place in a spiritual life. I can imagine it working better outside the Church, myself.

Hi Kathi, I wasn't sure I'd find you over here, but I have and I've left a trail of breadcrumbs so I can find your thread again!

Welcome, avaland!

So here is what I've been reading lately:



#2 A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. Nice stuff – perhaps more nature-oriented and male-centric than what I prefer, but I especially liked the vivid characters and nostalgic view of a bygone era. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

Btw, LW3, why were we talking about that book ages ago when you sent it? Can't remember what it was that it related to ...



#3 Wench: A Novel by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Good one! This arrived in the mail after I took that January book stack picture. Review to come, in Belletrista’s next issue. I will post the link to it then.



#4 Too Close to the Sun: Growing Up in the Shadow of My Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor by Curtis Roosevelt. Book club read. Respectable writing, objective viewpoint, some interesting details, but ultimately not much beyond what the title tells you. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

Now, at last, off to reread Light in August!

Have you seen the movie, A River Runs Through It? I have watched the movie a few times and was wondering if the book is as good as or better than the movie. Most of the time when a movie comes out I make a point of reading the book before watching the movie, but I've never got around to reading this book.

Silly me, I read your review after I made the previous post. I didn't realize the book consisted of short stories. I guess I will at least read the titled story to see if it compares to the movie.

I, too, tend to read the book first, tjblue, which is why I haven't seen the movie yet. I hope to soon.

I will look forward to your thoughts about American Pastoral. Roth is one of my top three favorite authors and American Pastoral is one of his top four or five books (in my opinion, of course). I am always interested particularly in how women respond to Roth's work.

#14 I have a feeling our discussion was related to a scene in the movie (which may not have been in the book at all----I read it too long ago), where the father had his son writing an essay, and kept sending him back to do it over, with a stern "Again. Half as long."

Ahhh. I really love Roth, although I definitely prefer his later work. Goodness knows why I can tolerate him, but really can't bear to read any more Hemingway.

I'm curious to see how you like Satanic Verses. It's one of few Rushdie books I haven't read yet and I was thinking about adding it to my list this year.

I appreciate your comment, rocketjk. I didn't get to Roth until a few years ago, and it was The Human Stain that did it. So far, it's all I've read. From where I sit, it is very much a man's story. However, I read to explore other worlds, and he creates his from a point of view that is intriguing and beautifully wrought. On the other hand, I have never liked the idea of the somewhat disinterested narrator examining the protagonist (or at least the character who is facing the greatest challenge) from a distance, as in The Human Stain. Many great books are written that way (Sophie's Choice or The Great Gatsby, for instance), and although it's clear that the narrator finds his/her truth in the story, it is an approach that I never quite understand. I have the impression Roth uses it a lot? Anyway, I'm psyched to read more of his books, and am glad to know you think I picked one of the better ones.

Hmm, LTW3, that's not ringing a bell. I will have to go investigate. Btw, I realized that the copy of Light in August I am reading was sent to me by you, too. It seems you have provided a lot of my reading material lately. (Thanks.)

murahta, I have read only Midnight's Children and the little book, Fury. The two are very different, but I liked them both. Fury is more immediate and perhaps more fun, but of course Midnight's Children is a work of genius, imho.

You're most welcome, Kathi. And I hope you'll pop in to Le Salon du Faulkner and add some pithy comments to the faltering discussion of L-i-A over there. Can't seem to get people talking about it very much.

You know me -- always plenty to say! I shall come when I finish; hope I'm not too late to the party.

I like reading your threads to see how and where our interests overlap. I am also a fan of The Human Stain and agree that Midnight's Children is a work of genius. Speaking of genius, I think Faulkner ranks among the world greats. Light in August is a great work, though I lean toward Absalom! Absalom! as his greatest. I'll have to check out Fury, as that is one of Rushdie's works I haven't read. You should check out The Moor's Last Sigh, which I think is very good.

I'm with you wrmjr66, in thinking of Faulkner as among the best. He is one of my top two favorite authors, and the other follows in his footsteps (Toni Morrison). I also think Absalom! Absalom! is his best, but The Sound and the Fury is closest to my heart, being the first I read. I still remember how it overwhelmed me. It was so far beyond what I had until then imagined literature could be -- I think I was about 19 years old.

I believe I have The Moor's Last Sigh around here somewhere, but not sure why it's not showing up in my catalog ... hmm, better move it up the pile. Thanks for the tip.

#24 Why don't you join us, now or later, over in Le Salon du Faulkner, wrmjr66 ? (Don't let the awful name keep you away.) I believe Absalom, Absalom! is on the list for a November group read, but things may get swapped around. I'd love to see some more life in that group.

Thanks for the tip, laytonwoman3rd, I'll check it out!

I was slow to post this month's photo, since I hoped to finish Light in August first. I still have 60 pages to go, so it appears again in my stack this month. This is an over-ambitious pile, because I am reading most of Crime and Punishment this month. I tried audio, but that just doesn't seem to work for me. I miss too much detail as my mind wanders. I've downloaded it onto the Kindle in preparation for my upcoming trip to Boston, and it will probably take up most of what remains of the month! (Not that there aren't plenty of backups, just in case.)



ETA: Predictably, I am loving Light in August, although it was probably not a good choice to read back-to-back with Crime and Punishment. No choice in terms of timing, as the latter is a book club read.

Besides those mentioned and carried over from last month, I've added The Electric Michelangelo, because I was so impressed with Sarah Hall's latest, How to Paint a Dead Man; The Potbellied Virgin by Alicia Yánez Cossío, which is my next review for Belletrista; and Soldier Boy by Timothy Bazzett, an interesting memoir I've been reading when I can.

Hi Kambrogi,

Long time, no post, so it's been quite a while since I've "run" into you. Glad to see your enjoying Light in August. The discussion is warming up over at the Faulkner Salon so I'll look forward to seeing you over there!

Thanks, theaelizabet. I should be there on Sunday, and can't wait to see what others have had to say about it. I'll finish the book today, but will be traveling tomorrow.

I tried audio, but that just doesn't seem to work for me. I miss too much detail as my mind wanders. I just started an audiobook and I'm finding that is exactly my problem!

Glad to know I'm not the only one, Bonnie.

Here's the latest:



#5 Light in August by William Faulkner. Wow. It’s because of books like this that I read. Here I find a story, and another story, and another story, layered too deep to ever see the end. But all those stories taken together can be tied up into a set of truths about life, and Faulkner makes you believe that every word has powerful meaning, even if you haven’t figured it all out yet. It’s not easy to parse, of course, because the truth never is, and it has left me with a great deal to ponder. That – and the beauty of language that makes you shiver -- is the glory of great literature. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#6 Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I avoided this book for decades, while reading Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov twice. C&P turned out to be a great read. It’s my first read on a Kindle (wonderful experience), perfect for a long trip with lots of reading time. Reading it back-to-back with Light in August also ended up being a good idea, because I could see so many connections between the two writers. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

Wonderful review of Light in August, Kathi. I'm happy to give it its first thumb.

Thank you, my friend. *blush*

I'm happy to be the second "thumb!" Congratulations! On to As I Lay Dying!

I've let this thread languish as my life has filled up with a lot of other events, weddings and travel among them. I am finally trying to catch up, but the list is very long, and I'm not sure I remember every one! Anyway, here goes:



#7 Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA by Timothy James Bazzett. I met this author on LT and ended up buying his self-published memoirs. Very impressive, what he has produced on his own since he retired from the military. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#8 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. This was my first time to read this classic, and having the 1947 edition with block prints by Fritz Eichenberg only made it better. Great read. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#9 White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. A good book, but not an entirely pleasant read for me. It shows the dark side of Indian life that, however true, was a bummer to read. I have to believe there is a better way to deal with our oppressors than by imitating them. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#10 The Pot-Bellied Virgin by Alicia Yánez Cossío. Reviewed in Belletrista, Issue 5



#11 The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall. Love this author, although this is very different from the first I read. Still, can't wait to read another by her. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#12 A Movable Feast by Earnest Hemingway. Wow, what a wonderful read. Like sherbet after a steady diet of cake. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#13 From the Hilltop (Native Stories: A Series of American Narratives) by by Toni Jensen, reviewed in Belletrista, Issue 5
Probably the best book I've reviewed for Belle so far. It knocked my socks off -- read the review!



#14 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is a good book, but not as great as I expected it to be. Rather a disappointment. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#15 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Add me to the long list of fans of this book. Not my usual fare, but a lot of fun! Btw, I saw the movie last night and thought it very well done, even with a bit too much sex-and-violence on the screen. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#16 The Women My Father Knew Reviewed in Belletrista, Issue 6



#17 The Killing of Strangers by Jerry Holt. This was written by a former professor of mine. A good little mystery based on the Kent State shootings, I'd recommend it to those who enjoy mysteries. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#18 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It was my first time to read this book, and I was duly impressed. Truly, a great classic with a lot of relevance for us today. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#19 The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. Yeah, I got sucked in again. Couldn't help it. Not sure at first, but ultimately ended up liking it almost as well as the first. Of course, a long plane ride helped! Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#20 Plainsong by Kent Haruf. This is an outstanding piece of literature. I read it many years ago, but it didn't strike me like it did this time. Will definitely be one of my top picks of the year. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#21 Passing by Nella Larsen. This was a gift from my Solsister, gautherbelle, and it is just terrific. It's horrifying to think that such a gem from the the Harlem Renaissance could ever have been out of print. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

ET: Fix links and say that I will never let this much time pass without posting my reading again. It's too big a project!

WOW! Impressive reading. And, as always, you've given me several to add to my list.

Holy cow. Great stuff there, Kathi. Thanks for bringing us up to date!

A nice mix of reading, Kathi.

Thanks for the comments, you three. I wish I had more time for LT and RR -- I miss my online literary life! And now I have read two more and they are not yet posted. Oh, my.

You aren't wasting time sleeping, or cleaning, or something, are you?? Just asking.

Gardening, travel, spinning my wheels ... that sort of thing. :-)

Always nice to see you here, even if only for a bit.

Travel sounds good...

Oh, yeah. It is, but it also disrupts ordinary life!

So here's my latest reading:



#22 Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans. Nice short story collection. Review to come in Belletrista, issue 6 (September). Link to be posted on publication.



#23 Candide: Or Optimism by Voltaire. I was pleasantly surprised by this classic, which I had never read before. An easy read, and lots of food for thought (my favorite sort of thing). Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#24 The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I read this for a book club, and have to admit I was looking forward to it. Not a bad read, but ultimately lacked the kind of depth and quality I prefer in a book. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

Gave your Candide: or Optimism review a hearty thumbs up, Kathi! I've been meaning to read it; now it will be sooner rather than later, thanks to you!

Looking forward to reading your review of the Evans in Belletrista!

Thanks, Marise! I did enjoy Candide and hope you do, too. Not much character development, but lots of food for thought -- and you know how I like that! :-)

Hi Kathi,
I've spent a delightful half hour catching up on your thread and your latest reads. I'm glad you've given up eating and sleeping so you can post on LT again!

Reading about Faulkner (love that man and his writing!) reminds me of my goal to Read More Faulkner this year. I gave up on the group reads because they sort of fizzled out. Maybe I'll give it another shot this fall.

Thanks for sending me your link. I've got you starred and am happy to see that you're still enlarging my wish list along with affirming the books that we've both read and enjoyed.

Edited to turn off the bold print!

Hey, Donna! Thanks for looking in. As you can see, I'm not here often. I have also failed in my original plan to photograph my stack every month. Oh, well, maybe next year. I, too, want to Read More Faulkner, but it is hard to work it in around all my reading commitments. I do owe it to myself to get in more than one a year, though. He never fails to reward, does he?

The group reads were a big disappointment, weren't they, Donna? I'm not sure why, but they just didn't take off. But, PLEASE read more Faulkner. As Kathi says, he is worth the effort, and the more you read him, the better he gets.

LW3, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the one group read I participated in. It was wonderful to discuss such a powerful and complicated book with others who could appreciate it and cared to dissect it. Wish I could have fitted in more.

I am still reading at a steady, if not so fast, pace, but posting gets harder and harder. Anyway, here is what I've read lately:



#25 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I read this book for a second time in order to figure out just what it is that makes it such a terrific and popular read. So many people enjoy it – those who like a heavy read and those who prefer lighter fare, both men and women. I have decided that the characters are the key, and the fact that so much is based on Eugenides' own family and history seems to account for the loving way they are presented. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#26 Oxygen by Andrew Miller. This was on the list I posted for myself last year and this. I figured out I had trouble reading it because of the cover -- not very compelling. Anyway, when I finally dug in I wasn't disappointed. Good book. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#27 One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus. A gift from my solsister, chosen from my wish list. A fun read. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#28 America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines by Gail Collins. Terrific history of America's women -- fascinating and easy reading, while being well researched and documented. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#29 What You Call Winter by Nalini Jones. See my review at: Belletrista, Issue 8
(Sneak peek: Great short story collection!)



#30 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson. I admit it: although I read mostly classics or contemporary literary novels, I was simply smitten by the three books in this series ... Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#31 The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I love everything I've read by Kingsolver, but this one was a bit of a challenge. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#32 Jackson Pollock: An American Saga by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith. Wow! This baby is likely to be my #1 of the year, or damn close. You know it's good when after 800 pages, you are sad it is over! Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

ETA:



#33 The Trial by Franz Kafka. Not so much. The only way I am getting through it is by reading it on my new kindle. Definitely makes it easier.

Great reading, there, Ms. Kathi. Middlesex is on my "must re-read" list, and I enjoyed The Lacuna, although not quite as much as some of her earlier novels (her non-fiction grabs me hard, too.) And as always, when you love a collection of essays or short fiction, it goes immediately onto my TBR list, so I'll be looking for the Collins collection. Still trying to decide whether to tackle Larsson...totting your opinion up on the PRO side.

Wow, my friend. You had commented before I even finished editing my post. Since we have similar taste and you like mysteries, I'd say you should read the "girl" books. Maybe wait for summer and tote them out for a lazy day on the river? As for Middlesex, that one is not negotiable. Read it. Now! :-) I haven't read Kingsolver's nonfiction, but I hear so much good stuff that I really should get to it.

RE: Middlesex--I have read it; must re-read it as you have done.

Oh, right! Must "RE-read." Okay, that puts my mind at rest. :-)

Hi Kathi! It seems I enjoyed The Lacuna a bit more than you did. Regarding the Collins collection, I read another of her books this year that was really fabulous: When Everything Changed. Here's my review if you want to read what I thought about it.

Great review, lindsacl! The same friend who turned me on to America's Women has offered to lend me When Everything Changed, and I am eager to read it -- especially now that I have read your review. It appears that Collins took one segment of America's Women, which indeed got short shrift at the end of a long book, and expanded it. I think that particular part may be the most interesting. I find her very readable, too.

January is almost over, the new year in bloom (more in ice where I sit) and I have still not finished posting my readiing for 2010, nor assessing it, as I like to do at year's end. All of you have no doubt moved on to your new threads, and I am wondering if I will continue threading next year. Perhaps I will spend the time I spent on this (what little it was) reading others' threads and commenting. I will continue to review, however.

Here are the last of them:



#34 The Night Watch by Sarah Waters. Wonderful, marvelous book. Can't believe I waited so long after my friend sent it to me. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#35 Abstract Art by Anna Moszynska (1990). A nice little overview. I read it because the Jackson Pollock book (above) made me want more, more, more on the subject before I saw MOMA's exhibit on the NY Abstract Expressionists. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#36 How Do I Love Thee? by Nancy Moser. Although not entirely worthless, I wouldn't recommend this fictional account of the romance of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning to the serious reader. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#38 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I am a little disappointed in myself for finishing up with a set of books that were not so important to my reading year, but they were fun to read on the kindle during Xmas travel. Not bad for beach reads, if sci-fi/dystopian stuff is your thing, and you don't mind adolescent literature. That last aspect is probably why they did not grab me as much as they might have. They aren't bad, but they just didn't offer me enough to chew on. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#39 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.



#40 Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. My final review may be my best on this series, but it is also the least positive, which may be unfair. Click on the book jacket picture to access my review.

More on my year's reading in the next post.

Overall, it was not my best reading year, neither in quality of books nor in number. I still tend to read books which are a waste/near waste of my time, and I did more of that this year, partly for book clubs and partly in order to have some relaxing reads. Also, to please others. I don’t regret the Steig Larsson books, but I do regret some of the others.

Results:

• I read 40 books, short of one a week, but about average for me. I half-read and dabbled quite a bit in a variety of books on the way, though. (See first post).
• Only read three of the TBR’s I set for myself this year (post #3), but they were all great. Plan to get in at least three more next year. Some I may drop, since I really don’t want to read them (Moby Dick, for instance …).
• Mostly fiction, as usual. The 14% non-fiction is about average.
• Two rereads, both terrific, of course! Light in August and Middlesex. I left them off my list of faves, since they were already faves when the year began.

Faves: I keep shifting the order, but these are they. Alas, not 10 this year, which definitely says something about my reading!

Jackson Pollock: An American Saga (non-fiction) by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
From the Hilltop Native Storiers: A Series of American Narratives (short stories) by Toni Jensen
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
In this House of Brede by Rumer Godden
The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall
Oxygen by Andrew Miller
Passing by Nella Larsen
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

What’s scary is that I think I actually read two of these before (In this House of Brede and Plainsong). I may have torn through them a decade or so ago with little appreciation and promptly forgot them. But I am not entirely sure of that, and certainly I could not have been said to have truly read them if I so clearly missed what wonderful books they were, so I am counting them as first-reads.

That’s it for this year, but I finished the first for next year last week, and it was a winner: Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin.

Are you taking a poll about whether you should "thread" this year? 'Cause I'm emphatically in favor of it. How else will I see your reviews, if you don't alert me on a thread I can follow?

>62 laytonwoman3rd:: what she said. Somehow I lost track of this thread this past month but enjoyed reading about your end-of-year reading. If you start a 2011 thread (and I hope you do), please link to it here, so we can find it ... OK?! Thanks!

Another fan here hoping you will be starting up a new thread for 2011, although it may take me awhile to catch up with that slate of reviews you posted. It's good to "see" you again, Kathi.

I'm taking a pass on the Collins trilogy. They're a bit on the 'trendy' side for me. I don't mean that to sound snobby; but I do know my limits. ;-)

Stopping to say and looking for you 2011 thread! Happy Reading!!

Thanks all of you for being loyal fans/friends, even though I have been lax in catching up on others. Very kind.

Donna828, I doubt your will get much out of the Collins trilogy, unless you like video games. There are 'way better books of the type out there, I think.

Considering that I am already behind on reviewing, with three piled here waiting, and only one done for the year (at Belletrista), I have decided to let the thread go and just do the reviews. They will all be on my reviews thread, with the latest review written the first listed, here: Kathi's Reviews. Should you be interested, you may thumb from there, or send me a note on my profile page. Hope to see you stopping by!

Again, thanks for your interest.

But....but....but...see.....there isn't any way to KNOW when you've posted a new review that way. If you keep the thread going, I'll see it on my "World" column when a new post shows up. Could ya just pop in here and link to the review when you do one, pleeeeeese? *little whine*

Oh, you are just so sweet. Let me think about it. Don't cry! :-)

*sniff* Ok. *sniff, snuffle*