Bibliophilic Confessions

Since I haven’t done this in a very long while – I just didn’t have anything to confess, okay? I ain’t been holding out on you! – this is a segment of the very infrequent meme here on Bibliophilic Monologues where the author of the blog post, (me), will reveal a deep dark secret which turns out is not a secret after all.

Today’s confession is:

I loathe all these Team Fictional Boy One and Team Fictional Boy 2 factions that readers are so joyfully categorizing themselves into. And trust publishers/authors to milk off that too.

Okay, I may be fuddy duddy and old fashioned-ey but what does it say about your book that it has been condensed into the love triangle which I like to think is part of a book but not its entirety and certainly not the most important part of it. I mean, even if it is a romance – surely there is more to the romance than which boy the girl picks as her sparkler?

I think fictional characters are hot, of course I do but when you are not a teenager lusting after fictional teenagers, it just becomes awkward and stilted and weird and awkward and weird and you know, I could go on. It’s not like I do not have preferences for who the heroines end up with either and I have been very loud in my criticism when the MC has picked the, in my opinion, wrong dude but still, that doesn’t mean reading is less cerebral and more uh…loin-al. Fire in your loins! Yes, I came upon that phrase in a romance novel and laughed. A lot. Because that would hurt, man.

Anyway, that’s my not-so-dark-but-just-as-deep confession for today.

Say no to the Team _____, yo!

How to Deal with Rejection – What Not to Do

So today I got rejected for seven titles I requested on Edelweiss. Let me take a moment:

Did it twinge? Oh yes. Did I wail and stomp my foot and rant at the unfairness of it all? No. Was I tempted to? Maybe. I know that publishers have their own rules (written and unwritten) about the people they approve and the ones they don’t but to a reviewer who is filled with nothing but the greatest passion for the books she requests, there’s nothing less disappointing than seeing the words “declined” or even worse (on Edelweiss) the red cross that denotes your undesirability as a reviewer. They probably did me a favour and I will eventually read the books I am requesting but still, there is a certain glee (of the glorious kind) in reading things before anyone else has a chance to. However, the ones approved for arcs etc are few and the majority of us have to contend with the dreaded (no matter how nicely it is worded) rejection. So, I figured I’d put up a list of things not to do when rejected for an ARC/E-Galley.

1. Do not, I repeat, do NOT go on a rampage on twitter decrying the dubious integrity of the publisher in question. The foray down that road will  not bring you any happiness as several authors can probably (hopefully) tell you now that the dust has settled. All the rampaging will achieve is to make the publisher’s attention swing your way and mark you as an untouchable so any future business you could potentially have done with them. Besides, it just ain’t classy, yo. Keep your class and walk away.

2. This is just as important as the previous one: Do not harass the author for an ARC. Promotions are usually done by the publishers and any arcs the author wants to give out are at her own discretion. And chance are that the arcs she gives out will be to trusted blogs with whom she has worked in the past. Asking once is okay but if no reply is forthcoming, keep that class and walk away. Do the hula. Go out and drink an ice cream slurpee (soooo good). Just step away from the computer.

3. Do not cross the title off your to read list. Okay fine, you can do that if you want but really? That’s silly. That book could be lovely and just because you couldn’t read it early does not mean its readability has diminished. Of course your experience with the book prior to reading it may colour the experience a bit but if you wanted it so badly, then there must be something in it that stills call you.

4. Don’t sink into depression that needs shrink bills, alcohol, copious amounts of chocolate and an intervention to pull you out of it. In the grand scheme of things, a rejection for an arc/galley is like a thorn prick. It hurts but life goes on, libraries remain open, other books present themselves to you. Being rejected does not decide your worth(lessness) or your abilities as a reviewer. It just means that the audience you reach is not according to the wants of the publishers.

And finally:

5. Here’s what you can do if you get rejected for an arc/galley. Go read something else. A book you have really wanted to that has been released or you already have. Don’t scour the internet for IMM/Book Haul posts/vids that show other reviewers/bloggers posing with the books you know you’ll review better and read with more passion. Go for a walk. Spend time with your family. Eat some chocolate. I know it doesn’t compare to that feeling of getting approved but still. Writing threats to the publisher/author/publicity agent won’t help either. Probably. Haha.

What did I do when I got declined/rejected for all those titles I requested?

I went to my commencement ceremony. And graduated. And standing on that stage, getting conferred and then later being admitted made the rejections seem like mere bumps on my road to success however twisty it may be.

Bibliophilic Confessions

I do these once in a while. It helps me get my head clear and removes any lingering frustration though to be quite honest, I think it will take something monumental to remove the recent feeling clouding my mind. Anyway, on to the confessions.

These are the things that piss me off:

1. The recent spate of authors and agents misbehaving when faced with negative reviews. If this continues, I hope GR does something epically brave and, I don’t know, insert a clause in their Terms and Conditions which explicitly state that authors (and agents) will not reply to the comments on negative reviews and doing so just means they run the risk of their account being suspended. Yes, I know, I’m tarring all birds with one brush but dude, this is stressful. It’s distasteful and I hate that these things continuously happen.

The most recent of these situations has an agent labeling a reviewer a “bitch” and that is so upsetting to me, her friend, that I don’t know how the person (who is one of the most intelligent people I have met) must feel. I’m so unimpressed, world. Really unimpressed.

2. People who go around leaving a copy paste comment in the hopes of getting followers. I have always been one to move against the current and while I’m not against publicity, I often feel that hype only negatively affects the item/object/thing being promoted. I am not going to follow you on twitter simply because you followed me. I don’t like my timeline being crowded up by people whom I don’t converse with and who have never bothered to say a word to me. No, thanks but no.

3. Anti-feminism in books. Misogyny, misandry. Slut-shaming. The perpetuation of rape-culture. The appropriation of voice. (I shall do a post on this someday.) Plagiarism. Heck, even the hint of it and I’m turned off.

That’s it. I’m not a hater, I generally am very happy go lucky but this never ending drama of the hostility between authors and reviewers has gotten old. I’m going to keep posting the reviews I do because to stop would mean they won and I’m damned if I let them but my enthusiasm for the blogging seems to be flailing in the wake of such distasteful behavior. I think it might prompt me to change genres though. We’ll see.

Bibliophilic Confessions

I haven’t done one of these in ages and my guilt is piling up. Heh. So since it’s 1:25 am and my bedtime is around 4 am-ish (Ramadan is playing havoc with my sleeping timetable; it’s a good thing I’m on summer break right now) and the only sound I hear are the machines in some factory further away – oh wait, no, that’s a ship horn. Anyway, wow, I get carried away. Here’s me baring my soul to you, Internet.

1. I find it very difficult to read a book written by a male author with a male protagonist. I don’t know why. It’s not that I automatically dislike them. I have liked many books written by male authors. It’s just that reading from the perspective of a male protagonist…I am unable to relate to them. Most of the time. Or maybe it’s just a self-imposed mental block? I don’t know. I’m currently reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss which is a very good novel according to all the many reviews on Goodreads but it’s just so difficult to get into right now. Of course I’m only on like page 48 and there are 621 pages or something so… I shall continue on. Funnily enough, if it’s high literature,  I have no trouble with male protags. It’s just entertainment lit that I don’t go for them.

2. I know this is wrong and I know I’m a horrible person but sometimes I judge a person by what they rate their books. Heh. Case in example, this one person on my friend list over at GR gave a Virginia Woolfe book 1 star and Twilight 5 stars. My brain, it exploded into putty. I couldn’t fathom the thought that anyone could actually compare the two and when doing so, find the Woolfe novel lacking. I mean… seriously?

That’s all for now. Don’t judge me too harshly.

Confessions #7

The next person who refers to physical books as “dead-tree books” will find themselves the owners of rearranged faces. Courtesy of your truly.

Dead-tree books. Seriously?

Seriously?

You don’t understand how angry that term makes me. This, if you didn’t catch the hint, is in comparison to digital books. Digital books being objects of awesome while real books being something dead and ew, I can’t believe I touched that, like a page, a dead tree.

When I see/hear/read stuff like that, there’s a little red angry man in my head who goes berserk and wants to wreak havoc and smoosh little ants everywhere. He’s kind of scary that way.

Anyway, dead is the last thing the books are. They are pulsating with life. LIFE, I tell you. All the words creating a story, the feel of the pages, the texture rough under your fingertips, the smudge of ink and the smell of paper. I LOVE THAT.

And what about paper wrappings? Your sandwich is covered in dead trees. Your chocolate bar, omg, dead tree! Ergh.

I have nothing against digital books. I think they are quite convenient and more power to people who like them. But fact remains that computers crash, information is lost and it CAN happen that you lose all your books. Yes, I know, I might be paranoid and I probably am but I don’t call digital books “soulless renderings,” do I? Or is that too wordy?

So if you are one of those people who think it’s okay to say “dead tree books” in my hearing, well, let’s just say you have been warned.

I’m still angry.

The Curse of the Ever Growing To-Read Lists (or things that annoy me written on the (wrong side of 12 am))

So over at Goodreads, my wish list has 644 books on it. No matter how many books I read, it refuses to budge from that number and hovers sometimes (to my horror) near the 700 mark before I drag it down.

Then I realized, as I went book-adding-crazy that after a while all the books start to seem the same.

Dystopia? Well yeah, everyone and their mother is writing one now. I am tired of it. Tired enough that I can make the honest claim that I will not be reading one any time soon. In fact, it doesn’t make me go “oooohhh!” any more but “ergh, here’s another one.”

It’s just…I wish they’d stop it and move on to something else. I really hate it when people jump onto the bandwagon, ride coattails (or attempt to). Yeah okay, The Hunger Games was seriously awesome. It carved its niche out and it will remain there, ready to stun future generations (or not, if the dystopian society has already been realized) but can we please move on to butterflies and evil clowns now? Please?

All the pretty girls in pretty dresses looking pretty and intensely at the camera. Those covers. As beautiful as they are, as gorgeous as the girls and the covers are, I’d like to move on to something different now. Or maybe, we could just have some people keep it the same and others being different. Okay, fact, one thing that annoys me more than most is when the same picture is used in various covers of novels in the same genre. I’m talking about the novel Ivy (that I reviewed) and Tantalize. Same model, same picture – it gets boring. And okay, what the heck is wrong with the people who created the cover for Passion by Lauren Kate?

This cover? Look at it. It’s hideous. Hideous. They have photoshopped it so much that they have mutated the model beyond recognition. Plus, I read in the comments that the person from whom the picture was ganked (some Deviantart artist) and the model had no idea about it. I’m not sure if they are credited or not but if not, why not? And can someone please tell the people over at Delacorte Books that this cover is hideous and should be sent to the archive of covers too hideous to see the light of day? Her face and her arms do not match. The colours are wonky and is that a rose she’s holding? Seriously? Do you really want to get that cliched? The other two covers were so awesome.

What happened?

Whatever did, I will not be buying this book. I have the other two and I would have liked to get the third one to add it to my collection but no. I refuse. Unless they have a different cover in the UK and I can order from there. Blergh.

What else do I have to rant about?

Ah yes. Hype.

I can understand marketing. Heck, I appreciate it because it allows me to ascertain whether I really want to read the book or not. However, when the hype for a book is excessive, I am repelled instead of attracted. Especially when I have read the book in question and know for a fact that the amount of squee being generated is really not worth it. Books that are excessively hyped about tend to made their way down my reading list. Books that no one talks about and I feel confident that it presents a mystery, I am more willing to read.

Cheese in novels. Maybe it’s because I’m a lit major and it’s what I do. Critique novels. Read between the lines. Maybe that has spoiled for me reading purely for entertainment without this English-accented voice in my head running a commentary. For instance, I was reading Beastly and my head and I, we had the following conversation:

For clarity’s sake, “Conscience” is the English-accented voice:

Connie (Conscience): *gagging* I can’t breathe!
Nafiza: Shut up, I’m trying to read.
Connie: *clutches figurative bosom* The cheese is killing!
Nafiza: …
Connie: Did you read what he just said? Does he realize how idiotic and sappy he sounds? Who talks like that? He’s a modern day teenager. Are we supposed to believe he is channeling some sort of medieval prince. “My love?” Honestly????
Nafiza: Chill out, Cons, it’s just a book.
Connie: *screeching* JUST A BOOK?? I’ll have you know, you wench, that this is not just a book. Do you know the power of words? *gets distracted* This is ridiculous. Why don’t they just admit they know the Disney story? They know how it’s going to end. And excuse me? Doesn’t this book take away from Beauty and the Beast the one thing that made it different?
Nafiza: And what’s that?
Connie: It’s Beauty who is supposed to save the Beast. Do you see Beauty doing any saving? Oh no, some guy is attacking her and she’s yelling out to the night air, “Oh Adrian, saaaaveee me,” in the hopes that Adrian is doing his creeper thing with the mirror (at least Edward only terrorized Bella) and guess what, she’s right! He is! And so he saves her. And you know what else? She doesn’t do anything to save herself. She basically has no personality. PLUS he sniffed the clothes she wore. CREEPY.
Nafiza: It’s called being romantic, Connie. You clearly don’t know your YA romance.
Connie: I certainly don’t want to  know it. Good night!

She amuses me. Connie does.

Essays and Current Reads

This weekend I have to:

1. Write an essay on theme of justice in Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus
2. Compile a presentation comparing two versions of Snow White.
3. Study some Korean verbs. My vocab is dying a miserable death.
4. Get some sleep somehow.

Books I am Currently Reading:

1. Behemoth – Scott Westerfield.
The first one was all sorts of amazing but this one is very slow and difficult for me to get into. I don’t know…I hope something happens sometime soon.

2. Walsh by Sharon Pollack
This is a play written by a Canadian playwright. For my Canadian lit class. It seems interesting but I confess I haven’t read much of it yet.

3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera.
This is slow going but it’s too interesting to give up on so I’ll trudge along. The best ones always take a long time to read. I’ve noticed that.

4. Beauty Sleep – Cameron Dokey
I’m reading this for my Fairy Tales Retold seminar. And so far, it’s very annoying. The tone, the condescension, the subtle messages, urgh.

5. Twice Upon a Time – Wendy Mass
This is for the seminar as well. We’ll see.
School’s tiring me out. I hope your classes/lives are a bit more relaxed.

Bibliophilic Confessions #2

Dystopian novels scare me silly. Scare me more than horror movies ever could and when I say horror I mean those Asian originals that are really scary. Like really. Because dystopian novels, rather than being fictional, seem to augur a possible future full of oppression and living like robots. A future where the masses are controlled by a number of elite because we have lost our voices or worse given them away willingly. A future where humanity accepts all the atrocities inflicted upon other human beings and willingly, hell, knowingly turns the other eye. Content to stay in their bubble. Not wanting to question, fight, rage and rebel.

Look at the world around you.

Does the dystopian society really seem that far fetched?

This Year in Books (Part 2:The Actual Books)

As I said before, I have read 253+ books this year. Some of them have been awesome, some mediocre and some downright bad. I don’t usually finish the really bad ones unless I just want to know what happened in the process of the journey.

I am an eclectic reader. I read all sorts of books though admittedly the bulk of them do tend to be YA. The books I read for school are nearly always ones I would have chosen to read myself but in the end, I am glad I was made to.

Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louisa Rennison

If you are looking for something entirely insane, this is the series for you. A completely cracked family, a cat that thinks it’s human and a whole harem of beautiful boys. But that’s not even the most fun part. It is Georgia’s insane personality and narrative that will have you laughing out loud in public and choking on various food particles.

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Really, do I still need to tell you why this was an awesome series? Read my embarrassingly gushy reviews.

The Dark Angel Trilogy by Meredith Pierce

If you haven’t checked this one out yet, do so. It’s an engaging mix of romance, fantasy and a mutation of a bildungsroman. It’s well written and the characters are fun to read about.

The Keys to the Kingdom – Garth Nix

It’s Garth Nix. Need I say more? This more middle grade than YA but it’s a lot of fun anyway. I recommend it.

Darkest Powers – Kelley Armstrong

I think this was one of the better trilogies I read this year, at least where YA Fantast is concerned. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you are missing out.

Witch – Carolyn MacCullough

This duet was/is seriously awesome. Don’t you love it when books tackle more than it seems they do? The duet is superficially about witches, bad people and this hot guy and evil sister. However, (forgive my flippancy) it is also a story about growing up and finding out that fitting in is not being a square among all the other squares but having the courage to be a circle amongst the squares. I demand you read this. Seriously.

Fallen – Lauren Kate

Angels, supernatural elements, an interesting cast of characters and swoon worthy romance. Need a girl ask for more? Okay, this is pure guilty pleasure and I don’t expect it to hold up to any solid literary discussion but you know what? I wouldn’t like it if it did.

Cat Royal – Julia Golding

Insanely fun heroine? Check. Insane escapades? Double check. An engaging story with lasting characters that do not have anything to do with vampires, werewolves or any of the supernatural elements (unless you count the fact that Cat has survived all her adventures something of a divine miracle). Perhaps because it does not follow today’s popular formula of the supernatural mix that it is looked over but I think everyone should try out the Cat Royal series. It’s serious fun.

Allie Beckstrom – Devon Monk

This urban fantasy series kicks serious ass. Literally. It is very difficult to find urban fantasy series that are actually worth reading. Oh sure, the bookshelves at your store are probably overflowing with new books but I speak from sad experience that most of the ones already on the shelves are so terrible, you’ll be left wondering why on earth you bothered. However, Allie Beckstrom combines an intriguing heroine with flawed heroes and fast paced plots that will keep you entertained.

Strange Angels – Lili St. Crow

The first two books in the series were awesome. The third one? Not so much but I am loathe to give up on it. Especially when it could just have been setting up for the next book in the series. This happens all the time in a series, i.e. when one book in between will be just setting things up for the next one. So…try this one out if you haven’t already done so. It has the signature trademark of a strong heroine…well, it did until Book 3.

Shades of Grey – Jasper Fforde

It’s Jasper Fforde. It’s dystopia. If I still need to say more…then…well. I won’t.

The Moorehawke Trilogy – Celine Kiernan

I have already embarrassed myself with the review of The Poison Throne – I gushed enough to fill a dam. And technically, all three books are released but I have yet to read the last one so it’s not yet finished. However, as I said, if you are sick of the supernatural, try this one for size. Historical fiction with awesome characters and a very engaging plot.

Glass – Maria V. Snyder

Maria V. Snyder is an awesome author. Like awesome. And this series will prove to you her ability to spin and weave tales that are both fantastic and relatable.

The Parasol Protectorate – Gail Carriger

This is, what I suppose, people would call Steampunk. Written in a voice nostalgic of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, we see an unlikely heroine traverse life in an alternate England where werewolves are part of the police force and vampires have nests in the more fashionable districts. Witty and irreverent, it will make you laugh. Loudly.

Kate Daniels – Ilona Andrews

Another urban fantasy series that I will vouch for. It is seriously addictive.

Leviathan – Scott Westerfield

You need to read this and find out how awesome this is.

The Agency – Y. S. Lee

Read the review.

Disappointments

Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely 3) – Melissa Marr

I can’t see where the author’s going with the series and I dare say I don’t have the patience to wait and find out. Maybe someday I will pick it up again (the series) but right now, I’m done with it.

Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger

Okay…this one was terrible. I think I have a review somewhere here which explains where and how the author went wrong. I just don’t know why. And it really was a serious disappointment considering how much I had enjoyed her previous book.

Madison Avery – Kim Harrison

Another disappointing series. And I love Kim Harrison so I was doubly disappointed.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker – Leanna Renee Hieber

I think my review said it all.

My Name is Memory – Ann Barashares

Again, review revealed all.

Raven – Allison Van Diepen

Promising Authors and Other Favourite Authors

Sarah Addison Allen
– Garden Spells
– The Girl Who Chased the Moon
– The Sugar Queen

Book of a Thousand Days – Shannon Hale

Beatrice and Virgil – Yann Martel

Bleeding Violet – Dia Reeves

Siren – Tricia Rayburn

Cold Magic – Kate Elliot

Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher

Going Bovine – Libba Bray

It Turns Out I Have Time After All

The time is 7:13 pm and I have a final exam in less than 24 hours and my brain tells me if I look at another Korean textbook, it will hop out of my skull and march off (while maintaining a wounded expression).

Also, my brain (what’s left of it) is insisting on thinking in Korean – which doesn’t work out very well since I have a limited vocabulary so I can’t think very deep thoughts. For the last few minutes I’ve been hearing the refrain “I’m hungry” in my head.

I’m not impressed, Brain. I’d much rather you march away.

Anyway, my Dear Reader (yes, you, the nonexistent one in the corner, hello!) today I shall attempt to make a list (since I’m hopelessly in love with making lists) about the top five things that annoy me about YA novels. As much as I love them. So without further ado, here we go.

Things That I Dislike About YA Novels

1. The culmination of the book in a dance.

This has got to be the most overused plot device in the history of the YA novel. My Brit Lit prof told us that this was a common device used in the denouement of plays in the Resurrection era to signify a return to order after chaos. But enough, okay? It’s becoming a tad overused (okay, understatement, that) and every time I get to the end of a book and read a dance scene, I roll my eyes and snort. I mean, yeah it’s magical, Cinderella goes to the ball and all that but it’s not original and forget aspiring author, from the viewpoint of a reader, please end your books in a different way.

Send them fishing or something. Or I dunno, have a party. Party’s good, right? Or you know, sit on a mountain and look at meteor showers. Anything but dances. Please with Coconut Candy on top?

2. When the main character evinces disbelief in her superpower/in the supernatural/ and this denial leads to the TSTL syndrome. (Too Stupid To Live.)

I believe I’ve discussed this particular issue before and I will honestly admit that there’s no right way to handle this situation. Because there is this issue of logic that plays a huge hand – yes, I know that we’re reading a fantasy, urban fantasy but complicity with the supernatural at the beginning (without reason) will raise eyebrows and elicit snorts. On the other hand, if the main character is…I dunno, still denying it after she has fought off monsters the night before (this has actually happened in a book)…yeah, you see the conundrum? This needs to be written very exactingly, very carefully to acquire a flawless capitulation of the heroine’s instinctual disbelief. So while her disbelief is apparent, she is not doing an Ostrich (you know, sticking your hand in the sand…?). It’s probably not an easy thing to write and the author probably needs to maintain a careful balance between disbelief but it can be done. I’ve read plenty books that do it perfectly – Tyger, Tyger is one.

3. The Two Boy Syndrome. And when the Heroine Chooses the Wrong Boy. (This is not limited to YA alone.)

Okay, I know this is based purely on my choice but I seriously am displeased when the heroine chooses a guy who is not worth it. And, of course, the choice is depends on the reader but, you know, as a reader, you are generally led in the direction the author wants you to go. For example The Hunger Games. I won’t spoil the ending for you but the reader totally knows who the author is leading the masses to ultimately choose. But in stories such as The Candidates by Inaara Scott, at the end, I was almost wailing with annoyance. Yeah, because I felt she chose the wrong boy. But that’s forgiven, since it’s a series and I have hope for future heartbreak and moving on. :) (And I will accede this is, as I said before, totally a matter of personal choice. Not everyone’s Edward is Jacob. Hee.)

4. The Best Friend Blunders (and also other main characters need love)

Dear authors of future YA novels, could you please spend a lot more time on the best friend (if the heroine has one). I feel it is sloppy writing when an author makes use of stock type characteristics to build up his/her cast of supporting characters. Some of the best books I’ve read have had the best side-characters ever. Whether they have one line or two, they have meaning. Don’t put extraneous characters in your story, it doesn’t do it any favours. As a reader, I feel that extra characters just clutter up the narrative and take away from the development of the more important characters who are actually relevant to the story. And infuse your characters, no matter how small their parts, with some sort of originality – some sort of personality that doesn’t sound like you picked it from The Grand Store of Characters at half price. And could you also please not resort to the age-old “beautiful girl is slutty and hates the main girl?” I dunno, how about making the beautiful girl a friend? Or maybe you could just not mention the looks and free us of limiting factors associated with physical beauty.

5. Parents.

That’s a loaded word, isn’t it? Especially when it comes to YA novels. I have yet to read a YA novel that tackles a story with a good relationship with the parents. Either they are dead or they are horrible. Why can’t kids with good parents have faerie adventures? Or you know, inherit powers from powerful parents who are alive and um…nice? Maybe I’ll write a novel where the parents are good, caring (and still alive).

Okay, I’m done.  Please note that although these things annoy me, I still love YA novels. So I will continue to read them. What about you, Dear Invisible Reader, yes you, in the corner. Do you have any peeves you maybe want to air?