Ahhh I guffawed at that intro hard enough to spit out my panettone! Thank you for that, and for the wonderful year (book-wise, anyway) of sharing your reading in all your lovely videos. It’s been a highlight.
As always, thank you for bringing the proper level of dignity and seriousness to booktube. Just as Cher once sang ever part of West Side Story I'd love to see a new adaptation of Middlemarch where you play both Mr Casaubon and Dorothea. I'm hoping to read Kindred soon so looking forward to starting with Butler. Happy new year!
What a delightful mix. I have read most of them, but never heard of the Mariana Leky which now goes straight on to the TBR list. Happy reading in 2022!
What You Can See From Here, Mariana Leky sat on my shelf unread from the library last year, until I really had to give it back. I will read it this year... I think.
“My own little suburb of book tube”. That’s a charming description. And sometimes you can meet a bear among the hedgerows. It’s interesting that your final top three included two old tried and true favorites. Happy New Year! 🎊🍾 best wishes for happy reading in 2022 📚 👀
I'm definitely not in the city centre of booktube haha but I enjoy it here 😄 and yeah, the oldies are very often the besties, but I'm glad a new release made my top 3. Happy New year! 😊
I read What You Can See From Here after you mentioned it in an earlier video and I loved it, also one of my top books of the year. I had never even heard of it, so thank you very much.
God I just really love your channel! Your videos were absolutely a doom antidote in 2021. So thank you for that! Middlemarch is getting bumped up my TBR I think. The Name of the Rose was an unexpected disappointment when I read it. You may have convinced me to grind the chip off my shoulder and reread it someday.
Thank you so much for that. Really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy Middlemarch! And I can understand why Name of the Rose might not have been a fave, who knows maybe that'll change on a reread 😊 thanks again!
New here! AJ Dunn mentioned you. Your humor is fantastic. The Name of the Rose really made the rounds on Booktube this year. Beloved and Middlemarch are on my TBR for 2022. Great Circle is another I’d love to tackle. What an amazing list you have! Glad that a few of my upcoming reads made your top favorites. ☺️
Brilliant intro. I think A Midsummer Nights Dream is my fav Shakespeare, wish we could have seen you in it. Your Dorothea impression made me giggle a lot. I want to start Toni Morrison from the beginning. Maybe this year! Would also love to read the Nervous Conditions trilogy too. I also want to try and go back to Great Circle as I wasn’t in the mood for it when I tried it in December just knew it wasn’t the right time. Glad you loved it.
I'd love to get to all of Morrison at some point. She's phenomenal! And the nervous conditions trilogy can be gruelling but ultimately I think it's worth it! And thank you 😊
Thanks, Ben, and a belated happy new year to you too! (I discovered your channel only yesterday)I love Middlemarch and I have now The Mill on the Floss on my TBR for 2022. I’ve recently read Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen, which is part of a trilogy with the … Causobonish… title A Key to All Mythologies. As to Eco’s novels, if you wish to find out more about how he does it, I think he’s putting into practice his recipe for the perfect novel which he talks about in his Harvard lectures, published as Six Walks in the Fictional Woods.
I’m usually a lurker, but just wanted to say thank you for making your videos! They are always a delight :) I think you’ve finally pushed me to pick up Beloved this year! And maybe Middlemarch as well, though I’m still feeling a bit intimidated by that one :D Happy new year!
No such thing as a lurker on my channel, I'm really grateful to anyone watching so thank YOU so much! Beloved is brutal but really amazing! And once you get going with Middlemarch it's really fabulous. Happy New year!! Thanks again! ☺
I took Middlemarch on holiday one year, with plenty of relaxation time to get into it and it completely paid off. I devoured it in three days, just couldn't stop reading it. For me, it's Eliot's masterpiece, and, unexpectedly it got more bursts of laughter from me than from books that are supposed to be funny. That's because Eliot's wicked dissections of human foibles are so witty. Read it as Dorothea Brooke being a sly stand-in for Eliot herself and you will get even more pleasure from the book. One of my all time favourite classics.
Fred Vincy and Mary Garth are relationship goals. I really want to read _Parable of the Sower._ I'm reading _Kindred_ this year, my first by Butler. I hear only great things about her.
Beloved is phenomenal. You've tempted me to watch a production of Midsummer Night's Dream. The Parable of the Sower is on my radar, I read Bloodchild last year. Interesting selection for your top 12.
Great list! Ranking is so hard. I like publication order. Middlemarch is HUGE. I was just happy to finish it. Beloved is everywhere right now. I do want to read it. Parable of the Sower is on my TBR too. 😊💙
Great mix of books here, some of my favourites of the year too, especially Beloved. Morrison and James Baldwin were highlights for me. Thanks for your videos throughout the year, one of my Booktube highlights for sure! Hope you have a healthy and happy 2022 and a year filled with great reads too!
Thank you so much for sharing these! My copy of "No one is talking about this" is on its way, and the fact that it made it to your top of the year is super exciting. And your thoughts on Galgut chime with mine almost word for word... Also, you really inspire me to try and finally tackle classics, so "Middlemarch" is definitely going on my TBR) Thank you once again so much for keeping us posted on your reading, your videos are an absolute joy. Have a great 2022 in books and in life!
@@somebenfen, already 4 hours into the audiobook, and I'll be honest - it's going much easier than I expected! Read "Jane Eyre" recently on audio too (following in your footsteps as well), that one was much tougher... But "Middlemarch" is a pleasant surprise so far, so thank you thank you thank you for being my classics guru!)
I've just finished Kindred by Octavia Butler. It was my first of hers and it was fantastic. Beloved is on my TBR for Feb. I really can't believe I haven't read it yet. Completely agree on your recommendation for Detransition, Baby but I just couldn't handle No One is Talking About This...:( I really want to read The Promise now given what you've said about it!
That was a beautifully considered summary of your books of the year Ben. I am currently reading the Name of the Rose and am really enjoying it but its taking me ages with so much to take in and think about. It is not an easy read. Last year I read War and Peace at a chapter a day and felt so proud and please when I completed it the other day. I really revelled in my achievement. I think (think!) I will join the Middlemarch year long read for 2022. Then again….. maybe ill just read it. Happy new year and all that and thanks.
I'm slowly getting through War and Peace now... about 500 pages in. Will see how that goes. Reading Middlemarch over a year sounds really nice, I hope you enjoy it! And thank you 😊
Echo Raleigh’s comment, Echo! I also want to thank you for sharing your reading, and for your innate sense of fun and joy in your reading. Really enjoy your videos and your bear(s) did an excellent job with the wrap up 😀. Happy New Year! Hope this year holds many delights for you.
I am also usually a lurker, and I too, have been pushed to get Middlemarch off the shelf (again) and this time to actually read it. Beloved has come up about 3-4 times thus far in my reviews of either favorites or TBR's for this year..... hummm, I will have to break down and actually purchase it I guess!! Thanks so much for your thoughts and your suggestions and BTW I am a new subscriber so we shall chat again I am sure as I pop in and out.
Ok but that intro was EPIC 🐻❤️ The Name of the Rose has been on my Want to Read List forever! It’s actually one of the books I mentioned in my Mookes and Gripes Book Bucket List video, I might bump it up in my priorities after seeing it on your favorites list! I also really want to get to Open Water and No One is Taking About This. Great Circle wasn’t on my list until I saw Erik Karl Andersen’s review and he got me to want to read it, and now it’s on your favorites!
Name of the Rose is a corker! And yeah Great Circle is so worth it. Its long but it's just really well done. And def get to Open Water if you can I loved it ☺
I also really liked What You Can See From Here... but I think you're the only other person I know who's even heard of it, much less read it. I bought a friend a copy for Xmas! Hope more people discover it
It's weird! It says international bestseller on the front and I thought it would be one people really picked up but obvs not. Glad you liked it too though!
@@somebenfen I liked The Invisible Man more than The Time Machine. I want to start The War of the Worlds this year. I like that his novels are short and quick reads, too. Love Treasure Island, one of my favorites.
I am tempted to try The Name of The Rose after hearing you talk about it. I am waiting on Detransition Baby and Open Water from the library so I am interested to hear they made your top list.
Could I tempt you even further? The Name of the Rose combines a cracking yarn with pages of erudition that I found thought-provoking and stimulating, and as a sort of primer to lead you to investigate the fascinating historical backdrop to the story, it's ideal. I read it when it was first published and it still resonates to this day.
didnt expect eco to make the list :-D wasnt that impressed with kindred tbh but i still want to read sower have detransition lined up here for january, havent heard anybody who didnt like it great selection!
Just found you and Teddy! You’re definitely an actor!! Haha I come from actors,artists and musicians. Grand upbringing for a child! Come back soon and bring Teddy!! Happy New Year 🎆
I would never have gotten through Middlemarch if I hadn’t read the Norton Critical Edition. It just helped me so much. Funnily enough, what spurred me to read it was because I heard that the BBC was going to do a miniseries. Which I never got around to watching!
Fun list - great video - you are enticing me to read Open Water! ha - if only the judges had chosen chaos! (I do want to read No One is Talking About This) :) Happy New Year and May all your dreams come true too :D
Happy New Year, Ben! What a great reading journey you've had in 2021! Thanks for making me ugly laugh, and for your insightful critiques. GAAAH goddamn Middlemarch....I need to finish that...Might help if you make a compilation vid of Casaubon quotes.... Much appreciated. LOL
The Name of the Rose is one of my all-time favorites! I went into it completely blind, but it really was exciting....and challenging to read! The relationship between Adso and William was one of the best mentor mentee relationships that I've read. It's nice to see a mix of classics and new releases! Thank you!
Hah, love this. Epic.I’m doing chronological as well. I mean, they’re all my favourites… why would you make me choose which of my children is my favourite you torch wielding peasants! Strangely, I remember loving Beloved, but not any granularity about whhhhy lol but it has been a bit. And I think I’ll be tackling Middlemarch this year. Everyone keeps telling me how incredible Eliot is and I need to see for myself now. Annnnd audible plus came to Canada so I have like hundreds of classics to choose from for free all of a sudden. Parable of the Sower was so good. My Monticello of this year made me think about it a lot. Loved Detransition, Baby too. Open Water is waitlisted to hell here still. I’ll be getting to it some day.
Ahhh I guffawed at that intro hard enough to spit out my panettone! Thank you for that, and for the wonderful year (book-wise, anyway) of sharing your reading in all your lovely videos. It’s been a highlight.
Thank you so much for watching! And I'm glad you enjoyed haha 😄
Hahahahahahhah ABSOLUTELY BEST INTRO EVER!! So glad I came to see your previous videos.
I found myself with a smile on my lips throughout this whole video. 😀 Your humour and personality shines right through. Lovely!
Aw thank you! Glad you enjoyed!
As always, thank you for bringing the proper level of dignity and seriousness to booktube.
Just as Cher once sang ever part of West Side Story I'd love to see a new adaptation of Middlemarch where you play both Mr Casaubon and Dorothea.
I'm hoping to read Kindred soon so looking forward to starting with Butler.
Happy new year!
Haha thanks Eric 😄 A one man Middlemarch isn't a bad idea. I've not read Kindred but if it's anything like Parable it'll be intense...
Yes!! I want to see your Rosamond Vincy 😍😍
Haven't read Middlemarch for years so have been motivated to reread it. Thanks.
What a delightful mix. I have read most of them, but never heard of the Mariana Leky which now goes straight on to the TBR list. Happy reading in 2022!
It is now my mission to get people to read WYCSFH! 😄
What You Can See From Here, Mariana Leky sat on my shelf unread from the library last year, until I really had to give it back. I will read it this year... I think.
I hope you like it!
“My own little suburb of book tube”. That’s a charming description. And sometimes you can meet a bear among the hedgerows.
It’s interesting that your final top three included two old tried and true favorites.
Happy New Year! 🎊🍾 best wishes for happy reading in 2022 📚 👀
I'm definitely not in the city centre of booktube haha but I enjoy it here 😄 and yeah, the oldies are very often the besties, but I'm glad a new release made my top 3. Happy New year! 😊
I am LIVING for that Casaubon impression - nailed it!!!
Haha thanks 😄🤓
I read What You Can See From Here after you mentioned it in an earlier video and I loved it, also one of my top books of the year. I had never even heard of it, so thank you very much.
That's great to hear! So glad you liked it. 😃
God I just really love your channel! Your videos were absolutely a doom antidote in 2021. So thank you for that!
Middlemarch is getting bumped up my TBR I think.
The Name of the Rose was an unexpected disappointment when I read it. You may have convinced me to grind the chip off my shoulder and reread it someday.
Thank you so much for that. Really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy Middlemarch! And I can understand why Name of the Rose might not have been a fave, who knows maybe that'll change on a reread 😊 thanks again!
New here! AJ Dunn mentioned you. Your humor is fantastic. The Name of the Rose really made the rounds on Booktube this year. Beloved and Middlemarch are on my TBR for 2022. Great Circle is another I’d love to tackle. What an amazing list you have! Glad that a few of my upcoming reads made your top favorites. ☺️
Thanks for watching! Really recommend Great Circle its fabulous 😃
Brilliant intro. I think A Midsummer Nights Dream is my fav Shakespeare, wish we could have seen you in it. Your Dorothea impression made me giggle a lot. I want to start Toni Morrison from the beginning. Maybe this year! Would also love to read the Nervous Conditions trilogy too. I also want to try and go back to Great Circle as I wasn’t in the mood for it when I tried it in December just knew it wasn’t the right time. Glad you loved it.
I'd love to get to all of Morrison at some point. She's phenomenal! And the nervous conditions trilogy can be gruelling but ultimately I think it's worth it! And thank you 😊
and i hope you get case in middlemarch..but not as dorothea or causabon...happy new year and am adding 'what you can see from here to my tbr.
Yey! Hope you like it. And thanks haha 😄
Thanks, Ben, and a belated happy new year to you too! (I discovered your channel only yesterday)I love Middlemarch and I have now The Mill on the Floss on my TBR for 2022. I’ve recently read Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen, which is part of a trilogy with the … Causobonish… title A Key to All Mythologies. As to Eco’s novels, if you wish to find out more about how he does it, I think he’s putting into practice his recipe for the perfect novel which he talks about in his Harvard lectures, published as Six Walks in the Fictional Woods.
Thanks so much! Will check out those Eco lectures they sound fascinating!
I’m usually a lurker, but just wanted to say thank you for making your videos! They are always a delight :) I think you’ve finally pushed me to pick up Beloved this year! And maybe Middlemarch as well, though I’m still feeling a bit intimidated by that one :D Happy new year!
No such thing as a lurker on my channel, I'm really grateful to anyone watching so thank YOU so much! Beloved is brutal but really amazing! And once you get going with Middlemarch it's really fabulous. Happy New year!! Thanks again! ☺
I took Middlemarch on holiday one year, with plenty of relaxation time to get into it and it completely paid off. I devoured it in three days, just couldn't stop reading it. For me, it's Eliot's masterpiece, and, unexpectedly it got more bursts of laughter from me than from books that are supposed to be funny. That's because Eliot's wicked dissections of human foibles are so witty. Read it as Dorothea Brooke being a sly stand-in for Eliot herself and you will get even more pleasure from the book. One of my all time favourite classics.
Here's to another great year of your videos, Ben! 🥳
Thanks so much 🥰 and here's to you too, may our tudor reads this year be head choppingly good 😄
I love your channel and your humour 😅
Thanks so much ☺
Fred Vincy and Mary Garth are relationship goals. I really want to read _Parable of the Sower._ I'm reading _Kindred_ this year, my first by Butler. I hear only great things about her.
Fred + Mary 4eva! Parable of the Sower was the most disturbing book I read last year (and I read Story of the Eye 😄)
@@somebenfen You had me at "disturbing."
Beloved is phenomenal. You've tempted me to watch a production of Midsummer Night's Dream. The Parable of the Sower is on my radar, I read Bloodchild last year. Interesting selection for your top 12.
Thanks for watching! I'll have a look at bloodchild I'm interested to check out more Butler :)
@@somebenfen I've added The Great Circle to my ever growing "Want to Read" list. .on your recommendation.
@@jimsbooksreadingandstuff it's a goodun!
Great list! Ranking is so hard. I like publication order. Middlemarch is HUGE. I was just happy to finish it. Beloved is everywhere right now. I do want to read it. Parable of the Sower is on my TBR too. 😊💙
I didn't realise so many people were reading Beloved till I saw it pop up in loads of top lists! Thanks for watching! :)
Great mix of books here, some of my favourites of the year too, especially Beloved. Morrison and James Baldwin were highlights for me.
Thanks for your videos throughout the year, one of my Booktube highlights for sure! Hope you have a healthy and happy 2022 and a year filled with great reads too!
Thanks so much! Hope you had a good new year too. And glad you liked Beloved as much as I did!
Thank you so much for sharing these! My copy of "No one is talking about this" is on its way, and the fact that it made it to your top of the year is super exciting. And your thoughts on Galgut chime with mine almost word for word... Also, you really inspire me to try and finally tackle classics, so "Middlemarch" is definitely going on my TBR) Thank you once again so much for keeping us posted on your reading, your videos are an absolute joy. Have a great 2022 in books and in life!
What a lovely message, thank you! Once you get into Middlemarch it's really fabulous, I hope you get to read it soon! Happy New year!! 😊
@@somebenfen, already 4 hours into the audiobook, and I'll be honest - it's going much easier than I expected! Read "Jane Eyre" recently on audio too (following in your footsteps as well), that one was much tougher... But "Middlemarch" is a pleasant surprise so far, so thank you thank you thank you for being my classics guru!)
I've just finished Kindred by Octavia Butler. It was my first of hers and it was fantastic. Beloved is on my TBR for Feb. I really can't believe I haven't read it yet. Completely agree on your recommendation for Detransition, Baby but I just couldn't handle No One is Talking About This...:( I really want to read The Promise now given what you've said about it!
I need to read Kindred! And yeah, you are certainly not alone with NOITAT haha so that's understandable 😄 Thanks for watching!
That was a beautifully considered summary of your books of the year Ben. I am currently reading the Name of the Rose and am really enjoying it but its taking me ages with so much to take in and think about. It is not an easy read.
Last year I read War and Peace at a chapter a day and felt so proud and please when I completed it the other day. I really revelled in my achievement. I think (think!) I will join the Middlemarch year long read for 2022. Then again….. maybe ill just read it.
Happy new year and all that and thanks.
I'm slowly getting through War and Peace now... about 500 pages in. Will see how that goes. Reading Middlemarch over a year sounds really nice, I hope you enjoy it! And thank you 😊
Echo Raleigh’s comment, Echo! I also want to thank you for sharing your reading, and for your innate sense of fun and joy in your reading. Really enjoy your videos and your bear(s) did an excellent job with the wrap up 😀. Happy New Year! Hope this year holds many delights for you.
Aww thank you so much! Really appreciate it. Happy New Year to you too! ☺☺
I am also usually a lurker, and I too, have been pushed to get Middlemarch off the shelf (again) and this time to actually read it. Beloved has come up about 3-4 times thus far in my reviews of either favorites or TBR's for this year..... hummm, I will have to break down and actually purchase it I guess!! Thanks so much for your thoughts and your suggestions and BTW I am a new subscriber so we shall chat again I am sure as I pop in and out.
Thanks so much for watching and subbing! Really appreciate it. I hope you get to Beloved I think it's phenomenal. :)
i love the intro!😂🐻
Thanks haha 😄
Ok but that intro was EPIC 🐻❤️
The Name of the Rose has been on my Want to Read List forever! It’s actually one of the books I mentioned in my Mookes and Gripes Book Bucket List video, I might bump it up in my priorities after seeing it on your favorites list!
I also really want to get to Open Water and No One is Taking About This. Great Circle wasn’t on my list until I saw Erik Karl Andersen’s review and he got me to want to read it, and now it’s on your favorites!
Name of the Rose is a corker! And yeah Great Circle is so worth it. Its long but it's just really well done. And def get to Open Water if you can I loved it ☺
@@somebenfen I hope I get to it I’m excited to read it!
Another great, enjoyable video, Ben! Thank you so much for helping us laugh and get through a hard year.
Thanks so much Gail! Hope you had a good new year :)
Love both your thoughts on the books and the way you present them! Thank you for your content. All the best for 2022!
Thanks so much ☺ hope you had a good new year!
I also really liked What You Can See From Here... but I think you're the only other person I know who's even heard of it, much less read it. I bought a friend a copy for Xmas! Hope more people discover it
It's weird! It says international bestseller on the front and I thought it would be one people really picked up but obvs not. Glad you liked it too though!
Happy New Year!!!
Thank you! Happy New year to you ☺ ✨
Query, ever read sci-fi or adventure classics? Thinking of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Rice Burroughs, etc.
I recently read Treasure Island and Around the World in 80 Days. I should get to a H g Wells at some point too. :)
@@somebenfen I liked The Invisible Man more than The Time Machine. I want to start The War of the Worlds this year. I like that his novels are short and quick reads, too. Love Treasure Island, one of my favorites.
I am tempted to try The Name of The Rose after hearing you talk about it.
I am waiting on Detransition Baby and Open Water from the library so I am interested to hear they made your top list.
Name of the Rose is awesome! DB is... a lot haha I hope you'll enjoy Open Water I think it's really gorgeous :)
Could I tempt you even further? The Name of the Rose combines a cracking yarn with pages of erudition that I found thought-provoking and stimulating, and as a sort of primer to lead you to investigate the fascinating historical backdrop to the story, it's ideal. I read it when it was first published and it still resonates to this day.
@@tonybennett4159 I am sold! 😊
Destransition, Baby was my book of the year - it's probably quite marmitey but I loved it!
@@judegrindvoll8467 I read Detransition Baby recently and it was amazing, a 5 star read!
didnt expect eco to make the list :-D wasnt that impressed with kindred tbh but i still want to read sower
have detransition lined up here for january, havent heard anybody who didnt like it
great selection!
Parable is pretty horrific in places haha enjoy! DB is really awesome too will be very interested to hear what you think....
Parable of the sower still holds as my favorite book (duology) unparalleled!! ⚡️
Just found you and Teddy! You’re definitely an actor!! Haha I come from actors,artists and musicians. Grand upbringing for a child! Come back soon and bring Teddy!! Happy New Year 🎆
Haha thanks! Happy new year to you too! 😄😄
I would never have gotten through Middlemarch if I hadn’t read the Norton Critical Edition. It just helped me so much. Funnily enough, what spurred me to read it was because I heard that the BBC was going to do a miniseries. Which I never got around to watching!
Fun list - great video - you are enticing me to read Open Water!
ha - if only the judges had chosen chaos! (I do want to read No One is Talking About This) :)
Happy New Year and May all your dreams come true too :D
Haha thank you! It was a very well mannered booker season this year, I think I just wanted a bit of controversy haha Happy new year! 😀
A slowburger 😁 I am going to read Middlemarch in February!
I hope you like it! 🍔
Happy New Year, Ben! What a great reading journey you've had in 2021! Thanks for making me ugly laugh, and for your insightful critiques. GAAAH goddamn Middlemarch....I need to finish that...Might help if you make a compilation vid of Casaubon quotes.... Much appreciated. LOL
Happy new year Sun! Great to hear from you, I've just seen you have a new vid FINALLY 😄 I will get on that Casaubon vid for you pronto haha
I’ve really enjoyed watching your posts this past year. Wishing you health and happiness in 2011!
Thank you so much! Happy New year!
Well, if the Peacekeeper bear doesn't introduce all of your videos from now on... 😆
Noted... 😄🐻
what you can see from here sounds intriguing....also i need to read great circle
I'd thoroughly recommend both! :D
The Name of the Rose is one of my all-time favorites! I went into it completely blind, but it really was exciting....and challenging to read! The relationship between Adso and William was one of the best mentor mentee relationships that I've read. It's nice to see a mix of classics and new releases! Thank you!
Thanks for watching! I need to read more Eco definitely
Hah, love this. Epic.I’m doing chronological as well. I mean, they’re all my favourites… why would you make me choose which of my children is my favourite you torch wielding peasants!
Strangely, I remember loving Beloved, but not any granularity about whhhhy lol but it has been a bit. And I think I’ll be tackling Middlemarch this year. Everyone keeps telling me how incredible Eliot is and I need to see for myself now. Annnnd audible plus came to Canada so I have like hundreds of classics to choose from for free all of a sudden.
Parable of the Sower was so good. My Monticello of this year made me think about it a lot.
Loved Detransition, Baby too. Open Water is waitlisted to hell here still. I’ll be getting to it some day.
😄 I rrally hope you enjoy Middlemarch, it is long but I think its definitely worth it. Glad you liked DB too!
I'm reading Middlematch now
Hope you enjoy!
Until 2021, I would not have considered myself a book crier. I cried over about 10 books… so _Open Water_ eh? 🥺
Yeah open water got me!