Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

My Week in Review

October is here, and we are enjoying fall weather again. *applause, applause* I am joyfully donning my sweaters, and sucking in all the autumnal perks. We had two anniversaries on my team, so free lunch and ice cream cake. That was a nice treat. The new season begins at the local theatre (Paper Mill Playhouse) we subscribe to, and I am going to see the Honeymooners: The Musical today. I loved the show so much, and am eager to see it in play form.

My birthday is this week, and as a rule, I never work on my birthday. So, I have a delicious day off this week. No train. No bus. No shuttle. I am very excited. I am also happy that the fall TV season began. New Grey's Anatomy and best of all, This Is Us is back in my life - oh how I've missed you. If you like family dramas, I highly recommend this show. It is packed with incredible characters, and the writers are brilliant! The way they lay out the story is so deliberate. Every week you are just sitting there, enjoying this wonderful show, and BAM! There is this reveal right at the very end that just leaves you in a state. I love the way it flips between past and present, with each vignette being an important moment one of the character's personal development. Fantastic show!

I was also pretty excited to see this announcement on Twitter:

This might be the most incredible news of my life. DOLLY PARTON IS WRITING ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR DUMPLIN'! https://t.co/MMFKEuqnT8

— Julie Murphy (@andimJULIE) September 28, 2017

September was a very good reading month. I read 27 books, and two were five star reads.

On the Blog:

• Monday: Review - The Date to Save by Stephanie Kate Strohm
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - Books Featuring Characters Who Share My Name
• Wednesday: Can't-Wait Wednesday - Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
• Thursday: In a Nutshell Reviews - Autoboyography, Approximately Yours, Speak Easy, Speak Love
• Friday: Discussion - Yea or Nay: Alternate Format Books

Stacking the Shelves

Bought

• The Lost & Found by Katrina Leno
• Girl Defective by Simmone Howell

ARCs

• The Female Persuasion by Meg Waltzer
• The Secrets We Bury by Stacie Ramey
• Layover by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer

Library

• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
• All He Wants for Christmas by Jill Shalvis

What I Read Last Week

I over indulged on romance again, but I sort of loved it. The best of the bunch was Haunting the Deep, which was one of my Can't-Wait Wednesday books, so I was glad it met my expectations.

• Salvaged by Jay Crownover: A solid finale for this series, which is bittersweet because I loved the world of the Marked Men and I will miss it. ★★★★
• After All by Karina Halle (audiobook): Although the beginning of this book is super heavy, the story was rather fun. I loved all the CW, Degrassi, and Canadian references, and there was even a reference to my favorite grand gesture prior to the hero's grand gesture. ★★★★
• Haunting the Deep by Adrianna Mather: I was not sure how Mather was going to continue this series, but she did so in a big way. I loved the way she blended the modern day Salem with the Titanic disaster. ★★★★ 1/2
• Just One of the Boys by Leah and Kate Rooper: This was so She's the Man, and I loved it! It was sweet and adorable, and I couldn't help but love Alice and Hayden. ★★★★
• The Victoria in My Head by Janelle Milanes: I loved the family dynamic and the friendships that played a huge role in Victoria's personal journey, and was so happy with the outcome. ★★★★
• Wanderlust by Roni Loren: What a fun rockstar romance! Aubrey and Lex had great chemistry and banter, and the epilogue was fantastic. ★★★★
• Holiday House Call by Jen Doyle: My love for Independence grows with each of these books. I love getting to know all the fine folks, who inhabit this town, and the more I learn, the more I want to live there. ★★★★

What I Am Currently Reading

I am more than halfway through each of these books, and I am really enjoying them both. Drag Teen is quite amusing, as expected, and I love that Self is the narrator. So far, I am in love with Top Ten. I have a thing for these boy/girl friendships, where there is pining and longing. And as we go through their top ten, we get their history, and you know I love history.

• Top Ten by Katie Cotugno
• Drag Teen by Jefferey Self

What I Plan to Read

A rather mixed bag on my TBR this week. I have a grief story, a fun satirical look at YA, a cancer story that will make me cry, and a heartfelt tale. Looking forward to the emotional roller coaster.

• Protected by Claire Zorn
• Brooding YA Hero by Carrie DiRisio
• A Messy, Beautiful Life by Sara Jade Allen
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

How was your week?

Let us know in the comments!