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

Not much to say about this week. We got free lunch and breakfast twice at work, but my favorite thing was the extra jeans day we had to celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl win. I work close to Philly, so it was a big deal. I was happy that they were happy.

I am so jealous of everyone at ALA. I hope to someday attend, but both locations this year were too far for me. *sad face* They are giving out some awesome books. So, if you were there, you were terribly lucky.

BUT, WLABB finally reached 400 followers on Bloglovin'. I was really happy about that.

Riveted has been revealing covers for later 2018 Simon Teen releases, and I know I was excited. And then there was this awesome announcement:

So thrilled to share that The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik has been optioned for film by Paramount! #noahhypnotik https://t.co/fdm3AECvk8

— David Arnold (@roofbeam) February 9, 2018

And if you're interested, you can read an excerpt for Love & Luck

Love & Luck: Check out an exclusive excerpt of the Love & Gelato sequel https://t.co/6Xgdn6uwRu

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) February 9, 2018

And did you see this!!!!

Hello.

(out 3/1). pic.twitter.com/Duer2JAy6U

— Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater) February 8, 2018

Yeah, I am 28 years old based on this quiz (I am totally not 28), which guesses your age based on your taste in books.

On the Blog:

• Monday: Review - Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - Why are you still here?
• Wednesday: Can't-Wait Wednesday - Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn
• Thursday: Discussion - Is it fair to compare?
• Friday: In a Nutshell Reviews - You Bring the Distant Near, #Prettyboy Must Die, Allegedly 

STACKING THE SHELVES

There were a LOT of really good sales this week, so I nabbed to Swoon Reads titles and the next Game On book. My free romance read this month is a Penny Reid book, and since I have been skipping around the series, I hadn't read this one yet, so I was excited.

Bought/Free

• Romeo & What's Her Name by Shani Petroff
• Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
• The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan
• Friends Without Benefits by Penny Reid (free)

My streak continues! I got approved for another one of my Can't-Wait Wednesday picks. I am sticking with my theory, that you ask and the universe answers. I got a ton of great romance this week too, and it seems appropriate as this is the month of love. Is anyone else getting "wish" books they didn't wish for? I know, at times, I can click a lot on NG, but it just doesn't sound like the kind of book I would read. I don't know.

ARCs

• Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
• Making Up by Lucy Parker
• Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemon
• The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R. Shrum
• Relative Strangers by Paula Garner
• The Love Coupon by Ainslie Paton

My two Goodreads giveaway books came this week. Both look great, but I am most excited about Kissing Games, because I had read and loved the first book so much. The print is painfully small in this book, so I may have to suck it up and wear my reading glasses. 🙄

Won

• Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson
• Kissing Games by Tara Eglington

A post shared by Sam Kozbial (@kozbisa) on Feb 10, 2018 at 5:24am PST

What I Read Last Week

I went hard on the audiobooks this week. All three were so much fun, I just found myself listening to them for longer and longer periods of time. A nice mix of books this week, but my favorite was an oldie: Flipped.

• After the Kiss by Lauren Layne (audiobook): I have had a lot of success with Lauren Layne books, and I absolutely loved this one too. I laughed so much, and absolutely adored these two together. I will definitely continue this series. ★★★★
• Flipped by Wendell Van Draanen: This book was really popular when my daughter was in middle school, and I am sure we owned it at one point, but I had never read it. Well, I am glad I finally did, because this was all sorts of wonderful adorableness. It was a total feel-fest, and I was able to forgive the ending, because the rest of the book was so fabulous. I am going to be watching the film though, because I know they will give me a real ending. ★★★★ 1/2
• Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson (audiobook): I have read quite a few Gibson books, but only one from this series. After seeing Nereyda talking about this book, I thought I would give it a try. It was like a check list of things I love - hockey, second chance romance, cute little kid. This winning combination had me smiling and laughing and there was a bunch of swooning too. ★★★★
• Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella: I am a total Kinsella fangirl, and was very excited to read this book. I can say, she did not disappoint me. This book had a lot of Kinsella's signature elements: humor, warmth, quirky characters, but it was also a little heavier than her other books, which, well surprised me. In the end, I was left with a smile and warm heart, so, Kinsella did her job. ★★★★ 
• Dear Isaac Newton, You're Ruining My Life by Rachel Hruza: This was a charming middle grades tale about a girl who's life was thrown out of balance, when she had to start wearing a back brace. Keeping this secret took it's toll on her, but it also helped her grow and see people and herself in a new way. ★★★ 1/2
• Reed by Sawyer Bennett (audiobook): I love me some Cold Fury men, and this one was such a delight. I think this was the lowest drama Cold Fury book ever. It was mostly fun and sexy and I absolutely love the hero and heroine. I liked the BIG way Bennett introduced the next book in the series too. I am so ready for Marek's story. ★★★★
• Dealing Double by Tamra Baumann: Baumann always delivers a good rom-com. This one made me smile and laugh, and I was really happy to see Jake get his HEA. ★★★★
• The Precious Dreadful by Steven Parlato: I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one, but I enjoyed what I got. This was a mystery with a paranormal touch, but what really won me over was the main character, Teddi. I immediately fell in love with her, and was totally invested in her story's outcome. ★★★★

What I Am Currently Reading

I am currently reading a #2017Throwback book, Moxie. This was one of my anticipated reads last year, and I am happy to finally be getting to it. I am in the middle of listening to another Rachel Gibson book. Me + Hockey + Romance is always good.

• Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
• See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

What I Plan to Read

I am really excited to finally read Flight Season. Marquardt bowled me over with The Radius of Us and I am excited to see what she has in store for me in her new book. I am hearing a lot of great buzz for Where I Live and that has me thinking it will be a fabulous read for me.

• This Tiny Perfect World by Lauren Gibaldi
• Flight Season by Marie Marquardt
• This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter
• Where I Live by Brenda Ruffler

How was your week?

Let us know in the comments!