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
This week was so odd. The days seemed so long, but the week seemed so short. I have no idea how else to describe this phenomena, but every day, I woke up thinking it was a different day. I don't know, the weather has been nice and brisk though, and I am loving wearing my sweaters again.
I booked my vacation for next year. I know, crazy, but I always need that next vacation to look forward to after the last one has ended. We will be going on a Rhine riverboat cruise with Adventures by Disney. This will be my 4th Adventure, and I have to tell you, I have no regrets. All my trips were wonderful, and I didn't have to plan a thing, which is really what I love the most about it. The cruise sounds fantastic, and I am excited, because it will bring us to my father's hometown, Mannheim. I was there back in 1990, but didn't see much, since I stayed with family. Now, the loooong countdown begins.
My company did a fun little fall event the other day. I am not much of a sports fan, but they had an Eagles player there, and I could not get over how massive those Super Bowl rings are. There was also snacks, which is what I was there for. You know, good times.
You know they are just too cute!
Jogging tym..🤗 pic.twitter.com/dGSx05aixu— Animal Doing Jobs (@DoingJobs) October 18, 2019
I have seen several of these around, but this dog really took it next level.
"Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play?"#HorrorFam pic.twitter.com/YUeUHgC1zg— Eric Weiss 🤘💀 (@ZombieRiot) October 18, 2019
I know it was wrong, but I couldn't hold the laugh in.
Following your application for the position of Branch Manager, I regret to inform you that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful.— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) October 18, 2019
📹: https://t.co/h0fWmlc91x pic.twitter.com/DIAJj6TNDX
Let's Discuss!
- Sophie had me chuckling with her post on what to expect if you date a reader
- Margaret talked about recommending books with low Goodreads ratings
- Mandy and Sha shared their thoughts on how to live like a YA fantasy protagonist
On the Blog:
- Monday: #AmReading YA - Sick Kids in Love, Scars Like Wings
- Tuesday: TTT - Fall for Football
- Wednesday: CWW - One of Us is Next, Girl Against the Universe
- Thursday: Nutshell Reviews - Lifestyles of Gods & Monsters, I'll Meet You There
- Friday: Discussion - That Rubs Me the Wrong Way
So, uh, Macmillan did an EW drop, and I couldn't help myself. SOOOOO many good books, BUT I did show some restraint. Really, I did!
Edelweiss/NetGalley
- A Breath Too Late by Rocky Callen
- Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington
- Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggeman
- Anna K.: A Love Story by Jenny Lee
- It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood
- Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson
- The Love Playbook by Suze Winegardner
- Yours in Scandal by Lauren Layne
- This Train is Being Held by Ismée Amiel Williams
- The Bookworm Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts
What I Read Last Week
My #ReadForGrace TBR was all sorts of wonderful (first five books below). I am glad Lauren organized this event to honor Grace's memory, and I am happy I made it a week-long event for myself. Grace had such great taste in books, because seriously! Look at all those stars! I am really excited that two of those books (The Simple Wild, The Start of Me and You) have sequels coming early next year, because I want to continue those stories so badly. What a gift!
Books
- The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord - ★★★★★
- What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker - ★★★★★
- Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes - ★★★★★
- Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Keneally - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Love Playbook by Suze Winegardner - ★★★★
- Playing with Fire by Kate Meader - ★★★★ review
- Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton, Nina Bocci - ★★★★ 1/2 review
What I Am Currently Reading
- The Bookworm Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts
- Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid (audiobook)
What I Plan to Read
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
- Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
- Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin
- The Truth About Happily Ever After by Karole Cozzo
How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
Awesome haul this week, Sam! So many great-looking books :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll be on track with days next week - it really is weird when we think it's another day than it really is - the whole week becomes unbalances somehow.
Your vacation next year sounds fantastic! We're actually planning our vacation for next year, too, and while we've made decisions, we haven't paid for anything yet.
Have a wonderful week ahead and happy reading.
Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
My yearly vacation is something I always look forward to, and I need that motivation. It's good my daughter and I decided on our trip early. Now, I can stress about the plane tickets and obsessively watch those prices.
DeleteSweater weather... jealous! :) The Disney Adventure cruise sounds fabulous. We're actually in the process of renewing our passports right now so some international travel could be on the horizon. I have What to Say Next and need to pick it up soon. And The Simple Wild... so much love for that one. And beyond thrilled that Tucker is giving us more Calla and Jonah!
ReplyDeleteThe kid wanted to go abroad, and we got a great deal on the trip, but the airfares may kill me. So expensive, and even higher because we will fly in and out of different cities. I cannot wait to get more Calla and Jonah. The Simple Wild had that romance element, but it felt more women's fiction to me, because the focus was more on Calla and her working through her feelings about her father. Those two were fire, and I can't wait for a book dedicated to their romance.
DeleteHave fun on your vacation! So I just went to EW and requested a few 😁🙈
ReplyDeleteWasn't TSW so wonderful!!!
So happy you enjoyed Roman Crazy! Can't wait to see what you think of The Bookworm Crush.
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters
The Simple Wild was as good as everyone said it was. So glad I finally read it! Roman Crazy was the perfect combination of fun, funny, swoony, and touching. I liked it a lot. Bookworm is cute, so far. Definitely written for readers to enjoy with all the book references
DeleteYour upcoming Disney adventure sounds amazing too. I've always heard great things about their vacations but have yet to try one. Wow, what a great book haul! I see several titles on there that I'll be anxiously awaiting your reviews on, especially The Bookworm Crush and It Sounded Better in My Head. Hope you have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteTheir Adventures are amazing. They are not cheap, but you stay in high end accommodations and everything is planned for you. I did London, Paris, Ireland, and Southern California via Adventures by Disney and the trips were amazing. It's hard to resist the pre-approvals, but I tried not to go nuts.
DeleteOur temps are finally nearing sweater weather too! I am loving it! I love fall! I feel like every week I'm not entirely sure what day it is, any day but Friday apparently! Lol. Then the weekend just flies by and we're back to Monday. Sigh... But fun for a new vacation already planned! I'm looking forward to a mini one in three-ish weeks, but then I'm back to needing something! Lol.
ReplyDeleteNice new reads! All new to me ones but I hope you enjoy them all!
Here's my StS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Fall is really the best. When I hear people complaining, I give them the evil eye. I could do this weather all year long. I only go on one vacation a year, so I need for it to be wonderful. It keeps me going, when I am in the blahs.
DeleteHa! Good to know that what interests you at a sport event are the snacks Sam! :-D)))) Thanks for the feature!!! And now I have to read The Simple Wild before the end of the year!
ReplyDeleteThe Simple Wild was SOOOOOO good. I was worried, you know, because of all the hype, but I really loved the story, and I cannot wait to get the romance focused book, because Calla and Jonah were fantastic together. BTW, every event is sort of about the snacks. I skipped our town hall the other day, because I was having tech issues, and I was mad, because I found out they served snacks. Figures, the first one I miss, and there were snacks. *sad face*
DeleteI've always fancied a Rhine cruise! I'll remind you to take plenty photos a bit nearer the time!
ReplyDeleteI have never been on a river cruise, but my daughter wanted to go abroad, and I thought it was a nice compromise.
DeleteGreat books.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
i must confess, i nost look forward to the videos. :-)
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Glad you enjoy them!
DeleteGreat haul this week! I'm loving the sweaters and long sleeves myself!
ReplyDeleteI regret getting rid of some of my favorite sweaters, when I lived in FL, since now I like big sweaters again.
DeleteYour next trip sounds amazing! I want to go on more cruises, but I'm afraid of getting seasick again - although I don't think that's a problem for river cruises! I'm like you, I'm always looking forward to my next vacation!
ReplyDeleteThe Caribbean was calm. The North Atlantic, not so much. I actually did talk to the vacation planner about that, and she said the rivers are much calmer.
DeleteLet me know how the audio for Playing with Fire is! I'm so bummed that I wasn't able to participate in ReadforGrace, my week was all kinds of crazy. Where your week was short but they days were long, everything was short for me! I think it was because I had some sort of nighttime activity planned for every day of the week.
ReplyDeleteI know you're going to enjoy your next vacation cruise!
(Amber Elise @ Du Livre)
You can always just ReadForGrace whenever. I know it was a one day event, which I turned into a week, so, you can do your own thing too. The audio for Playing with Fire was good, and I generally liked the story. I just thought there was more sex than story, which I guess is something Meader has moved away from, because I don't feel that way about her more recent books. I did enjoy the characters and I will read/listen to more of the books in this series.
DeleteIt is nice to have another vacation to look forward to. At least with the long wait you have ample time to plan out all the sights you'd like to see. Maybe the week felt odd because it doesn't get light until so late now? I find that's really disorienting for me.
ReplyDeleteThe Bookworm Crush looks cute! I'm off to look it up. :)
I actually don't have to plan ANYTHING. Adventures by Disney takes care of all the arrangements. It's wonderful! I just have to watch the airfares. They are sky high right now.
DeleteAlways best to plan those vacations so you can survive work. I always hated coming back from Christmas break and looking at the calendar and thinking I have six months until vacation. At least now at the school I have al these little holidays off so it’s so much easier. You read so many good books last week, I adored the Paula Stokes the Miranda Keneally, The Simple Wild and Roman Crazy. Glad you did too. The Book Crush looks super cute.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching, those long breaks were tough to return from, but now, I just have my vacation time, which I can take WHENEVER I please (sort of). I love that more than the whole summer off I used to have. Grace had a ton of books from my TBR on her read-shelf, and I went for the highly rated titles, which were good bets, because I essentially loved every book I read this week.
DeleteI bet the marching band/ color guard event was amazing. I remember being in marching band back in the day! This time of year is pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteI never did marching bank, but I volunteered to carry the OWLS sign, because I wanted to got to all the away games.
DeleteI definitely think looking forward to the next vacation helps us gt through another year of work! I can certainly relate, anyway, haha. And a Rhine cruise sounds fabulous. I have heard Disney really does their cruises right.
ReplyDeleteOh that last video- yeah I chuckled too even though I felt bad for the poor little guy. :) I mean, we've all been there right lol?
I love that cover of crying Laughing!
The river cruise will be different from my past cruises, because this is not a Disney boat. They rent the whole boat out for the tour, and we travel with 8 adventure guides, but Micky won't be coming to dinner on this cruise.
DeleteFirst of all, I love looking at the books in your Edelweiss/Netgally section. It's full of purple, pink and blue 💜💖💙
ReplyDeleteYOU DESERVE A VACATION!! I'm excited for you on this cruise! We all wanna reward ourselves from time to time. And Disney! Just imagining it is already magical.
They really are a beautiful bunch of covers, and I am excited to read them all. My yearly vacation is my oxygen, but next year's will be nice, because I don't really have to plan anything, I just have to make the payments. LOL
DeleteI'm the person that always has to have something to look forward to - big or small, so I get what you mean about planning a vacation for next year. It sounds like it will be tons of fun.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
Something short term is always good, but that big vacation is my reward for making it through the year.
DeleteI know what you mean about not knowing what day it is. LOL The cruise sounds like it will be a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a long way off, but I am really excited to visit Europe again.
DeleteWow! It is great that you have your next vacation already planned. Sounds like a lot of fun! I am also enjoying the fall weather. We had a little bit of winter feel but the fall temps have overall been great. I am so glad you were able to read so many of Grace's favorites. Enjoy all of those lovely new books!
ReplyDeleteWe are always scheming on the next vacation, while we are still on our current vacation. You get deals, if you book while on the ship. So, we were a little bit motivated by that too.
DeleteI know exactly what you mean about long days and a short week! I have had that feeling so many times before where I've been complaining with my colleagues about how a day has dragged but we arrive at Friday and we're all surprised at where the week has gone. Weird feeling but I feel validated now someone else has said something similar.
ReplyDeleteNo shame in booking your holiday for next year, we all need something to look forward to. I'm still trying to figure out where I want to go. I'm thinking a Europe beach holiday for 2020 but I'm not sure where I want to go. Youtube is also working at trying to convince me to take a trip alone but I just don't feel brave enough to be a solo traveller somewhere.
I don't even like going to the supermarket alone. My daughter goes to shows by herself all the time, and I say more power to her. I need someone there to hold my hand.
Delete"There was also snacks, which is what I was there for."
ReplyDeleteHaha! Confess, you had a good time PLUS snacks.
Booking a cruise for next year may be a bit crazy, but it's actually nice! One has something to look forward to during the long winter.
"SOOOOO many good books, BUT I did show some restraint. Really, I did!"
You did? Why am I counting TEN books then? LOL, just kidding.
No, really, it was all about the snacks. I didn't even wait on the line to meet the football player. By booking my trip in advance, I save $800. That will pay for part of my plane ticket (which is going to be way too much money). If you saw how many books I could have downloaded, these were all "green", I just had to click. I held back quite a bit. I am trying to limit my review books to 12 - 15 per month, and so far, I am doing ok with that for 2020.
DeleteIt's always so fun to plan ahead and get hyped for holidays! That always has me excited too and the cruise sounds so cool DD: I can't wait to hear about that too. Oh, and I hope you enjoy all of the new books you got too ^.^
ReplyDeleteI had to book early to get the deal, and it can get difficult reserving days off at work too. Fingers crossed the flight prices drop as the date gets closer, because they are ridiculous right now.
DeleteOooh, the new Disney Adventure sounds so good!! I hope you have an amazing time, because it sounds wonderful. And Love is for Losers sounds so so good, so I can't wait to see what you think of it. I'm checking out a few other books that you have listed on here too. And thank you so much for including our post, Sam!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe cover for Love is for Losers is so fabulous. I totally want to know that girl.
Delete