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
It's been so cold here, I have been working while swaddled in my electric blanket. I think we had a high of 20°F, but the wind was rattling my windows. Brrrrr! I heard there's a storm coming this way too. It's amazing how unconcerned I am now that I don't have to worry about commuting.
I remember what I wanted to ask! When you get ARCs in protected PDF format, how do you read them? I used BlueFire reader on my Kindle Fire, but I just finished a book, where the text from the page with the graphic was missing. Essentially, the book was missing the beginning of every chapter. I wish Netgalley would put their app on Amazon, so I could download it. It would make this so much easier for me.
Let's Discuss!
On the Blog:
STACKING THE SHELVES
Bought
My book luck from last week continues! Lots of tears and feels, but also, lots of fun. Prepped was so wild. It's hard to imagine that people actually live like that. I wonder if I gave it short of the 5-stars because of my, ahem, reading experience (it was a pdf), but I hope I didn't.
I could watch this all day!! pic.twitter.com/p40dMza08D
— Nature & Animals🌴 (@AnimalsWorId) January 30, 2021
Let's Discuss!
- Heather found some fantastic covers for a sci-fi classic
- Krysta thinks these publishing trends need to be brought back
- Veronika talks about comfort characters
On the Blog:
- Monday: #AmReading YA - This Is Not the Jess Show, The Knockout
- Tuesday: TTT - Friends Forever?
- Wednesday: CWW - Float Plan, The Anti-Prom
- Thursday: Isn't It Romantic? - Much Ado About You, Make Up Break Up
STACKING THE SHELVES
- The Relationship Pact by Adriana Locke
- The Secret Recipe for Moving On by Karen Bischer
- People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
- Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle
- Happy Endings by Thien-Kim Lam
What I Read Last Week
Really solid audiobook week too. Both of Ney's books were lots of fun. Actually, I laughed a lot as I listened to all my audiobook, and then I shed a ton of tears listening to the Backman, but you know, that was expected.
Books
I love all the nods to The Breakfast Club in It Wasn't Me. Most notably was the locker scene. Hilarious! Really enjoying this one.
Books
- Some Other Now by Sarah Everett - ★★★★★
- Going Rogue by Robin Benway - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Relationship Pact by Adriana Locke - ★★★★ 1/2
- Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher - ★★★★★
- Prepped by Bethany Mangle - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald - ★★★ 1/2
- Hard Pass by Sara Ney - ★★★★
- Hard Fall by Sara Ney - ★★★★
- Sparks by Wendy Higgins - ★★★★
- Flirting with Forever by Cara Bastone - ★★★★
- And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman - ★★★★★
What I Am Currently Reading
I love all the nods to The Breakfast Club in It Wasn't Me. Most notably was the locker scene. Hilarious! Really enjoying this one.
- Like Home by Louisa Onome
- It Wasn't Me by Dana Alison Levy (audiobook)
What I Plan to Read
- Love at First by Kate Clayborn
- Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren
- Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon
- 52 Reasons to Hate My Father
How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
Isn't it funny how lack of commuting is such a game changer? I would hesitate to ever say there's a silver lining with something as horrible as Covid, but I am glad if we do have it that people can at least work from home. Some, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI don't much about the ARC's since I don't request or review many, but that's an interesting question. I've often wondered how some e-ARC's get to the Kindle but I haven't been motivated enough to find out. :)
Breakfast Club? Ears perk up. I'll have to check that one out!
I think I am one of the few, who has seen an increase in my quality of life during the pandemic. Not commuting has not only given me the gift of time, but there is so much less stress about the bus coming, the train being late, the weather trapping me 40 miles from home. I love working from home.
Delete20 degrees?? Ack! I was just bemoaning the fact that it's going to be 75 here today and I was wishing for colder weather, but yeah, I think I'll keep my 75 degrees. lol I don't think I've ever received an arc in pdf format. Sounds like a pain, though. I'm excited for Love at First. I actually won a physical copy and I hope to dive into it very soon.
ReplyDelete20 was the high, Tanya. It's in the teens in the morning. My sweet spot is 60 - 75. I don't get to enjoy those temperatures too often, but I like them. Heck, 40 - 50 without wind is ok too. I started Love at First this morning, and I am enjoying it. I hope you do too
DeleteI live near you and it's SOOOO cold. Friday was the worst. And then 10 inches of snow over the next few days.
ReplyDeleteWill you be able to keep working from home? I always have done so, and love it.
I think you can read PDFs using the iBooks app. Pretty sure that works for me. Yes, the iPad is heavier than a kindle but better than reading on the computer.
It's been brutal, but at least the wind died down this weekend. Do you think the snow will happen? I don't put too much faith in the weatherman. They always overhype the storms. I mean, I am not going out in it, and I have plenty of food, but I always cut the predictions in half. My WFH will end at some point *sad face* I am still holding out hope I can get another position. One I want is flexible about in/out of office, because it's all digital, but my actual job and the other one I interviewed for have in office requirements. I never replaced my iPad when it died, because I hardly used it, and when I priced the mini, I didn't think it was worth the money for how often I use my tablet. The fire isn't the worst, but like I said, they don't have good apps for reading the ASCM files. Thankfully, I don't get many in that format.
DeleteThat whole Gamestop thing was wild. Sorry to hear it ended your week on such an exhausting note though. For my .pdf ARCs, I had also been using the BlueFire reader until Netgalley released their own app. BlueFire was better than the Adobe one they used to recommend, but the Netgalley app is working much better for me. Glad to hear you had another winner with that Backman book. That's one I haven't read yet but I've loved all the others I've read so far.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could download the NG app to my fire. Are you reading it on your phone? I had to download Bluefire from a third party site as it was, because Amazon doesn't carry it, and I cannot download to my fire from my GooglePlay account. Why do they make everything so hard? Backman's stories are just so touching, and this short was heart wrenching and heartwarming.
DeleteYes, I've mostly been reading it on my phone. I'm not a fan of the app overall but for whatever reason, the .pdfs seem to work better with it than with anything else I've tried. I've downloaded the app on my iPad but haven't been approved for anything that was only in .pdf format to test it out.
DeleteGold star for that. I can't read on my phone. I found a hack today and installed playstore on my Fire. If I get anymore pdfs, I am ready to read them with the NG app
DeleteIt’s been cold and snowing here too! I’m always happy for an excuse to stay inside and read. I’m glad you liked Amelia Unabridged and Prepped. They’re both on my bookish radar.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I know you were probably out there running anyway. I think you would really like Prepped. All the doomsday stuff was wild, but there was a lot of humor in the story too
DeleteI'm not sure I've had that issue with digital ARCs. I know sometimes formatting gets wonky but I don't think I've had it where text is missing or left out. That's bizarre.
ReplyDeleteNice new reads! Those are new to me ones but I hope you enjoy them all!
Thanks for visiting my StS!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I only had a problem with PDF format, not mobi
DeleteLooks like you had a great week and its incredible that we are finally at the end of January ---it felt like a long month.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you liked those Sara Ney books, I have enjoyed what I have read from her so far.
Ney's books were really fun. I had read other books by her, but these were an even better experience for me. I am really enjoying this series.
DeleteSorry the Game Stop thing made work crazy for you!
ReplyDeleteI have the NetGalley app, so that's the way I read those ARCs---wish I had some advice for you.
Oh, and your videos totally made me laugh this week! I actually just a few minutes ago added a video to my Sunday Post of Digit catching snow. It's just from my Ring camera, so not nearly as cool of a video as the dogs with the balloon, but it still makes me smile!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
We will be cleaning up that market mess for the next week or so. Hey, I like being busy, so not the worst thing. I searched and found a hack today. I now have the NG app on my Fire.
DeleteI think I have only had a protected PDF ARC once and I read it on an adobe app (adobe books I think...). The video with the pitbulls and the ball is just too adorable!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how people read on their computers and phones. I cannot do it. I found a hack (a bit too late), and I now have the NG app on my Fire (though I hope to not need to use it)
DeleteI too use a blanket to work now that its' winter Sam! And these dogs are amazing! I don't know if they were trained or if it comes naturally but, damn!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it was so cold in the office, I wish I had a heated blanket.
DeleteI'm so happy you get to avoid that freezing weather in your commute! At least there's been one positive to Covid, right?
ReplyDeleteHope you love the new Roni Loren! :)
Work from home has been amazing. I am sad I cannot find a full time WFH job. I love it.
DeleteAt least you can get cozy! Who knows would have happened with your usual commutes. The train could have gotten frozen on the tracks LOL.
ReplyDeleteI got stuck for over 3.5 hours one time when there was "weather". That's why I started saving my sick/personal days for the winter.
DeleteOMG, it has been SO COLD! I had to turn the heat up in my home office on Friday and was still wrapped in a blanket. Looks like we're going to get quite a bit of snow!
ReplyDeleteI never believe the snow hype. We are stocked, but we didn't go nuts. Hope you stay safe and warm
DeleteI like following financial news. I had a good time following everything going on with GameStop but I didn't have to deal with it like you did. PDFs are not any fun to read. I hope you enjoy your new books and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteWe watched this video on the GameStop thing. It was actually interesting, but it caused some interesting problems.
DeleteWe picked up our standard poodle puppy yesterday, so this week is shaping up to be a fun one. Thankfully we are both working from home, so this will make training a bit easier. As far as the pdf, I've never had a good experience trying to read them other than on my iPad which I honestly prefer not to read on.
ReplyDeleteThe dog is lucky to have you two home all day. Those first few weeks are the toughest. Good luck with the training!
DeleteWe're just starting to get cold weather here. It's been a warm, rainy winter. I loved At First. I hope you do, too!
ReplyDeleteIt's so cold and there's so much snow outside. BRRRR. I just want to find that place that stays between 50 and 75 degrees during the day all year. Is that asking too much?
DeleteWe live on top of a few very steep hills and when they're icy it gets dangerous - so it's been nice that Kevin doesn't have to drive or worry about it too.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
Hills are my nightmare all the time, never mind when it's icy. My daughter did her undergrad in Syracuse, and I would almost be in tears when I visited in the winter. I mean, they have handrails on the sidewalks so the people can walk uphill in the winter.
DeleteI can't believe the first month is already behind us. 2020 was so slow I forgot how fast time flies.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I felt last year went fast. Hard to believe given that I never leave the house or really do anything, but it seems like yesterday I was leaving work for the last time.
DeleteIt Wasn't Me has such a fun cover!! Glad to hear you are enjoying it.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
The book was fabulous! The way the author used The Breakfast Club was brilliant. I loved it so much
DeleteI FORGOT YOU WORKED WITH THE MARKET. That must have been a lot. I hope to read Yes and I Love You soon!
ReplyDeleteYep, and I am working complaints, and there were many stemming for "the event". Yes & I Love You is really good so far. I hope you enjoy it when you read it.
DeleteThe GameStop stuff is crazy! Guess it's par for the course given how the past year has been...
ReplyDeleteThe Relationship Pact is one I'm curious about, I'm glad to see you liked it!
I have Love At First to read too and have high hopes for it.
My volumes were finally about normal today, but the last week has been a struggle. I loved The Relationship Pact. I am looking forward to reading the other two Kings of Football books. Love at First was wonderful and so heartwarming
Delete