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

Another month is the books! I am really looking forward to March. I am excited to finally see the Grand Canyon and to be reunited with my little Sloth after three months. We got our Adventure package, which one always gets close to departure. I am too lazy to take pictures, but Kiersten did (since she got her's first). The small white bag is what I like to call the COVID touch. It's contains masks, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and a digital thermometer. Good times! 

I think I was out more this week then I have been any other time in the past year. My sister's father-in-law passed away, so we had the wake on Thursday and burial on Friday. We were blessed with such a lovely day to say farewell. It was low 40s, and I was able to be at the service in a just a sweater. The melting snow made it a bit of mess and made it hard during the soil throwing part (it was really muddy), but I couldn't have asked for a better day in February. Then, Saturday, I did my weekly shopping. I think I am all worn out from three days outside in a row. 

I report to my new job Monday, which will be a mix of what I have been doing and some new stuff. There will be training and working on my open cases. It's weird leaving my old position, as it's been about a year since I performed those duties. I didn't really get to properly say goodbye either, but I feel a bit less guilt. I always felt a little bad that my team was in-office, while I was lucky enough to be accommodated for work from home. My team is currently all work from home, so I am not dealing with feeling like I am putting them out, you know? 

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Let's Discuss!

• Jen talks about social media and driving traffic to your blog
• Catherine wonders about the bad boy trope 
• Elley talks about romance sub-genres

On the Blog:

• Monday: #AmReading - Some Other Now, Love is for Losers
• Tuesday: TTT - Make 'Em Laugh!
• Wednesday: CWW - Where the Road Leads Us, Operation Prom Date
• Thursday: Review - Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard

STACKING THE SHELVES

I have been anticipating Jen Frederick's new book forEVER! It was delayed by a year, so getting that approval was really exciting. Having the new RLS book in my hot little hands was a thrill too. I mean, all S&S approvals are sort of exciting for me, because they are hit or miss. I also won a book of choice from Shannon and Nicole via the Discussion Challenge. It was wonderful surprise, and I am very grateful. Great week of new books!

Won

• The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

Edelweiss/NetGalley

• Made in Korea by Sarah Suk
• Heart & Seoul by Jen Frederick
• We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

What I Read Last Week

It wasn't a terrible reading week. I DNFed two audiobooks that just weren't working for me and set a books aside, as it was too dark. I was looking for a bit more uplifting, fun reads with the funeral and all. I could very well revisit it. 

The "best" for this week was the new Brown Sisters book. This didn't really surprise me, since the series has been a rock solid delight for me. What did surprise me was how much I enjoyed Ancestor Approved. Anthologies always tend to just be ok for me, but I really enjoyed this one. All the stories were tied together by the Pow Wow and included bits from the other authors stories, which was fun to look for. I didn't even feel like any of the stories were weak, which is something I usually find in a short story collection. There were some I would have loved to see fleshed out to full-length stories, but all were satisfying and I think really great for their target audience. 

Books

• With You All the Way by Cynthia Hand - ★★★★
• The Secret Recipe for Moving On by Karen Bischer - ★★★★
• Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert - ★★★★ 1/2
• Operation Prom Date by Cyndi Madsen - ★★★★
• Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith - ★★★★

Audiobooks

• Gray Hair Don't Care by Karen Booth - ★★★ 1/2
• Moonshot by Alessandra Torre - ★★★
• Only One Kiss by Natasha Madison - ★★★ 1/2

What I Am Currently Reading

I am just starting Five Ways as I write this, so I have exactly zero input at this time, but I am loving my Jenn Bennett book. Yep, it's the end of the month and I am out of borrows, so doing a re-listen of a book I loved, and yes, I still love it. 

• Five Ways to Fall Out of Love by Emily Martin
• Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (audiobook)

What I Plan to Read

• The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston 
• The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
• American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajukar
• You Were Made for Me by Jenna Guillaume

How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!