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
I never really do much except when she comes to visit. I wrote last week's post before we went to the mall. It was the first time I had been to the other mall I live near since before lockdown. First of all, it was PACKED! I guess I didn't anticipate how many people would wait until the last minute to buy their Mother's Day gifts. There were actual lines outside of stores. I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there. I did note all the stores that were gone and new ones that had opened. I visited Lush and picked up some bar shampoo and conditioner. They smell divine.
I had a very proud mother moment. The kid and the other two founding members of WLABB are going on a road trip to Ann Arbor. I wanted to make sure the song "Ann Arbour" made the playlist.
Let's Discuss!
- Shannon wants to know your thoughts on casual drug use in books
- Heather wonders what makes you pick up or avoid YA or MG books
- Veronika shares books featuring found families
On the Blog:
- Monday: #AmReading YA - Where the Rhythm Takes You, Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses
- Tuesday: TTT - Back to Nature
- Wednesday: CWW - XOXO, Forget Me Not
- Thursday: Blog Tour - People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
STACKING THE SHELVES
- The Rules for Breaking by Ashley Elston
- The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
- I Hate You More by Lucy Gilmore
- Witch Please by Ann Aguirre
What I Read Last Week
I had some highs and lows this week. One of my favorites of the week was Ciara Symth's upcoming release. I loved her debut and her follow up did not disappoint. I also loved my throwback book this week - Forget Me Not. I had a bit of a love/hate thing with the ending. I was really happy with where the main character was growth-wise, but I wanted a few things to have played out differently. Regardless, it was wonderful.
Books
- Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey - ★★★★
- Not My Problem by Ciara Symth - ★★★★ 1/2
- How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby - ★★★★
- Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry - ★★★★ 1/2
- Better Together by Christine Riccio - ★★★
- Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin - ★★★★
- The Temporary Roomie by Sarah Adams - ★★★ 1/2
What I Am Currently Reading
I am enjoying being back in the world of True North via Blindsided, and Finlay Donovan is a change of pace for me, but I thought - why not? It's pretty amusing so far, and I really do want Finlay to succeed just to prove something to that ex-husband of hers.
- Blindsided by Victoria Denault
- Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
What I Plan to Read
- Speak for Yourself by Lana Wood Johnson
- We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- The Lucky List by Rachael Lippencott
- Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid
How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
That's tough when kids leave. Hope you had a great visit. The mall thing- I definitely get that. It seems weird going back to shopping now! And all the stores that have gone out...
ReplyDeleteAnn Arbor! My neck of the woods. Well, we're a little ways away, but still... :) Hope they have a great trip!
You think I would be used to the leaving after all these years, but I'm not. My daughter is finally going to see the other side of the lake. I have only been to the airport in MI to catch a connecting flight, but I hope they enjoy the visit.
DeleteI'm not sure you ever get used to it... :)
DeleteNever, Greg. Never.
DeleteI know how you feel when kids leave--I feel sad and empty. Ann Arbor is only 20 minutes from my house. I hope your daughter enjoys her stay in Michigan.
ReplyDeleteI think they will have fun just being together. It's been a while since they have seen each other.
DeleteSorry for your double loss-daughter leaving and no cake is just a double whammy. Hopefully things are better soon.
ReplyDeleteWell, the cake is easy enough to fix 😆
DeleteYeah, I haven't been to a mall in ages. Probably since 2019. I used to go for Disney Store events but then Disney decided to take my store away from me for a second time in my life and my heart broke just as much as it did the first time. The mall of my childhood is all but gone. I think Macy's is still up and running but other than that it's empty except for a few oddball stores. The city is still trying to do something useful with it, but I haven't heard anything in awhile about their progress. I always prefer shopping in store vs online but it's looking like online shopping is going to be the only option soon.
ReplyDeleteNice new reads! Witch Please looks like a cute read! I might have to look into that one! I love a good witchy read! Hope you're enjoying Finlay Donovan is Killing It! that's in my TBR pile to read still.
Happy Reading!
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Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
The mall I am walking distance from is depressing. I usually on go there for food, since most of the stores I liked are gone. The one about 3 miles away is still growing strong though. There are some things I still like to buy in person, but the stores are closing left and right. It's depressing. I was pretty excited to see so many new witchy romances. Finlay Donovan is a bit outside my norm, but it's good so far.
DeleteI hope July gets here quickly! I really want to try bar shampoo. I know a lot of people love it, and it can’t make my hair look any worse than it does now. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
It's August, not July. So even longer to wait for yummy cake. I have tried three different brands of bar shampoo, and all worked well for me. Lush is nice, because it's zero packaging. The other two came in small cardboard boxes.
Delete"The cake she made is all gone too, so, double sadness."
ReplyDeleteLOL. July's not so far away though...more Kiersten, and I guess more cake!
"There were actual lines outside of stores. I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there."
I hope people don't start to get too careless just because they're vaccinated...
Roberta, I lied! My trips to Chicago are August and September. --sigh-- Gonna have to make my own cake for the 4th of July holiday. My state vaccination rate is a little higher than the national average in the US at about 44% (vs 37% avg), but there are a lot of people not returning for the second dose or not planning on getting vaccinated at all.
DeleteI can't imagine my daughter living so far away. That would be sad. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit, though!
ReplyDeleteThe kid went 5 hours away for undergrad, then to NC State for graduate school. She's been "gone" for all intents and purposes for over 8 years. I have no problem moving from NJ, but I don't really want to live in Chicago.
DeleteYay for road trips! My annual family trip to Branson is in a couple weeks and I usually drive on my own, but I look forward to the drive for uninterrupted audiobook listening! Yeah, people have been out in droves for the last month! You've got some good books. Beauty and the Mustache is one of my favorites! Of course anything by Penny Reid is a favorite I guess. Hope you have a good week!
ReplyDeleteLisa Loves Literature
I was looking at Branson, but not sure the kid would like it. She still wants to travel outside the US for our trip next year. Not sure how I feel about it right now. Reid's books are always fun.
DeleteIt's always sad when the kids leave especially as you don't see her very often Sam! Now on another note, I just ordered people We Meet on vacation after having read your review! And these groundhog (?) are so funny!
ReplyDeleteGAHHHHHHH! Sophie, I hope you love the book as much as I did. So wonderful! I am so excited for you to read it. I cannot believe that groundhog brawl. I was laughing so hard.
DeleteIt's sad going to our local mall and seeing how many empty stores there are!
ReplyDeleteI live between two malls, and one is doing much better than the other. A lot of stores closed at Woodbridge, but then they opened a Dave & Buster's and other event type places, which then took a hit during lockdown. The health of the mall affects my town, so I would love to see it doing well again.
DeleteI'm glad you and your daughter had a good visit and hope the time will fly between now and July so you can see her again soon. I haven't ventured to our local mall yet but just from reading the newspaper, I know a lot of stores are gone so it's going to be depressing when I do go. I don't know where I've been but somehow I didn't know that bar shampoo even existed. I really need to try some. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteSo, my plane ticket is for August, not July. Now I am more sad. I forget when I first read about bar shampoo, but I like it, and I know it's not major, but I can feel like I am doing my part a bit.
DeleteI haven't been to the mall in ages but I have been surprised by how crowded some of the stores that I have been in have been. It has to be hard living so far from your daughter. You should see if she can send you a cake :) I hope that you have a fantastic week!
ReplyDeleteIt was the day before Mother's Day. You know, last minute gifts. The Pandora line was so long and they set up a kiosk outside too.
DeleteI missed that the kiddo came to visit, what a nice Mother's Day treat! I haven't been to the mall yet, but the mall closest to our place is always packed, especially during Christmas. Our Target is attached to the mall so I always try to look through the connector to see how many people are there and it's always a decent number.
ReplyDeleteI hope there is more cake in your future!
Target attached to the mall - that a recipe for chaos. I really shouldn't even eat any cake, but it's a nice treat
DeleteGlad you had a nice visit, but I can imagine it would be hard to see your daughter leave!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
There were tears
DeleteOMG that hedgehog!!! So cute.
ReplyDeleteWe're opening up more this week here and I'm already getting anxiety over it. I'm lucky that I live in a smaller county so it's never too crowded as long as I get out early.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
His pictures are all that great. Flying was the most stressful for me, but I never really liked crowds to start with.
DeleteI'm glad you had a lovely visit with your daughter! July will be here before you know it so not too long until you see her again.
ReplyDeleteIt's very weird going out places and them being mobbed again... I wasn't a fan of super busy and crowded before covid and I'm hating it now... But I'm still grateful things are open again and life seems to be inching back to normalcy.
I actually won't see her until August, but then I will see her for three consecutive months. Same. I only like crowds at events (well, not like, but accept). I tend to do my shopping as soon as the stores open to beat the rush.
Delete