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
Happy Sunday! I am still recovering from my vacation. I forgot how hard international travel was. I am still trying to get my sleep schedule back on track. I was able to stay awake for 23 hours on Thursday and went to work Friday, but I am still a bit off.
The trip was great though. Though the trip got off to a rocky start due to issues with my flight, I really enjoyed my first riverboat cruise. The ship was beautiful, our guides were great, we had good weather, and I saw so many amazing things. I shared some of Sloth's adventures, but still need to go through my daughter's pictures. She took over 1,000!
I have been trying to catch up on things this weekend. I had a LOT of laundry and cleaning to do plus shopping and meal prep. I hope to get caught up with everything soon.
On the Blog
NOTHING!! This is so embarrassing. I had every intention of posting while I was on vacation, but I forgot my laptop charger. It was the ONLY thing I forgot, but needed in order to use my computer. I am not one of those people who can draft posts and write reviews on my phone, nor do I remember most of my passwords. Sorry for the unexpected hiatus and not visiting last week.
Let's Discuss
Stacking the Shelves
I am really excited about a lot of the approvals and invites I received. I was so surprised to learn that Santopolo was following up The Light We Lost, and I was lucky enough to get approved. There were a few "Read Now" books on my TBR that I could not resist, and the new Carlie Walker is another anticipated read. I am not sure about some of the invites, but I know I will definitely be reading the new Bastone book, I already had Cat's People, and I am considering The Family Recipe.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker
- The Love We Found by Jill Santopolo
- The Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle
- You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon
- Unromance by Erin Connor
Invites
- The Language of Birds by K.A. Merson
- Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
- Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy
- Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh
- The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh
- If I Dig You by Colby Wilkens
- Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
- Cat's People by Tanya Guerro
Purchased
- The Situationship by Abby Jimenez
Read Last Week
As expected, my reading was a bit slow while I was on vacation. I also had no time to listen to my audiobook, and THEN my loan ran out. I will have to get back on the hold list so I can finish Summers at the Saint. It was a mixed bag with most of the books being good. A few fell a bit short of my expectations, but they were still good. I found so many of the books involved human connection and community. That is something I always enjoy in a book.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkins - ★★★ 1/2
- The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa - ★★★★
- Rootbound by Tarah DeWitt - ★★★★ 1/2
- A Winter Wish by Emily Stone - ★★★★
- Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa - ★★★★
- The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston - ★★★★ 1/2
- Wish I Was Here by Melissa Wisner - ★★★★
- A Very Irish Christmas by Debbie Johnson - ★★★★
Audiobooks
- Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins - ★★★★ 1/2
Currently Reading
It's been a while since I read something from Meader, so I was glad to see some new Rookie Rebel books available through my library. It's always fun being back in that world. There are some great nods to the previous series in this book which are really making me dig into the memory bank which is great, too.
- Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney
- Wild Ride by Kate Meader (audiobook)
To Be Read
- Not You Again by Ingrid Pierce
- You've Been Volunteered by Laurie Gelman
- Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn
- Like Cats & Dogs by Lizzie Shane
Let us know in the comments!
I loved seeing your holiday pictures! Sloth is very photogenic and made me smile. :)
ReplyDeleteComing home and then being straight back to work though is brutal... You're made of sterner stuff than me!
The cover for The Folklore of Forever is gorgeous! The publisher is missing a beat though releasing it in spring! Those colours, the whole cover vibe, scream witchy season to me!
It usually takes a day for my tiredness to kick in. I was ok Friday. We were super busy since I had been out, and that helps. If it had been slow, I probably would have been asleep at my desk. Folklore is a witchy book. I feel like the first one was released in the spring too, but I cannot recall the time of year in the book.
DeleteNo need to excuse yourself for not posting nor blog hopping Sam, I didn't do it either or so little! And yes international travel is taxing! But I am happy you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long since I have been overseas (14 years), but I am glad I got to see some new places. I had only seen Paris and Disneyland Paris in France, and only Mannheim in Germany. It was great to see different parts, and I really enjoyed Amsterdam.
Delete"I was able to stay awake for 23 hours on Thursday and went to work Friday"
ReplyDeleteAre you a superheroine? I mean, what? the last time I pulled a one-nighter was when I was in my twenties...
Glad you enjoyed your cruise, despite the travelling issues (because of course 😂).
"I am not one of those people who can draft posts and write reviews on my phone"
Same here! I need a REAL SCREEN and a REAL KEYBOARD LOL.
Those cats are so chill 😅.
I mean, you know I don't sleep much to start with, so it was only a few hours more. I admire people who can do everything with their phones, but I really cannot. It's too small.
DeleteI'm glad you had such a nice vacation!! I always struggle when I travel to different time zones, but I struggle with sleep anyway! I am like you-I can't do anything from my phone. I don't know how other people do it.
ReplyDeleteI thought all the young people could do everything from their phones. Glad I am not the only one.
DeleteWhen I lost internet a couple of months ago for 10 days, I tried making a blog post on my tablet and just no. So I get it. I'm glad you had a good time on vacation.
ReplyDeleteI could do a tablet IF I had a detachable keyboard. I cannot well on a virtual keyboard
DeleteI enjoyed seeing your vacation pics on Instagram, Sam! Looks like a wonderful vacation! International travel is no fun. Hope you get settled back into this time quickly. It's hard to post while on vacation in the States, even more so when you're out of the country! I had an issue with getting into my blog off an iPad while I was in France a few years back. The only reason I was able to use my iPad to blog is because I took a keyboard with it so it was like using a computer. It worked out well. Those cats on the allegator!! How is it he doesn't eat them? So cool!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, this is the first vacation I have not posted. You all know I don't sleep, so it's not hard for me to whip up a post. I was just saying to Mary, I could use a tablet if I had a keyboard.
DeleteIt might have been a good thing that you took an unexpected week off from the blog. I know that I also planned to post while on my trip but never seemed to even know what day it was. I am glad that you had a nice time on your trip! I have never been out of the country so I am very impressed. Have a great week, Sam!
ReplyDeleteOur trip was pretty chill. We sailed every night, so we were onboard pretty early every day, and we didn't do any of the night activities. I could have posted. It's been a while since I left North America, and it's so easy to forgot all the bad parts. It was a good trip though
DeleteHaven't read any of these books but now my brain's like, which one do I read first? Lol! My TBR is so high now. I've also not updated my blog for a while. Just coming back. That's okay. It happens.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard not to want to read all the books. I understand the long TBR.
DeleteI'm so happy you had a great vacation! We have another cruise booked for January, and I can't wait to go.
ReplyDeleteRiverboat cruises are really different from big ship cruises, but I liked it a lot.
DeleteI loved seeing all your pictures! I'm so glad you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed my daughter's handy work. There were some really fun Sloth pictures.
DeleteI'm sooo happy to hear that the trip was good!! And a blogging break while on vacation just gave you an excuse to further bask in the experience!
ReplyDeleteThe nights were pretty quiet as we sailed, so I had the time.
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed your trip! It was fun seeing your pics on Instagram. It's always hard to get home and then go right back to work. Especially after international travel!
ReplyDeleteI was so tired and had so much to do. Vacations are great, but there is a lot to catch up on when you get back. I fell behind without my computer. I would have at least liked to have done my reviews. I have so many to write.
DeleteI'm reading backwards, so will get to Sloth's pictures shortly. It took me almost 2 weeks before I got back on track after my European Vacation, Sam. I hope it doesn't take you that long. I'm glad you enjoyed your holiday and didn't worry about posting, you deserve a break. Glad you are home safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteI think you were gone longer than I was, but I am shocked it too you that long with how much you travel.
Delete