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 want to start by wishing you all a happy new year! I hope 2025 brings you lots of joy and happiness.
Not too much happened for me this week. I had Monday through Wednesday off. Tuesday, I went for my physical. The doctor was only concerned with my platelet count, so I have to go for another blood test at the end of the month. It could be nothing, it could be something, but I am not going to worry unless the second test comes back funny.
Thursday, it was back to the grind at work. It wasn't too bad. I feel like the last two weeks of the year are a bit slower which is good since so many people are out. BUT I am due back in the office tomorrow, and OF COURSE winter decides to rear its ugly head. No, really, December was mild. There were days when I had my window open, but now that I have to resume my commute, it's in the 20s in the morning, 30s in the afternoon, and a snow storm is coming. If push comes to shove, I will use a work from home day tomorrow, but they really want us to come in since they have the tech team scheduled to be there to ensure our systems are all in working order. Just playing it by ear. I was surprised to see that they put another set of bathrooms in. Where I sit is pretty small compared to the other floor layouts in the building due to me being on the first floor and near an entry. We have always had to go across the hall to use the bathrooms, but it seems they converted the old telepresence rooms into lavatories. I still have to leave my wing (scan in and out), but it's a little closer, I suppose.
As expected, I did not get as much done as I had hoped during my vacation or during my work from home time. There were three holidays, a wedding, and my daughter visited for about three weeks of that time, so no complaints there. I just had hoped to get more done.
My mom got a new car the other day, and it has some neat features. The one that really wowed me was how in front of the console was an induction charging pad. My car is also a 2024, but I don't have that fancy a package. Do any of you have such things in your cars?
On the Blog
Let's Discuss
- The Orangutan Librarian argues that we should let children read what they want
- Heather wants to know how you keep quotes
Stacking the Shelves
Purchased
- One Night, Two Holidays by Ali Brady
- It Happened on Christmas Eve by Kristy Greenwood
- The Summer of Perfect Mistakes by Cynthia St. Aubin
Invites
- The Usual Family Mayhem by HelenKay Dimon
- I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming
Read Last Week
Overall, I would say this was a good start to the new year. It started out a little rough, but my lowest rated book was followed by my highest rated book. I am so glad Give Me Butterflies is being republished this month because it was wonderful! This is the kind of romance that makes me happy. It was fun and sweet with a nice family focus. The main characters were wonderfully nerdy and the drama was at just the right level. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series this week.
PS I Hate You was my other five-star book last week. It was about a woman who had to scatter her brother's ashes along with his best friend, but the two also shared a past. It was a really meaningful journey through grief but it was also a story of healing and love. I guessed one part and sort of guessed at another, but that second one was still a bit of a surprise which I found very moving. I cried a few times.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander - ★★★
- Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows - ★★★★★
- Mr. Nice Spy by Tiana Smith - ★★★★ 1/2
- If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley - ★★★★ 1/2
- PS I Hate You by Lauren Connolly - ★★★★★
Audiobooks
- The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore - ★★★★
- The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore - ★★★ 1/2
Currently Reading
Not much to say about my current reads at this time, since I just started. Maybe This Time is a return to a world for me, so I am sure it will be a feel-good romance. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is a backlist book from Alison Espach. She is getting a lot of attention for The Wedding People, and I was eager to check out something by her.
- Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach
- Maybe This Time by Jennifer Snow
To Be Read
- Love Story by Lindsay Kelk
- Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows
- Change of Heart by Falon Ballard
- Get Lost With You by Sophie Sullivan
Let us know in the comments!
Good luck on your bloodwork! and on your commute of course...December was mild here as well, but now they say the weather is going to take a turn for the worse and the temps are going to drop.
ReplyDeleteA dromedary in the snow is hilarious enough in itself, but the all those goats following him are priceless.
Those animals were precious. I wish I shared their enthusiasm for snow - LOL!
DeleteA lot of people are reading that Rom-Com book. I'm interested to see the reviews. I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing some of the author's other long titled books, and they seemed well received. Hope you have a great week too!
DeleteThe winter storm has started here. They are thinking 10-12" inches of snow here. I am so excited!!
ReplyDeleteI would be in tears! I hope you all do well and don't lose power. EEK!
DeleteYeah, you get snow days. I have had to go to the office when they called a state of emergency.
DeleteHappy New Year, Sam! I do not have anything that fancy in my car. I drive my cars until they no longer go so my current vehicle is a 2015. Oh my gosh! I wish I could be as excited as that camel for snow. There’s a lot of great looking books here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing about the camel - HA! I hate snow, but I love that camel's reaction.
DeleteI don't have a car right now but cool stuff in the cr would be fun. Good luck on the blood work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! There are some nice bells and whistles out there, but I am too cheap to pay for it. I hardly use my car. It's a waste for me.
DeleteMy current car doesn't have that feature, but all my daughter and son's cars do. I hope to be getting a new-to-me car this year, so we'll see. I hope you don't have to brave the bad winter storm to go into work! I thought you were working from home for a while. I am curious about the Rom-Com book. The title is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI ended up electing to work from home today. There are no advisories in my area or the county where I work, but there are states of emergency called for the next county over. South Jersey/PA are going to be hit and it wasn't going to start until after I would need to leave. It was a stressful decision, but with my luck, if I had gone into the office, it would have been terrible. Lemming's book titles are all hilarious.
DeleteI'm working at home and the snow just started! Hopefully it won't get too bad. We're not supposed to get much, but it is so cold so we're worried about it freezing. My new car doesn't have the wireless charging but it has a whole lot of features, mostly safety, that are really nice and something I didn't have in my 2012 old car!
ReplyDeleteI was worried about the weather closer to work (Hopewell), so I am still working from home. I hate using Monday as my WFH day because I am usually well rested and so tired towards the end of the week. My Subaru has a lot of safety features, but I am cheap, so no fancy stuff.
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