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

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for visiting WLABB and welcoming me to the community with open arms. I am so grateful that I was invited to contributed to the blog and am having the best time doing it.

I want to wish everyone a happy new year and I hope 2018 is a banner year for you!

Last week, we went to see Annie. It was really fun, because I haven't seen the show in almost 20 years.

A post shared by Sam Kozbial (@kozbisa) on Dec 24, 2017 at 10:09am PST

My darling daughter bought me the BEST Christmas gift too - a Kindle Oasis! I feel a little greedy, but since it was a gift....

A post shared by Sam Kozbial (@kozbisa) on Dec 25, 2017 at 5:38am PST

This week I participated in Top 10 of 2017. I got to showcase so many of my standout reads all week, and I must say, I had a lot of fun doing it. I really loved seeing everyone else's lists too.

On the Blog:

• Monday: Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2017
• Tuesday: Top Ten Best Covers of 2017
• Wednesday: Top Ten Best Debuts of 2017
• Thursday: Top Ten Best Book Friendships of 2017
• Friday: Top Ten Books I am Looking Forward to in 2018

STACKING THE SHELVES

I had a bunch of library loans come through this week, which is always how it goes, but I am excited to read them all. Not a lot of activity on NG or EW, but I did get one approval, and it was for a Can't-Wait Wednesday book, so I was excited.

Library

• The Young Queens by Kendare Blake
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
• Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson
• Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer

ARCs

• The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith

What I Read Last Week

I read some really great books this week and even finished two series. My favorite read of the week was An Ex for Christmas by Lauren Layne. I wish they would give the book a better cover, because it deserves more than the cover it has.

• Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (audiobook): This book was absolutely hilarious, but also provided a lot of social commentary about women and societal expectations for them, which I found quite interesting. Absolutely adored getting to know the three generation of Grossmen women. ★★★★
• An Ex for Christmas by Lauren Layne: I have read several Layne books and all have made me quite happy. This one was stupendous! I knew I was meant to read this book, when the author talked about Hallmark movies. And that ending!! Yes, I just got chills thinking about it. Thanks to Nick, Becky, and Carol for your awesome reviews, which made me part with my pennies for this one. ★★★★ 1/2
• Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han: I sort of loved this book. I am a fan of the Song sisters and was grateful to get this last hurrah with them. I really enjoyed being there with Lara Jean at this crossroads. She had so many big things happening in her life, and I felt like this was explored well. I would love Han to write a spinoff featuring Kitty's high school years. Then we could catch up with LJ and see how everything turned out with Peter K. ★★★★
• The Young Queens by Kendare Blake: I am a fan of this series, so I enjoyed getting a little more back story. We met their mom and found out more details regarding that big reveal in the last book. We learned about a family curse and why the betrayal from the last book was such a big deal. This novella filled in those years before we met the three queens and it was worth the read. ★★★★
• Leaving Paradise by Simone Elekeles (audiobook): I was so engrossed in this story, I just couldn't stop listening. I liked the way Elekeles showed how both the characters were struggling with being back "home" after a year long absence. It was sweet, sad, and swoony. I already have the next book downloaded so I can start it right away. ★★★★
• About That Kiss by Jill Shalvis: I love all Shalvis' books and this one was another great addition to a fabulous series. I really liked getting to know Joe better and just keep falling more and more in love with this group of friends. ★★★★
• Poison's Cage by Breeana Shields: This was a great ending for this duology. All the things I loved about the first book were still there plus a lot more. We got the origin story and a deeper explanation of the folklore. We got a better understanding of how many of the characters were connected, and we got to see a lot of more Iyla and Miranda's friendship, which I wish I wanted from the first book. But really, it was about that very last sentence. My heart absolutely exploded. ★★★★ 1/2

What I Am Currently Reading

I am halfway through A Quiet Kind of Thunder and it is fabulous! I really like the way Barnard is exploring Steffi's mutism/anxiety/shyness and I love learning so much about deaf culture. I am in love with just about every character in this book, and I want to know why I have not read any books by this amazing author until now.

I just started listening to Return to Paradise, but I am really excited to find out what happened to the MCs after the last book ended.

• A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
• Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

What I Plan to Read

I have to read my library books, since they need to go back soon, and I hope to get through a few more January ARCs.

• The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Gläser
• Nice Try Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
• Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

How was your week?

Let us know in the comments!