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
Currently, the weather has me singing this tune:
Nothing like a good nor'easter to keep me indoors. (not that I need that much encouragement)
I was feeling bad about being "declined" for quite a few of my MOST anticipated books, and I was licking my wounds and feeling like a giant failure, and then I read this lovely post from Book Princess Reviews, which made me shed happy tears instead. XOXO to them!
I feel like talking about fall things, because I love fall!
This little guy is looking ready for fall, while posing with some of my favorite fall things - pumpkins! Being able to get almost everything in pumpkin flavor is something I adore about this time of year.
Saturday 27th October, 2018 pic.twitter.com/bwseQVI2w9— Hedgehog of the Day (@daily__hedgehog) October 27, 2018
I also closely associate fall with enjoying mooncakes. My daughter remembered how much I love them, and surprised me with a box, when we met in Florida. Maybe she DOES still love me. I am sad, because this is my last one, but I will savor the flavor until next fall.
Enjoying What Goes Up by @KatieWritesBks while savoring my last mooncake. #amreading #YALit pic.twitter.com/uK7psmblyw— Sam@WLABB (@kozbisa) October 27, 2018
And then, it wouldn't been the halloween season without seeing what awesome costume Josh Sundquist will be donning this season.
Here's my Halloween costume! pic.twitter.com/HBBgSMl8sP— Josh Sundquist (@JoshSundquist) October 25, 2018
- Monday: Nutshell Reviews - Pulp, Four Three Two One, Just Pretending
- Tuesday: TTT - Villains I Love and Villains I Hate
- Wednesday: CWW - Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Thursday: Blog Tour - The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig
- Friday: Discussion - I'm Not Scared
Bought/Free
- Fifteen Seconds of Normal by Alex Marestaing
- The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh
- Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale
- What Goes Up by Wen Baragrey
- Knocked-Up Cinderella by Julie Hammerle
- Sorry For Your Loss by Jessie Ann Foley
- Road Tripped by Pete Hautman
- Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Earth to Charlie by Justin Olson
- Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard
What I Read Last Week
A great reading week, again. My favorite this week was The Resolutions. It definitely fulfilled the friendship story I was looking for, but it was so much more. So, so good.
Books
- Crossing Double by Tamra Baumann - ★★★★
- The Edge Rules by Melanie Hooyenga - ★★★★
- The Resolutions by Mia Garcia - ★★★★★
- Chasing Shadows by Catherine Bybee - ★★★ 1/2 review
- Your Own Worst Enemy by Gordon Jack - ★★★★
- Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett - ★★★★ review
- Wildcard by Marie Lu - ★★★★ review
What I Am Currently Reading
It's taken me a while to read it, but I am absolutely loving What Goes Up. A great story of friendship, with science and multiverses. Let's put it this way, I read over 200 pages in my first stretch, because I was really into it.
I have only listened to a few chapters of Someday, and while I am glad to be reunited with these characters, not much has happened yet.
- What Goes Up by Katie Kennedy
- Someday by David Levithan (audiobook)
What I Plan to Read
- What Goes Up by Wen Jane Baragrey
- Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
- Knocked-Up Cinderella by Julie Hammerle
- Sleepover by Sarina Bell
How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
Ah the rain song! Nothing like Pooh. :) Glad to see Wildcard was 4 stars. I still need to read that one. And I like the look of Earth to Charlie too.
ReplyDeleteHope your reads are all good this week. :)
Wildcard was jam packed with stuff, and it took an interesting turn without sacrificing everything I liked from the first book.
DeleteI'm planning to try that Marie Lu series at some point. The plot sounds like my kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteI have liked all her series. Legend is still my favorite, but Warcross had a pretty neat world, and then there was the sci-fi type nefarious plot, which dominated book 2.
DeleteLOL! The hedgehog gives me the warm fuzzies! Trouble is a friend of mine sounds like it could be a fun read!
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to read Trouble forEVER. The series is actually finished, and I finally have access to it through the eLibrary. I am excited to finally get to it.
DeleteTook me a while until I figured out the genie costume :D but it's so cool! Actually all those costumes on the video are SO amazing. Thanks for sharing this, it's great. I think I loved the Tigger costume the best :)
ReplyDeleteI love the way Sundquist made lemonade out of lemons, and he is just fantastic.
DeleteThe hedgehog is just too cute! And that costume is wicked cool...though from the picture I'm trying to figure out how one walks in it! Lol!
ReplyDeleteNice new reads! Lots of new to me ones! Hope you enjoy them all!
Here's my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
He uses a cane, because he only has one leg.
DeleteOh man that rain! We lost power for a long time!!! The roads were all flooded too. Yeah I am declined for a lot of my most anticipated books (mostly the YA ones). Oh well!! Hope you enjoy all your new reads and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you lost power. Boo! I have been reviewing more adult romances, because I am getting shut out for YA books. I know I will eventually read those book, but it still stings.
DeleteI just came here from Twitter, where I was looking at Josh Sundquist’s costumes. He really does go all-out for Halloween. I love it. Sorry you got declined for the books. Hopefully you get the next ones you request!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I get more books than I get declined for, but these two were major for me. I have been seeing lots of people getting them too, so yeah, sigh. Sundquist's costumes are something I look forward to every year. He's fabulous!
DeleteDon't feel bad about the declined review requests. You got so many wonderful books, such as Our Year of Maybe. Enjoy your last mooncake. It seems delicious.
ReplyDeleteHappy readings! ;)
Tânia @MyLovelySecret
I WAS very excited about the books I did get approved for. Our Year of Maybe was my CWW pick and then BOOM! I got an approval. I am also super excited about the Sara Barnard book. Mooncakes are amazing, and special, since you can only really get them around this time of year for the lunar festival celebrations.
DeleteWow, despite all the books you haven't been approved for, it doesn't seem like you have a shortage of replacements LOL. Sorry you didn't get the ones you wanted the most though!
ReplyDeleteBeing in Italy, I wasn't familiar with Josh Sundquist. What an amazing guy. The Tigger costume was utter genius! but I love the flamingo and the genie too.
We're getting a warm fall - around midday it still feels like summer, almost. Now we're in for a week of rain (they say), but especially wind (I HATE WIND!!!), which is the thing my corner of the world gets the most, since we're on a coastal promontory.
I get more approvals than denials, since I stopped requesting from pubs that ALWAYS reject me, but these two books were the top of the top of 2019 for me. I am wounded, but I will be find.
DeleteI had read a book by Sundquist, Love and First Sight, which was fabulous, and my daughter told me about him and his costumes.
Your books coming up to be read all look good! I have had Moon Pies but never Mooncake. You have me curious.
ReplyDeleteMy friend at work thought I was talking about moon pies. Though they are also delicious, they are very different. My daughter picked out a great box for me too. It had red bean, green tea, and fig filing. All were amazing.
DeleteHe chose a good costume this year! Your hedgehog is adorable. He almost doesn't look real is so cute. LOL I'm sorry you got declined on some books. I have one still pending and it doesn't look good. Oh well, maybe the next one right:) Looks like you have plenty of new books that sound wonderful. I keep meaning to try Marie Lu's.
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday Post
I wish that was my hedgehog, but alas, that is Twitter's hedgie. I love Marie Lu, and that's from someone, who doesn't really read SFF books. Legend is still my favorite of her series, but Warcross was great.
DeleteThat’s an awesome Halloween costume! Very creative. Love this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI am not a huge Halloween person, but I do love seeing how creative some people are
DeleteSam I understand that you were sad to get declined for that book but based on your "stacking the shelves" I'd say you still are so lucky! I don't have as many approvals as most of the time it's a "wish for it" for me. So enjoy the books you got as you have many great ones there! Lots of love and happy Sunday! Sophie @bewareofthereader
ReplyDeleteThere are pubs who always decline me, and I just stopped requesting from. This was a pub I always had luck with, so I am disappointed. Macmillan books are always wish for me, and my wishes never come true, but I can be sad and then read something else.
DeletePooh bear! I adore Pooh.♥
ReplyDeleteThe husband came home recently with pumpkin spice Cheerios for me. He loathes pumpkin so they're mine all mine. :) Mooncakes are a new one on me. I know Moon Pies but those are vastly different it would seem. LOL I really need to read some of Jenn Bennett's adult books. I feel like I'm seeing them everywhere lately. :)
After reading one of Bennett's adult books, I totally understand why I adore her YA books so much. She is a great romance writer. Mooncakes appear this time of year for the lunar festival and then, they disappear. I always feel awkward going to get them, but my daughter shops frequently at the Asian market
DeleteToday has been sooo rainy! I forgot how rainy this season can be!
ReplyDeleteKnocked Up Cinderella has my eye, I hope it's good!
Also I've been getting declined a lot too. I count them as blessings so that I won't be drowning in a TBR pile.
I have read a couple of YA books by Hammerle, which I liked, so why not see what she does with adult romance. It seems like a lot of the bloggers are getting mass denials lately. I was talking to one blogger on Twitter, and she has good reach and found 5 rejections in one day in her in-box. Believe me, I know I am not alone. I have actually been limiting the number of review books by publication month. I want to feature backlist, so I was being careful, but not getting the new Jenn Bennett and Sandhya Menon books crushed me. You know I love them.
DeleteI love Winnie the Pooh! It wasn't rainy here but it was so windy today! It blew all the leaves off the trees so now everyone needs to rake! Knocked Up Cinderella looks cute-hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteIt rained like sideways here yesterday. I didn't leave the house until after 6 pm, because I hate being out in weather if I can help it. I am thinking Cinderella will be cute, because Hammerle's YA romances are adorable.
DeleteI have no idea what a mooncake is but it looks good! It has actually been nice fall like weather here this weekend which is great. Enjoy all of your new books and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteA mooncake is just pure deliciousness. Well you know what I say, when it comes to weather - rain is always better than snow.
DeleteI don't think I have ever had a mooncake. I will have to try this sometime. I live in PA so I know all about it raining. All it seems to. I did get to go apple picking today which was cool and now I have a ton of apples to eat and cook pies with. I should be working on that. Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteMary
Mmmmmm. Nothing like home-baked desserts (my favorite). Hope you grabbed some cider donuts while you were picking too.
DeleteOh, Pooh!! :) Ooh I like Josh's costume. I totally forgot about his awesome costumes, so thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
His costumes are always top-notch. Something to look forward to each halloween.
DeleteI hadn't realized Josh Sundquist's costumes were a thing, but that one is certainly epic! I'll have to go see if I can find old ones.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I have been loving his costumes since my daughter showed them to me a few years back. His comedy routines are hilarious too.
DeleteWhat a great haul this week! Small Town Hearts and Goodbye Perfect are on my TBR and I can't wait to read both, they sound amazing :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you enjoyed The Resolutions as well, it sounds like such a great book and I love that cover so much!
I hope you'll have a lovely week! xx
The Resolutions was everything I wanted and more. There is only one thing that would have made it better, but telling you would spoil a big plot point, and it was one that moved me tremendously.
DeleteThat's a cool Genie costume! :)
ReplyDeleteThey are all so awesome
DeleteMy toddler loves Winnie the Pooh... every time it rains we have to sing that song, lol. Looks like there are great books in your stash! Hope you enjoy your reading this week! :)
ReplyDeletePooh was my daughter's favorite, and Pooh's theme song was the first she hummed as a baby
DeleteThe rain (and snow) has been coming down steadily where I am as well. It makes for some cozy reading time, I guess. I hope that you enjoy the books on your TBR this week. What Goes Up looks like an interesting read. :)
ReplyDeleteI am NOT ready for snow. I hope we don't get any this year. What Goes Up was a really sweet story. I loved it.
DeleteThat's a bummer about not getting approved for your most anticipated reads. My results in that area have been mixed as well. Looks like you picked up some great new reads though.
ReplyDeleteAnd oh my, that Pooh vid makes me so nostalgic for my childhood, lol.
Pooh will forever remind me of my own child. She was a HUGE Pooh fan.
DeleteI am so excited for The Resolutions and am so happy you gave it five stars. Yay! Trouble Is a Friend of Mine is such a fun read and features one of my favorite literary duos. Hope you enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI loved all the storylines Garcia gave to each character, and the friendship was really special. I was all in really quickly, and really enjoyed getting to know each and everyone of these characters. Trouble was FABULOUS!! I already downloaded the next one.
DeleteI'm way behind on my Edelweiss and NetGalley, so I don't take it too personally when they turn me down on the books I really want. (Well, actually, I'm not behind, really, as the books don't have to be reviewed till the future, still, but I'm down to 50%, lol). I only started Edelweiss a few weeks ago, in fact, so I'm at 0%! (I tend to wait to publish the reviews on the day of release. Not sure what the publishers really want.)
ReplyDeleteMy ratios are good. Almost 90%. I get lots of rejections, but these hurt because of how much I wanted them
DeleteI have Bitter Spirits on audio which I won from the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is tough to get rejected. I got turned down for some I really wanted also. I sometimes don't get it. Some publishers love me; others don't. My ratios are good too. I've moved between blogs so the followers thing might be an issue for me.
I am so grateful for all the ones I do get. Sometimes I get approved and I wonder why too.
Enjoy your reading week!
Anne - Books of My Heart
I am always happy to get approved, and I usually get over the rejections quickly -- you can't get them all, but those two hurt so, so much. I am so in love with Jenn Bennett's writing, and Bitter Spirts was very enjoyable.
DeleteSleep Over sounds like a good read. That one is on my TBR already. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat's a moon cake? It looks yummy but I have no clue what it actually is, lol.
Sleepover was really good. It had depth, but wasn't heavy, and the kids were used well in the story. Mooncakes are yummy pastries, that are available for mid-autumn festival. The ones my daughter bought me had the pastry outside and had three different fillings - fig, red bean, and green tea pastes. I love them!
DeleteEarth to Charlie looks so so so good. I can't wait to see what you think of it!! I've been eyeing it for a while. Great post, Sam, and I need to hunt down your Wildcard review! :)
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of it too. That's an April release, so you probably won't hear from me about that book until March. I never read too far ahead. Wildcard was good, and I thought it was a solid ending to the duology.
DeleteDon't feel too bad at not being accepted! Those copies don't say anything about you and you are still a brilliant blogger! It's their loss and not yours :) I hope the rain gives a little soon! I have returned from London to Coventry and back in tto the rain as well. Glad to see you liked Wildcard :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pat on the back, I really appreciate it. I think my library will get the books, so I will read them, but rejection is never easy. We have been getting a lot of precipitation this year, but I would rather it be in the form of rain than snow
Delete