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 don't have much to say about this week. I was feeling really grouchy. Winter came in like a beast. Walking to the bus stop when it's in the teens is NOT FUN, but I guess I am grateful that we have not gotten any of that white stuff. And then NJ Transit ruined my reading week! I lost a whole day of reading, because they cancelled my train AFTER the earlier train had already left, and I had to drive to work (which I hate doing). I did spend some time online catching up with one of my Friends from Jacksonville, who I miss very much, and my daughter got promoted already. So, you know, proud mom here.
Saturday 5th January, 2019 pic.twitter.com/CcpL7XkpV7— Hedgehog of the Day (@daily__hedgehog) January 5, 2019
Two of my favorite things!
- Nicole shares some things she learned reading the Brothers Grimm
- Veronika asks if a ship can ruin a book
- Genni asks if big books are better
On the Blog:
- Monday: Isn't It Romantic - Now or Never, 99 Percent Mine
- Tuesday: TTT - The Anticipation is Killing Me!
- Wednesday: CWW - Pretend She's Here by Luanne Rice
- Thursday: Blog Tour - Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Crompton
- Friday: Discussion - I Up-Lit, Do You Up-Lit?
You know what they say - when it rains, it pours. LOTS of approvals this week, and I swear, there was a huge smile across my face with each email I received. Totally excited about all of these.
Edelweiss/NetGalley
- How to Luminous by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
- Meet Me in Outer Space by Melinda Grace
- Good Enough by Jen Petro-Roy
- Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne
- Squad by Mariah MacCarthy
- Hired by Zoey Castile
- This is Not a Love Scene by S.C. Megale
- Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
- Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis
- When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington
- The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
- Bad Influence by Stefanie London
- Stealing Home by Becky Wallace
What I Read Last Week
When I got the approval for the Shalvis book, I had to read it right away, and it really, really helped with my cranky mood. I really picked all winners this week. McGarry's book was emotional, as always, but the other three were really funny, and me plus funny equals happy.
- Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe - ★★★★ 1/2
- Three Little Words by Jenny Holiday - ★★★★
- Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis - ★★★★
- You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon - ★★★★ review
- Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot - ★★★★ review
- Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot - ★★★★ review
- Someone Like You by Lauren Layne - ★★★★ 1/2 review
What I Am Currently Reading
Dead at the Mall is quite an interesting look at the afterlife, and it has a little bit of everything too. I am not too far into Blondes, but so far, I am buying into the Ocean's 11/8 comparisons.
- Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig
- I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan
What I Plan to Read
- A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa Sheinmel
- Look Closer by Stewart Lewis
- Emily Out of Focus by Miriam Spitzer Franklin
- Good Enough by Jen Petro-Roy
How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
I am forever amazed on how many books you read! Enjoy all your new books this week. :)
ReplyDeleteMixing in audiobooks makes it look more impressive than it is.
DeleteI'm reading The Chalk Man at the moment and hope to finish it tonight and get on to a couple of apocalypse books or maybe a nice expedition horror! Enjoy your new reads!
ReplyDeleteA nice horror <-- I smile when I see you describe things this way. I hope The Chalk Man was great.
DeleteYour daughter got promoted already? That's crazy, well done her! Sorry to hear about your public transport woes. I hate when trains get cancelled and you don't get enough warning to get the earlier train. It annoys me because they know folks are trying to get to work. And I've still not read the Queen of Babble series, now I'm thinking I need to dig them off of my shelves and get reading.
ReplyDeleteShe was so determined to move up. She busted her butt working a million hours and getting lots of certifications in her free time. The clients really liked her too. I took the first Babble book out on a whim and it was fun. Cabot threw in a few surprises, and Lizzie sort of reminded me of Becky from the Shopaholic books.
DeleteCongrats to your daughter! Uh it was so cold this week but yes thankful no snow!! You got so many good books. Hope they are all great! Have an amazing week!
ReplyDeleteI was almost in tears when I saw the snow this morning! Thank goodness it all melted quickly.
DeleteWow, you got so many books! Sorry about the rough week, though. We’ve gotten a ton of snow over the last few days. It makes everything challenging. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Yeah, those approvals all seem to come all at once. At least getting great books makes up for canceled trains and face freezing weather. I didn't mind the snow as much when I was teaching, because we always had snow days, but now I am expected at work no matter what.
DeleteUgh. That does sound like a stressful week. But congrats for your daughter! That's awesome! Unfortunately we got a heaping of the white stuff this weekend. Luckily I was able to leave work early and normally I get home in 15 minutes max after leaving, this time it took me almost an hour, but still under, so that was good because it was crazy with traffic and other people leaving. Was nowhere near the highway messes where people had 12 hour commutes. Ugh. ick.
ReplyDeleteNice new reads this week! Lots of new to me ones! I hope you enjoy them all!
Here's my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
My commute is 90 mins. One time, when it snowed, I was stuck for over 3 hours at the train station 40 miles from my house. No fun. Now I call out. People in NJ cannot drive when it snows either
DeleteYuck, what a horrible commute day. Hopefully that doesn't happen often. I wish you were still in Jacksonville... it would be so much fun to meet up! :) Congrats to your girl for already getting a promotion. That's awesome. Hooray for getting approved for the new Lauren Layne. I love how she's so consistent and never disappoints. I'm betting InkSlinger is going to drop arcs for McGarry's book days before the blog tour and I'm going to end up scrambling. Grr.
ReplyDeleteWe FINALLY got the tour announcement. Some of the organizers take so long to get back to me, I don't even know if I am on the tour or not. Glad I didn't publish my review for McGarry's book. I am glad I was approved on NG too. I would be stressing about reading it.
DeleteIt figures the train doesn't come after the last one already left. Some weeks we wish we could just skip. I hope the new week is hassle free for you. I have The Chalk Man to read and hope to start it next week. Enjoy those pretty books!
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday Post
There is only one westbound local during the 6 o'clock hour, which is the one I take. The earlier one is at 5-something, I never ride it. You are the second person reading The Chalk Man today. Hope it's good!
DeleteI'm sorry you had such a meh week, fingers crossed that this next week is better for you! So jealous that you were able to read the new Shalvis book! I need to pick it up now because I've recently become OBSESSED with her books. I'm also so excited to see that you enjoyed Three Little Words because I've been putting off reading it because I don't want the series to end.
ReplyDeleteIt's still winter until March, so I am just going to have to suck it up. I got a really late approval for the Shalvis book. Sometimes I get them, sometimes I don't. I wasn't expecting it, but I was glad I got to read it. I need to circle back in the Bridesmaids series. I read the two novellas and the last book, but now I want to read them all. It's a great series.
DeleteHmm, I Woke Up Dead at the Mall sounds like a fun one! Hope NJT treats you better this week!
ReplyDeleteIt is fun. I like the way people murdered in NY work on their unfinished business at the Mall of America.
DeleteI had to click away right as I started reading this post so I could follow Hedgehog of the Day too.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your reading is going so well overall. I find that although I don't tend to read straight-up romance, everything else you read is right up my alley, so I've just added something like 10 books to my TBR. I recently read Roerig's second book and thought it was even better than his first, so I'm excited for Death Prefers Blondes, and Good Enough, Care & Feeding of a NAT, You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone, Danger to Herself and Others all sound AMAZING. Thanks for sharing so many great titles. I am too lazy to deal with ARCs myself, but I'm glad so any bloggers do, because it lets me know what to be on the lookout for!
Hope next week goes better for you.
One of the best parts of my day is seeing what Hedgehog of the Day posts. Definitely my favorite Twitter account. Blondes is great! I am almost done. As always, Roehrig blends a bunch of elements so well.
DeleteOof on winter. It certainly did come in like a beast! We got over 10 inches in St. Louis and it's apparently still snowing as I write this comment? Some of my friends got stuck in 3 hour long commutes though, possibly longer just to get home (and others even longer due to shutdowns and accidents). Congratulations to your daughter on her promotion! Also that hedgehog is so adorable - don't burn them, though!
ReplyDeleteI just want to live somewhere that has temps between 50 & 75 all year long. That's my sweet spot. It started snowing this morning, and I yelled so sort of curse word. It melted quickly though. Whew! It could snow all weekend, and I would be ok, because I don't HAVE to go anywhere, but getting to work and then possibly getting stuck 40 miles from home stresses me out.
DeleteWinter really puts me in a funk, too. I hope you have a much better week this week.
ReplyDeleteI am not a winter person, even if I grew up in the northeast.
DeleteI am not a fan of this winter stuff. We did get somewhere between 8-10" of snow and I am just glad that I was able to stay home during the storm. That is terrible that your bus was cancelled. Enjoy all of your new books, Sam!
ReplyDeleteI would be in tears if I had that much snow. My condolences. I have a feeling my bus came, but my train was canceled, which is why I had to drive ALL the way to work. It's only 2 miles to the train station. I would rather drive there than Pennington.
DeleteWow, you really did get a lot of new reads this week! I hope you enjoy them all.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of winter either. It's snowing here right now and I'm looking for any excuse not to have to go out in it, lol.
Congrats to your daughter on her promotion!
This always happens. I get a windfall of books, but I am still at a good number for each month. I had given up on a lot of them, so color me surprised. It snowed a little here this morning, but melted immediately - thank goodness!
DeleteAww congrats to your daughter! And sorry to hear about the train issues- how frustrating. Also... that hedgehog! Cute. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing those discussions. Somehow I missed all three, so now I have some reading to do. :)
I'll have to look at Meet Me In Outer Space- that sounds fun.
I really need a hedgehog. I love them so much! I am trying to be better about bookmarking some of the discussions I read during the week. Hope you enjoy them!
DeleteSorry you had a tough week with the train and the weather. As someone who used to rely on public transportation to travel everywhere, I can relate! That Hedgehog is so freaking cute!
ReplyDeleteI read some spoiler reviews for the Queen of Babble series and stopped after the first book when I found out how the series ended.
I can go on for hours about NJT, but I would still rather take mass transit than drive any day. I was ok with where Cabot took the series. I didn't expect it at all, but she eventually sold me on it.
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your tough week. Winter has truly arrived - even where I live it has been so cold that I have no will to go out. Congrats to your daughter! =D
ReplyDeleteYou got so many books this week. I hope you love them. :)
Happy readings! ;)
Tânia @MyLovelySecret
Winter is the worst, but hopefully I will be rewarded with an amazing spring.
DeleteOMG your hedgehog pic is just too cute!!! Now I get it commuting and the cold. Let me say one thing: you are a reading machine Sam!!! I am sad to say that I did not get Katie's book *sigh*. Last parting words: you can be a proud mama! Sophie @bewareofthereader
ReplyDeleteI follow so many hedgehog accounts. I just can't get enough. Sorry you didn't get the new McGarry. I just heard back from the tour. That organizer takes a long time to let you know.
DeleteIt sounds like last week was a miserable week for people all around! So far 2019 is not a good one... Plenty of time to improve though!
ReplyDeleteI love that hedgehog picture - it made me smile. :)
I forgot something really good that happened! I won a $50 Amazon gift card from a giveaway. I think starting the year with a good win under my belt is encouraging.
DeleteOooh i'm intrigued to see what you think of Emily Out of Focus. I was debating about that one, so I'm eager to see your thoughts! Have a great week, Sam! :)
ReplyDeleteI have been loving all these beautiful and emotional MGs reads. I am excited about that one.
DeleteOh, I'm sorry your commute was a nightmare. It wasn't great here either with all the rain. :( Hope this week is better!
ReplyDeleteYou've got a lot of great books. I need to pick up a Lauren Layne again. It's been a while.
I would take a few hiccups on the train vs driving any day. Traffic is a nightmare. I have been binging Lauren Layne lately. Her books just always seem to hit the spot. I am almost done with the Oxford books, and then I am looking at starting the Wedding Belles series.
DeleteI know you are excited for Ayesha At Last so I am so glad you got a review copy! Oof, that's a tricky bus situation and I can understand how that left you grouchy. Being out and about in the cold is not fun... I agree!
ReplyDeleteMass transit is never perfect, but I like it more than driving to work.
DeleteWinter definitely reminded us that the season. was barley beginning, ugh. Congrats to your daughter! Strut your proud mama walk!
ReplyDeleteI've got Bad Influence as well.
I was asking my daughter about the weather, but she's been visiting her friend in Atlanta, so she dodged the bad weather you guys got. She is very lucky. I am excited to read Bad Influence. I am really enjoying the series.
DeleteWow tons of gorgeous covers. I wouldn't know where to start.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental Sunday Memes
I struggle too, which is why I try to read by release date.
DeleteSorry to hear about your commute. When you have a time slotted to read and it disappears, it can be a mood killer. Congrats on your daughter’s promotion. Okay, that hedgehog is so cute! Starting The Rook for a buddy read. Have a great week! ❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteNo love lost between me and NJT. The kid is killing it. It's nice that my offspring is winning at life. Hope The Rook was good.
DeleteYou always have read or are going to read some amazing books. I am just never this organized and it's a goal of mine to get my blog and myself organized that way it runs smoothly. Kinda like my academic career right now, running smoothly. Now to just get the rest of my life this way. =)
ReplyDeleteMary