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
We had a short week at work, so that's always nice, and the day off was blistering cold, which made not having to head out a double blessing. We have officially kicked off tax season at work, and the perks are starting. Tuesday, they gave us Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and on Thursday we had afternoon snack of pie for some variate of Pi Day. Hey, who I am I to question free pie.
I have also been on a winning streak! I told you about the Amazon gift cards, but I also was notified about a Goodreads giveaway win and I won a copy of Sara Barnard's new book via a Twitter giveaway. I am really overjoyed about the Barnard win, because the book doesn't look like it is getting a US release, and it's the sequel, and I really want to know what happened after ( you know me).
I also received by first promo box. It was for a tour I am doing, and it is utterly adorable (see below). A S&S publicist reached out to me about reviewing Jenn Bennett's new book, and I have already shared my sob story about my Serious Moonlight reject. So, obviously, I was overjoyed. I asked for an eGalley, since my eyes are trash, and I need something I can crank the font up on. I feel conflicted, because I know I am lucky to get the ARC, but when I clicked the widget, it brought me to NetGalley and a PDF. I know, first world problems, but PDFs are such a struggle for me to read. It's the main reason why I stopped requesting books through First to Read. So, though I was honored and all, I am also disappointed, and now sure I will read the book before its release. I have feelings about this.
Other than that, not much to report.
Let's Discuss!
- Nick talks about ways to show some blogger appreciation
- Genni talks about negative review guilt
- Nicole talks about why she loves the discussion challenge, and I have to agree with her
- Monday: Isn't It Romantic - Three Little Words, Playing For Keeps
- Tuesday: TTT - I Mean to Read That
- Wednesday: In a Nutshell Reviews - The Truth About Leaving, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
- Thursday: Blog Tour - The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh
- Friday: Discussion - Winter: Embrace or Escape?
So, Amazon is doing this promo. If you spend $20 on eBooks, you get a $5 credit. Obviously, I had to take advantage of that - free money. I purchased a few books from my I Meant to Read That Top Ten Tuesday list. So, the chances of me reading those books just increased dramatically. I had to nab the second Bridesmaids Behaving Badly book. I know, look at me reading the series backwards. I generally am ok with skipping around in a companion series though.
- Revenge Kisses by Addison Moore (free)
- It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday
- Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen
- Overnight Sensation by Sarina Bowen
- The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
- The Astonishing Maybe by Shaunta Grimes
- The Unleaving by Melissa Ostrom
- Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern
- Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim
- Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
- Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris
- To Night Owl From Dogfish by Meg Wolitzer, Holly Goldberg Sloan
- How to Hack a Heartbreak by
- The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
From the Publisher
- To Night Owl From Dogfish by Meg Wolitzer, Holly Goldberg Sloan
What I Read Last Week
Really, really good reading week. I had to grin a little, when I read the Mrs. O'Leary's Cow reference in The Deceivers, because I just put that song on my list for the Night Owl/Dog Fish tour. Funny coincidence. Just for Clicks was a physical struggle for me to read (it was a PDF masquerading as a mobi). It took me a lot longer to read than a regular eBook, but I adored it. Kasie West's new book was a solid read for me as well. I really wanted more of the romance, but other than that, it was fun and cute and helped lift me from the sobbing mess Rosie Hughes left me in. Rosie Hughes was wonderful for me, like face-hurting-smile wonderful UNTIL the 98% mark. I feel horrible knocking it down a star, because it was really good for me, but some twists are unforgivable. Nick and June was kind of tragic, but hopeful in the end, which I am grateful for. A book that surprised me was Accidentally Perfect. It's an Australian YA book, which I randomly selected from Hoopla, and it ended up being really adorable. The heroine instantly won me over with her love of John Cusack, and I am always up for a misunderstood bad boy story.
- The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons - ★★★★
- Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell - ★★★★ 1/2
- Dear Rosie Hughes by Melanie Hudson - ★★★★ review
- Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West - ★★★★ 1/2
- Nick and June Were Here by Shalanda Stanley - ★★★★
- Girl Made of Stars by Ashely Herring Blake - ★★★★ 1/2 review
Audiobooks
- Accidentally Perfect by Elizabeth Stevens - ★★★★ review
- Why Not Tonight? by Susan Mallery - ★★★★ review
What I Am Currently Reading
- You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman
- Smooth-Talking Cowboy by Maisey Yates (audiobook)
What I Plan to Read
I am knocking out my tour books this week. I must say, signing up for tours supporting books I already have galleys for was a brilliant way to get me to read my ARCs in a timely fashion.
- The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena
- To Night Owl From Dogfish by Meg Wolitzer, Holly Goldberg Sloan
- Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
- Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson, Ellen Hagan
How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
I stopped doing Netgalley because of the poor quality of the pdfs. Faint writing, tiny writing...they were a nightmare and not the epubs I requested! It was hellish on the eyes!
ReplyDeleteI usually get mobi's from NG. It's rare to only have the PDF as an option, but it figures, it's for a book I really, really wanted.
DeleteI have my netgalley hooked up to kindle so I rarely - if ever - have issues with it. It absolutely sucks that it happened on a book you desperately want to read too. :(
ReplyDeleteI like the look of some of your new additions! Brooklynaire is one I think I'm going to have to read... The glasses are selling it to me in a big way. ;)
Amazon dangled that $5 credit in front of me, I had those gift cards, so I went for it. Bowen is an author I love, so I wanted to catch up on her releases.
DeleteAren't Amazon gift cards the greatest! I'll be getting one on Monday, hopefully, just for filling out a survey. I've been meaning to read K.A Tucker, I'll add her book to my list.
ReplyDeleteI am always dumbfounded as to why my family members never gift me Amazon cards. They know I read A LOT. This will be my first Tucker book, and I am really excited about it. I would do a survey for Amazon credit. That's awesome.
DeleteWow! Congrats on all the wins and scoring an ARC you wanted! That's really cool! Hope you enjoy all of your new reads!
ReplyDeleteHere's my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Winning stuff makes things better - always.
DeleteCongrats on all your wins! I hope the books are good. I can’t read PDFs, either. They’re so tiny on my Kindle. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I tried reading a PDF on my computer and it was still terrible. On my Fire, if I hold the Kindle horizontally, it's a little bigger, but the paging doesn't work right. So, I have to scroll down to read the current page and when I turn the page, I am on the bottom of the next page and have to scroll up - each and every page. It kind of dampens my reading experience, plus the font is still pretty small. -- sigh --
DeleteOh my congrats on all the wins! And yay for Serious Moonlight!! I cannot wat for that one. But I agree reading the PDFs are horrible. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I will read Serious Moonlight before it comes out, since PDFs suck, but I may cave, if I wake up and my eyes are not throbbing.
DeleteWhat an epic haul Sam! Helen Hoang's newest books keeps popping up on my feed lately and the reviews have been great too, so here's hoping that you enjoy it too! So glad to see that you got a copy of Serious Moonlight, I know you had your eye on that book, but reading on the laptop can be a real pain! I'm going to be reading Kasie's latest book soon, her last couple of books have been a miss for me, so the fact that you liked it, gives me high hopes! And I'm the same when it comes to galleys, signing up for tours ensures I get them read on time! Hope you have a great week :)
ReplyDeleteI was almost jumping up and down, when I saw TBT for download on EW. I haven't even downloaded Serious Moonlight. Once I saw it was a PDF, I left it on my shelf. I think my library will get the book, so there is a good chance I will wait to read it. My eyes hurt a lot. I want to read it, but the strain is not worth it. West's new book was cute. I wanted more of the romance, but I did bump it up half a star, because I really liked the ending.
DeleteI'm curious about Serious Moonlight. I liked one of the author's books, but wasn't a big fan of another. Looks like Kasie West did it again with Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss. This one sounds utterly delightful. I hope you have a good week!
ReplyDeleteI have liked every Bennett book I have read, which is five. Her YA books are my catnip. They are just perfect for me. I am a West fan. Her books are cute and fun. I did want more of the romance, which is what kept it from getting the 5 from me, but I loved the hero and thought they were adorable together. The ending was really strong as well.
DeleteCongrats on all the wins. Happy reading.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental Sunday Memes
It's always a nice treat to win something
DeleteI usually get mobi downloads from Netgalley. PDFs can be so hard to read. Loving all of your new reads. Looks like a good start to a new year in reading!
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday Post
I guess there are people who like them, but I am not a PDF fan.
DeleteIn case you don't already know - if you email the pdf to your Kindle address (the same one you have your Netgalley connected to) with Convert as the subject line, it should hopefully convert it to Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI have tried that before and it failed. I will try again. Fingers crossed
DeleteIt's an ASCM. It won't convert. *crying*
DeleteCongrats on the giveaway wins! I didn't know about the e- promo either- I need to do a better job of monitoring them lol. I miss Prime specials all the time too I think...
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda curious about The Deceivers!
Amazon sends daily reminders to my phone via the Kindle app, I guess. That's how I knew about it. The Deceivers was good. I am looking forward to more of that series.
DeleteSounds like a good week! I see Sarina Bowen on your list. I can't wait to see what you think of Overnight Sensation. PDFs can be a pain. I do have a 10" tablet that I read them on so that I can blow them up and see them with my old eyes but I would rather read on my kindle. Enjoy all of your new books!
ReplyDeleteWhen I buy books, they are usually books I cannot get from the library, which is why my purchases were romance heavy. I love Bowen and really need to catch up on her series. I only have a Fire, and I installed BlueFire Reader to read the ASCMs, but I have to hold it horizontally, and scroll both up and down, and it loses my place too, which is so annoying. It seems like so much aggravation, and it really slows me down too. -- sigh --
DeleteThat is always a blessing to have with not working when it's cold! Congratulations on another win! Oof on S&S, but I feel you. PDFs are a pain for me as well because I can't really read them on my phone at night so I'm slower at reading those ARCs since having an iPad lying down results in smacking me in the head. Not exactly a great time if you ask me. Like you, I like my fonts resizable, even if it's a PDF masquerading as a Kindle format (I would prefer not, but over regular PDF, I'll take that).
ReplyDeleteMy iPad died and I never replaced it, so I am stuck reading the PDFs on my Fire, which is small, and I have to read it sideways to even get the font a little bit bigger, and I can complain about it for a while. I did get to read the mobi-that-was-a-pdf on my kindle, so I agree, a little bit of a win, but resizing each and every page took forEVER.
DeleteHooray for all those wins - how fun! I couldn't believe how cold it was on Monday! And free food is always good!
ReplyDeleteFree food really is a nice treat, and I love Chick-Fil-A. So, wins all around.
DeleteAWESOME! I love when I win books. I also like the promo box. Cool that they reached out to you. I have had a few in the past do that but it's been a long time. Congrats on the winning!
ReplyDeleteMary
I have worked with that publicist before, but I never got a promo box, so that was pretty awesome.
DeleteYum, free pie! That's awesome you got your first promo box. So cute. I really want to read You Asked for Perfect -hope it's a good one.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
You Asked For Perfect was really good. Silverman did a fantastic job capturing the academic stress many students face.
DeleteI hope you enjoy Smooth Talking Cowboy! I read and loved it a while back. Maisey Yates is a wonderful writer! Congrats on finally getting a copy of Serious Moonlight! I'd be mixed about it coming in the form of a PDF, too, as computer reading isn't my first choice. :/
ReplyDeleteI think Yates book is my first read cowboy book, and it's pretty fun. Luke has been a pleasant surprise. Not sure if I will read Serious Moonlight, because I have to schedule it to be read on the weekend, when I am home, and I do the bulk of my reading during my commute, which was why I asked the publicist for a widget instead of a physical book. If I had known it was going to be a PDF, I would have asked for the book. Lesson learned.
DeleteYay for short week! And free food! That's awesome about your winning streak! PDFs are the worst. I'm assuming you have a kindle? Have you tried sending it to your kindle email with "Convert" as the subject? It doesn't always work well, but sometimes it converts pretty decently.
ReplyDeleteI have been winning so many things, I think I should try the Powerball. The convert command won't work because it's a protected PDF (ascm file). And yes, I have 3 Kindles, which is why I like mobi formats.
DeleteNothing like short weeks, free food, and winning books to put a smile on your face. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy all of your new reads, especially the Jenn Bennett book!
Still not sure if I will read the Bennett book. I am leaning towards waiting for it to be released, but who knows, I may have a good eye day, and try to read it.
Deleteoh those perks sound good Sam! Hope you are enjoying them though I know tax season can be stressful And, yeah, free pie is unquestionable :) Yay for winning so much! :) Especially a book that you wanted to read so badly :) And...YAY for publicist promo boxes! I'm so curious about To Night Owl From Dogfish! And it's so gorgeous! Looking forward to your review :)
ReplyDeleteTax season is just really busy for us with all the people waiting until the dead last second to get their contributions in. It's more paperwork too, but my company treats us pretty well to ease our pain. I am probably starting Night Owl tomorrow, so you may see some updates soon on that one.
DeleteI'm sorry you had a hard time reading Just For Clicks, some formattings are really, really bothering,I get you. I'm so happy you ended up enjoying it though, I adored this one so, so much. <3 I can't wait to hear your thoughts on You Asked For Perfect as well, I loved this one, too :)
ReplyDeleteHappy reading, I hope you'll have a wonderful week <3
It took me so much longer than it should have to read, but it was really good. I liked You Asked For Perfect. It was a really authentic look at the pressures teens face and I loved the way Silverman incorporated family, friendship, and faith into the story.
DeleteIt sounds like your week has been great! Congrats on all the wins! I hope you enjoy your new reads. I've seen SO MUCH hype for Serious Moonlight!
ReplyDeleteIf not great, at least there were great things, right? I absolutely adore Bennett. I am going to see how it goes with the PDF, but still not sure how it will go.
DeleteOh my goodness how did I miss Pi Day? When I was at secondary school we used to get free pie and I never missed it. I am glad you could enjoy the perks a lot. And yay for those wins! I love Barnard and also a promo box sounds so cool DD:
ReplyDeleteI think my job made up that Pi Day. When I was teaching, we celebrated on March 14th (3-14)
DeleteDefinitely can't wait to see your thoughts on Comics Will Break Your Heart. It looks so good. And Serious Moonlight!!! Super excited. Wonderful post, Sam! :)
ReplyDelete