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
As I write this, it is about 7 am Saturday morning, and it has been raining since yesterday. I am really lacking the motivation to go out in the rain, though I really need to get some food. Maybe tomorrow?
You know what was really frustrating this week? Once again, my free online picture grid makers have reduced features until I pay. I use the most basic function of stitching the pictures together for my posts, and when I was looking around, there are some great paid options, but they are way more complicated than I need. I liked the one I used, because I picked the grid, dropped the pictures, resized to fit, and done. Anyone use anything good out there? Looking for suggestions.
I was proud of myself this week. I stuck to my TBR and there were no DNFs. My favorite book of the week was Shipped. It was an actual rom-com and had me laughing as I got to enjoy the wonders of the Galapagos Islands.
Books
Far from Normal was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases, and I am very excited to be starting it. I adored Wallace's last book and am hoping for more of the same.
I have been giving out my holiday gift already, so there won't be much under the tree from me. I had to give my mom her's early, because it was a Christmas tree. When my parents downsized to an apartment, my mother didn't fully comprehend the size difference. She tried her old tree one year, and then accepted it was too large for the space. Then she was sad about it, so when my co-workers showed me her new pull-up tree, I knew it would be a viable solution. These are great for small places, AND it only took about 3 minutes to put up (no lie). It's 6 ft high and only 3 ft wide. It's fully decorated, and flattens to a circle for storage. I was impressed.
Heard a rumor my company may be keeping people home until the end of the first quarter. That would mean I hadn't been to work in over a year. Just thinking about it is crazy to me. Fingers crossed one of these new positions I applied for pans out. Both do not require one to be in the office, and I think until they can really figure out new seating plans, they may try to limit the number of people onsite to those that cannot work from home.
Let's Discuss!
On the Blog:
STACKING THE SHELVES
Bought
Let's Discuss!
- I had no idea about this until I saw Amber's post. My daughter and I discussed extensively.
- Louise shares the reasons why she prefers soft sci-fi
- Maude explains why she reads more than one book at a time
On the Blog:
- Monday: #AmReading YA - Just Our Luck, Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily
- Tuesday: TTT - Best Ugly Cry of 2020
- Wednesday: CWW - A Taste for Love, Being Sloane Jacobs
- Thursday: Blog Tour - Write Before Christmas by Julie Hammerle
- Friday: Five Star Friday - November 2020
STACKING THE SHELVES
Bought
- Loverboy by Sarina Bowen
- New Year's Kiss by Lee Matthews
- The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
What I Read Last Week
I was proud of myself this week. I stuck to my TBR and there were no DNFs. My favorite book of the week was Shipped. It was an actual rom-com and had me laughing as I got to enjoy the wonders of the Galapagos Islands.
So, I didn't read the ebook I bought, but I did listen to Always Only You. I am utterly in love with this series and am glad I pre-ordered the third book. The Inheritance Games was another standout. I rather enjoy Barnes' books. I do wish I had read this rather than listened to it, but I am still chomping at the bit to continue the story.
Books
- Not My Match by Ilsa Madden-Mills - ★★★★
- Breathless by Jennifer Niven - ★★★★
- Shipped by Angie Hockman - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks - ★★★★
- Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill - ★★★★
- This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel - ★★★★
- The Two Date Rule by Tawna Fenske - ★★★★
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - ★★★★ 1/2
- Always Only You by Chloe Liese - ★★★★ 1/2
What I Am Currently Reading
Far from Normal was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases, and I am very excited to be starting it. I adored Wallace's last book and am hoping for more of the same.
Thank goodness for the Little House books. I struggle every year with those mid-western states for my 50 States Reading Challenge. Three cheers for the western expansion and the different states Laura and her family resided. 
- Far from Normal by Becky Wallace
- These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (audiobook)
What I Plan to Read
- This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry
- The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson
- Wider than the Sky by Katherine Rothschild
- Stealing Home by Nicole Williams
How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
Ugh, sorry work was so draining this week. I can relate. I was so happy to see Friday afternoon come around. Lame on the pic editing service. Please say you aren't referring to Canva. That's who I've been using and I surely do not want to have to pay. I used to love Pic Monkey but when they stopped being free I moved on. Love the tree option and it looks great! Seeing the Laura Ingalls Wilder book really took me back. I remember seeing all those books in my elementary school library.
ReplyDeleteCanva is much fancier than I need. I just want a grid, to sew pictures together, you know? Pic Monkey was a fave, and when it was limiting functionality, I switched to BeFunky. I revisited PicMonkey and now it's too fancy too. I really want limited functionality. I found an app yesterday, that seems to meet my needs. I guess I'll find out. I read the Little House books as a kid, but I don't really remember them, so I don't mind listening to them. It's interesting revisiting as an adult. You pick up on different things.
DeleteIt's been raining nonstop for a week here, and the upcoming one won't be any different. Plus, lots of nasty winds 😨.
ReplyDeleteI realise that working from home makes one feel like they never get a real break...but at least you aren't out in the cold, rain or snow trying to catch your bus or train and praying for them to be on time...
We had two days of heavy rain, but I was ok with that, as this noreaster brought snow further up the coast. Sounds like you had weather like ours. I am pretty strict about my quitting time, so work from home is ok for me, and I am definitely winning the commuting game
DeleteWow busy times indeed! Our family tree has quite a lot under the tree. After my sister moved out we changed the Santa story a bit, so basically at Mimi's (what my niece calls my mom) you get presents from her (and her husband) and me. I used to save some Santa presents for my mom and stepdad to keep up the tradition, but these last few years, Santa only drops off socks at Mimi's house. Lol. So our tree has quite a bit under it, especially since my sister is having her third child in March, baby #3 has a few gifts under the tree as well! That sounds like a nifty tree for small places, though I do still like all my personal ornaments that I've had since childhood and growing.
ReplyDeleteNice new reads! All new to me ones, but I hope you will enjoy them all!
Thanks for visiting my StS!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
You know, as the kids get older, the gifts get smaller. I think I am doing all cash gifts for everyone else.
DeleteThat's impressive for your mom's tree Sam!!! And I think my company will keep us home until the end of Q1 2021 too. One year home! Think about the shock when we'll both have to run again to catch our train!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
It blows my mind, that I have been home for this long, yet, it has really flown by. That return to the office is going to be tough.
DeleteThat is the thing about working from home that I don't enjoy - it's hard to turn off work mode and not feel like you could/should be checking in, even on your days off!
ReplyDeleteI refuse to check in on my day off. I knew there was a mountain of work, but it was my day off. When I first started working, my team was always swamped. I would go in on the weekends all the time. The money was good, but I am within my allowable service levels. The work will be there on Monday.
DeleteLooks like you had a great week of reading there. I don't have any motivation to go anywhere today either, I just don't feel like it. I just want to relax and read today. I think its awesome that your mom's tree just is so easy. It takes us at least an hour. LOL Hope you have a great Sunday!
ReplyDeleteI used to think my motivation was low on the weekends, because my commute was such a beast, but I must accept the truth. I like not going out, if I don't have to. Our old tree took hours to put up, string lights, fluff, and decorate. This tree was an amazing experience, and it was as much a gift for my dad as it was for my mom, since he always had to do the tree.
DeleteWhat a beautiful tree! I love the awesome trees they have now, it makes me wonder if I should get one! And I'm glad to hear your work is proactive like that. So many places aren't, I'm glad that there are some who are trying to be forward thinking.
ReplyDeleteThose waffle cone guys are adorable :)
I would have never taken a chance on that tree had I not known someone who bought it, but I am really impressed by it. My job has been good about work from home. I mean, they found me a position so I could stay home, but I have not heard anything about them reconfiguring our physical space. I don't think we will ever go back to "before"
DeleteI have days that I just can't do anything else after work, walking the dogs, and getting dinner on the table. Who would have thought that the need to work from home would go on for so long. I am sorry that you have been so exhausted. Yay for a good reading week! Have a good week, Sam!
ReplyDeleteI have a lot less disruptions at home, so I pretty much plow through my work. But, we had an outage and are overloaded with cases because of that with complaints. The good thing is I am already home once I log off.
DeleteA tree that is fully decorated?! What is this magic you speak of lol! I'm going to have to go look that up and keep in mind for when I'm older and don't want to do as much as I do now. That sounds so neat! And the hedgehog in the ice cream picture is so, so, so cute! Thank you for the smile!
ReplyDeleteJen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog
You join the two poles, stick them in the base, pull the tree up, and plug it in. DONE! It's a great solution if you don't have much space or if you are my dad and tired of all the work. He was really happy about it.
DeleteThat Christmas tree is amazing, I love the idea it just pops up, so clever.
ReplyDeleteI use Canva, When they offer me the free trial period I automatically resize any posts I need but when it’s free I usually just pic my shape and press the grid option I need. More and more of them are hiding behind paywalls, I’ve noticed with Canva more features are moving to premium.
Have a great week!
We always had big, live trees when I was growing up, but they don't have the space. This worked out really well. Boo! I found a free app at the App Store which "sews" my pictures together. That's all I ever do. I don't want to pay for a billion features I will never use, you know?
DeleteI use an HTML code I have saved in a word document to display my book covers together. Is that what you mean? I just copy and paste in the book info into the code and it works well. I've tried to use Canva to make blog headers but to resize it the way I'd like I'd have to pay and I'm not going to do that.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your job search! Are you looking because you don't want to go back to in-office work? I wouldn't either if I had the commutes you described before Covid.
I use a program to take all the book covers and make a single image. It's sort of time consuming to upload each image, even if you have the table formatting. I found something free that does what I need, and it was an app, so not tricky paywall happening there (I hope). I am looking for a new position, because it's time to more on. There is no mobility in my team. The team I am working with right now (who will have a few openings soon) has two different levels without being management or having to leave. The other job I applied for is supervision track, which I have been interested in for a while. And, both those positions can be work from home, which is nice.
DeleteSorry you had a long week at work--hope next week is better and you don't feel so run down.
ReplyDeleteLove that Christmas tree---it looks great for something that flattens into a circle!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Work is still killing me, but at least the day goes by quickly. I was very impressed by the tree. It exceeded my expectations
DeleteSounds like a rough week for work. I hope that this week is a little less stressful. I love the Christmas tree you got your mom - how cute! I haven't seen anything like that before. And good luck with the jobs you applied for - I'm crossing my fingers for you!
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I am glad my co-worker had showed me the tree, because now mom is happy
DeleteLast week was a rough one. I don't know if it was the let down from Thanksgiving week or what. I was exhausted, too.
ReplyDeletePost holidays are rough. At least at the end of the workday, I have a zero minute commute.
DeleteI've been using picmonkey for years but I pay, I think, £50 a year for it... Bit ridiculous really but I like it even though it's expanded from a simple editor to something in between a basic editor and photoshop.
ReplyDeleteI imagine my work will be pushing March/April before we get close to returning to the office properly... There are many who haven't been back since March '20 too. It's been a strange ol' year.
I hope this week is less draining for you.
I re-visited Picmonkey and it had way more features than I was interested in. I just want to sew pictures into a single image. I found a free app that can get the job done.
DeleteI feel you on the work situation. Reading what you've been going through just had me nodding my head in commiseration. I hope you're able to find something that is a better fit for you.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind what I am doing, but there is no mobility in my actual position. You have to leave my team to advance. The job I applied for is a supervision track, and I have been interested in that. I would have to get licensed again, but I did it once, I could do it again, right?
DeleteI totally get your "empty-tank" feeling! I'm feeling the same. As a teacher I try to make as much hours of hard learning with the kids, but these days, the final hour of the day we just read, draw of watch some TV! Just 1.5 week to go...
ReplyDeleteWhen I teaching -- I was empty tank for 12 years. There's a reason it's a vocation, because it's a tough job
DeleteGood luck with the job opportunities.
ReplyDeleteI feel like life is so disorienting right now. I was a loner anyway and am able to do most things from home but knowing you can't or aren't going anywhere for so long is still weird. Kevin will be home for the foreseeable future too.
Love the tree!
And I use PicMonkey but they keep raising the rates and adding fancy features I don't use.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
I feel bad for my in-office mates, as they are stuck doing all the work with half the team. I heard they are going to hire a new in-office person though. Fingers crossed I get an interview. They always drag out this stuff at year-end. I found a free app on the App store, so I am ok now.
DeleteUgh. Sam. Reading your Sundays with Sam posts always makes me feel like such a flake! XD You read so much, blog so much -- I don't know how you do it! Keep up the AMAZING work. I love it despite my jealousy. ;) <3
ReplyDeleteThat tree is adorable! What a wonderful idea. I hope your mother loves it.
Let's see, I don't have a husband, kids (or any on the way), or a farm. Of course I have more time than you. It happens when you get old. I think you get a lot accomplished given everything that's on your plate.
DeleteI’m like a week late to this post oops. I know what you mean having nothing left in the tank after work for comments and such, that was me this week. I’ve just felt exhausted all week and even the weekend hasn’t helped me to feel well rested. Sucks about the free picture thing you use going paid. More and more things are doing that and it’s frustrating to say the least.
ReplyDelete