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 hope all who celebrate are having a wonderful Mother's Day! I am without my own child, as usual, but will be heading to see her later in the week. I am looking forward to her performance and getting to spend a bit of time with her. My mother and I are going to the playhouse to see Murder on the Orient Express. My mother loves Christie's books, so it should be a good show for us both. After, we are heading out to dinner with dad.
I am looking forward to my little vacation for several reasons. Number one being seeing the kid, obviously, but I have also been unusually tired. It will be nice to escape the grind and the heat. It's been in the 80s. That is not typical May weather. Chicago looks like it's having a normal spring. I am excited to enjoy the cooler temperatures for a few days.
On the Blog
- Monday: Nutshell Reviews - The Book Charmer, Lost Lake
- Tuesday: Isn't It Romantic? - Twelve Dates of Christmas, Lovelight Farms
- Wednesday: #AmReading YA - Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, Begin Again
- Thursday:Isn't It Romantic - Same Time Next Summer, Emma of 83rd Street
- Friday: #AmReading - The Lost and Found Bookshop, Before I Do
- Saturday: Isn't It Romantic? - Lunar Love, The Rom-Com Agenda
Let's Discuss
- AJ shares some recommendations that readers have purchased
- The Orangutan Librarian explains that not all villains are ugly
Stacking the Shelves
I had several invites this week. Some are were books I had previously been invited to read, but the two below are new. Firkins is an author I enjoy, so I will definitely download that book, and I am leaning towards downloading the other one as well. I am super picky about my YA ARCs, but this one sounds like a wonderful story of family and connection. I love books like that!
Invites
- The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch by Jacqueline Firkins
- The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer
Read Last Week
A very solid week. I read a lot of romance, but the standouts of the week were my two ARCs. Both were so good. Wilder took me on quite a roller coaster ride with this Hollywood second chance romance, and Hubscher's book was perfection for me. It had a great rom-com feel with substance. The characters were charming, and I simply loved everything about it.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Called Up by Jen Doyle - ★★★ 1/2
- Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder - ★★★★★
- Play for Me by Libby Hubscher - ★★★★★
- The Match by Sarah Adams - ★★★★
- From the Top by Jacqueline Snowe - ★★★★
Audiobooks
- The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs - ★★★★ 1/2
- Spare Me by Tara Sivec - ★★★★
Currently Reading
I have become a fan of Harms' books, and this one had a fun premise. Two women from the same Iowa town with the SAME NAME enter a home giveaway. I am about halfway through and really enjoying seeing the two Janines slowly form a friendship while working through some of their personal issues.
Under the Boardwalk is an older romantic suspense. I don't normally read romantic suspense, but it's an author I know, and I am ticking off some reading challenge prompts. There's a good dose of humor and some heartwarming stuff that is keeping me listening.
- The Good Girls of Shipwreck Lane by Kelly Harms
- Under the Boardwalk by Carly Phillips (audiobook)
To Be Read
- A Little Too Late by Sarina Bowen
- Coen by Sawyer Bennett
- The Dane of My Existence by Jessica Martin
- Wanderlust by Elle Everhart
Let us know in the comments!
I'm so excited you get to see your girl this week! Sounds like it's a much needed getaway for more reasons than just Mothers Day. That video was hilarious. "That nectar from the hose." lol I love to see A Little Too Late and Coen coming up this week!
ReplyDeleteAll that guy's reels are hilarious. You know, they raised the KU price, and I really should take better advantage of the program. I am trying to read at least one book per week from there. I bought Coen on black Friday -- I am a slacker. Both are authors I adore, so I know they will hit the spot.
DeleteHappy Mother's Day! Great amount of books you read this past week. I really love the books you added. I hope you end up loving that Sarina Bowen, that series is so so fun.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt the Bowen will be good for me. I have read many of her books and not a stinker among them
DeleteI'm without my daughter this week, but have my son visiting. Spring in Chicago sounds like it'll be beautiful! I hope you post some pictures to share with us, Sam! I love Agatha Christie, too, so a play of Murder on the Orient Express sounds like the perfect treat for your mother! I hope you enjoy your afternoon and your trip to see your daughter!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a lovely time with your son (and that you can cuddle the baby). I am so bad at picture taking, but I will try to remember to take some. The play was great. I never read or saw the story before, so I had that extra bit of surprise as well
DeleteI hope you'll have a great time with your daughter Sam! And if you have unseasonably warm weather we have unseasonably cold and wet spring here!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind if it was a touch cooler. I never got to wear my thin long sleeves. I went straight from sweaters to short sleeves. I hate that
DeleteHave a good visit. Happy Mother's Day.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary! Happy Mother's Day to you too!
DeleteThat's so exciting you get to see your girl this week! I hope you two have so much fun! It's been unseasonably hot here in the PNW, too. We had 90 degrees this weekend and it's going to stay around there this whole week. YUCK.
ReplyDelete90 in PNW? In May? That's crazy!
DeleteP.S. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! (a day late)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Same to you! My daughter is actually taking Friday and Monday off. She is performing Thur - Sun, but I will get to spend some QT with her.
DeleteI'm excited for you to get to spend some time with your daughter and to escape the heat for a bit. That second part was one of the great things about my recent camping trip. We were experiencing temps that were 20 degrees cooler. It was wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt supposed to cool off here too. I always think I am winning, but I'm not. The trip will be nice. Casual. My kid is like me. We like to relax. Did you camp in the mountains?
DeleteI hope that you have a fabulous time on your trip to see your daughter. I know that sometimes a break is very much needed. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to a break, but mostly to seeing the kid. I haven't seen her since the beginning of Feb. It will be a good time
DeleteYay for getting to see your kiddo this week! I was only with one of mine on mother's day (I have 3). My oldest has been in Brazil for 3 months and now she's in France. It's the longest we've gone without seeing each other. I'll be seeing my middle child today! It's taking me some time to adjust to the new normal of not having them all under my roof. <3 I have The Search for Us coming up soon, as well. I hope we both enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteIt all started with college. --sigh-- I still cry every time I have to leave her. I don't know if I could deal with the kid being as far away as Brazil for so long. HEARTBREAK!
DeleteThat reel is hilarious - an kind of true??? lol
ReplyDeleteWe just got through our first heatwave of 5 over 90 degree days which is SO unusual for the PNW. I hope it's not a taste of what's to come this summer.
Enjoy your play/vacation/and visit with your daughter!
btw - you mentioned your daughter had VCD on my blog. That is what they suspect with me. Did she do speech therapy or anything to help resolve it?
Karen @For What It's Worth
That is such odd weather for you. Crazy! I think we stayed under 90, but I was still crying foul. They gave my daughter breathing exercises and told her the same thing they told you -- try not to cough. They may treat more these days. She was diagnosed as a kid (20 years ago). She does it a lot less now. She is a bit less high strung than she was as a kid. No joke.
DeleteThanks. Once I get the definitive diagnoses, the therapy is cough suppressant exercises, diaphragmatic breathing - which I already do, and exercises to open the vocal chords. Who knows if it will help.
DeleteThey say it happens to over achievers - either in academics or athletes (not me lol) or people with anxiety. ME.
I almost don't really care - it's more that I want to be sure it's not something more serious.
Not to discourage you, but my daughter said the exercises never helped her. She doesn't cough as much any longer, but does when she gets a cold/sick. Massive coughing that lasts for way too long. I hope it works out for you
Delete