Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

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

Happy Sunday! The Sunday Post of 2023. This wasn't the best year, but it wasn't the worst. I hope everyone made some great memories in 2023, and I wish you all the best for the upcoming year. I haven't done anything for New Year's since 1994. Is anyone celebrating in a fun way? 

Last week was a blur. Everyone in my house was sick. I am still feeling pretty miserable. Only my father went to the doctor, and he had a sinus infection and bronchitis. We all have coughs, stuffy heads, etc. General misery. At least I worked my three days last week from home. If I had to go to the office, I would have had to call out, and my team of five would be down to one. 

My daughter left Friday. It was tragic, as always. We didn't get to do much since we were all sick. I did buy my ticket to visit her in March, so only a few months. It will be a short trip, since it is to see her dance showcase, but we will have one day to do something together. 

My aunt and uncle visited this past week, and they left a small gift for me. When I opened it, I was in tears. Back when my parents were downsizing, moving from a large home to a townhome, they let every visitor take some mugs from my mother's collection. My aunt and uncle had taken one that was my grandparents, and that's what was in the gift bag. I remember my grandparents had a whole set and always drank from them, so it's lovely to have it back. Below is a picture of the mug with the gift from my daughter. I laughed when I saw the snuggi-thing. 

On the Blog

I usually do two weeks of Best Of posts, but I didn't feel like I had enough categories. I was able to honor almost every five-star book I read though. 

• Monday: Favorite Romances
• Tuesday: Favorite Fiction
• Wednesday: Favorite Backlist Books
• Thursday: Favorite Debuts
• Friday: Favorite New-to-Me Authors
• Saturday: Favorite Under the Radar Books

Let's Discuss

Tis the season, so all I really have to share is lots about reading challenges. Below are some great round ups if you are looking for some challenges.

• The Nerd Daily 2024 Reading Challenge
• Chapter Adventure January Reading Challenges/Events
• Chapter Adventure popular Storygraph Challenges
• Chapter Adventure Challenge Round-Up

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gramma Kiki (@619_zoogramma)

Stacking the Shelves

The end of the year is slow, but I did buy a few sale books. 

Purchased

• A Risk Worth Taking by Jessica Joyce
• Apples Should Be Red by Penny Watson

Read Last Week

I thought I would read more this week, but being sick and it being the holidays, I just finished my TBR. The Last Love Note emerged as my favorite. It was very emotional and wonderful. I knew I would love it! I successfully skipped from book 1 to book 4 in the Peach Tree Bluff series, and that was another winner for me. I love this family, and the strong community aspect made this such a lovely read. Canadian Boyfriend deserves a mention, too. I cannot say I bought into the "conflict", but I adored the characters, the romance, and their personal stories so much. 

Find all my reviews on Goodreads

Books

• Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey - ★★★★
• Rekindle the Flame by Kate Meader - ★★★★
• The Last Love Note by Emma Grey - ★★★★★
• Christmas in Peach Tree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey - ★★★★ 1/2
• Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday - ★★★★ 1/2

Audiobooks

• The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak ad Magic by Breanne Randall - ★★★★

Currently Reading

• Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
• Bain by Sawyer Bennett (audiobook)

To Be Read

• The Clementine Complex by Bob Mortimer
• The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
• Van2 by Sawyer Bennett
• Significant Others by Zoe Eisenberg

How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!