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! I hope everyone's year is off to a great start. I am still fighting off whatever I caught at Christmas. I was so rundown that I called out sick on Thursday, and that is something I rarely do. It went from cough and congestion to serious facial pain and my cervical lymph node on the left side was about the size of a golf ball. I had swelling under my tongue, too. It was very unsettling. I broke down and went to the doctor. They gave me a twice a day antibiotic, but also told me to suck on lemons which would help if the issue is in my saliva gland. I will try anything at this point.
There is a storm system moving along the coast. They said we would get a wintery mix Saturday, but it coming down and accumulating at one point. That point was when I had to go to the doctor and the pharmacy, of course, but it did eventually turn to all rain. Whew! I am in no mood for shoveling snow. There is another storm right behind that one, all rain, but still a fierce storm. Lots of precipitation in these parts.
On the Blog
- Monday: Reviews - Positively Penelope, Dealbreakers
- Tuesday: TTT - New Additions
- Wednesday: CWW - This Disaster Loves You, The City Baker's Guide to Country Living
- Thursday: Reviews - The Magic All Around, The One That Got Away
- Friday: Five Star Friday - December 2023
- Saturday: Discussion - 2023 Reading Wrap-Up
Let's Discuss
Right now, most people are sharing their yearly wrap up posts, and I am enjoying finding out how everyone's year went. I didn't find too many other kinds of posts, but Briana had an interesting one.
- Briana predicts some trends in blogging for 2024
Stacking the Shelves
It was a great week of approvals! I almost cried when I got the approval for the new Carley Fortune book. That is one of my most anticipated books of 2024. Very exciting stuff. I grabbed the adult debut from Sellet when it was Read Now. I adored By the Book and am hoping for more of that magic.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet
- The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
- This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Purchased
- The Happily Ever After Bookstore by Bernadette Marie
Read Last Week
This reading year has had a bit of a rough start. I think I DNFed five books last week. My mood may be poor due to not feeling well, but these books just were NOT grabbing me. One wasn't what I thought it was either. It was sold as a book about a female friendship, and it turned into something about a throuple. Just not my thing.
BUT, Sophie reminded me of about a book on my TBR, it was available at the library, and it was so good! Eudora Honeysett ended up being my top read this week. This book had A Man Called Ove vibes, but was still very much its own story. I laughed, I cried, my heart exploded. It was wonderful!
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Ready or Not by Cara Bastone - ★★★★ 1/2
- Talking at Night by Claire Daverly - ★★★★
- The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller - ★★★★
- Van2 by Sawyer Bennett - ★★★★
- The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons - ★★★★★
Audiobooks
- Bain by Sawyer Bennett - ★★★★
Currently Reading
I am loving being back in Coyote Canyon. Ellen's past is heartbreaking, and I am so invested in seeing her get her HEA.
The Spy and I is good too. So far, it's lots of fun. I love the female hacker thing and am eager to get further into this book.
- The Spy and I by Tiana Smith
- The Talk of Coyote Canyon by Brenda Novak (audiobook)
To Be Read
- What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
- Five Winters by Kitty Johnson
- Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlito
- Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair by Laura Piper Lee
Let us know in the comments!
OK first I am very sorry that you are so unwell Sam! That must have been concerning indeed! Second I AM SO HAPPYYYYYYYY that you loved Eudora as much as I did!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteMy face is quite scary right now. A bit of a Jabba the Hut look. Eudora was wonderful! I think her sister was a psychopath though.
DeleteSorry your still feeling unwell! I caught something just before Christmas (I suspect my office Christmas party was to blame but totally worth it) and I still have a bit of a cough lurking. Either our immune systems are getting worse or there are some illnesses going about which are tougher than usual. Hopefully the antibiotics and lemons help. I am tempted to write up a post for my 2023 since I was so absent from blogging it would be fun to look back at my favourites. We'll see if I have a spare couple of hours to draft something.
ReplyDeleteI hate when a year starts with a bunch of DNFs because it then feels like it takes forever to get into the reading groove. I know when I'm sick the bad mood definitely impacts my reading, I think I spent a week just watching tv as I lost all ability to focus on a book. I hope you enjoy Before We Were Strangers, I read that one last year (I think, or maybe the year before) and it surprised me, I enjoyed it more than I thought.
I agree. My mood definitely affects my reading. That Carlino book is old. I am surprised to see you read it just last year. Good to hear it was enjoyable. I hope you do some sort of favorites post. This time of year is such a treat because I get to read such posts.
Delete"I think I DNFed five books last week. My mood may be poor due to not feeling well, but these books just were NOT grabbing me. One wasn't what I thought it was either. It was sold as a book about a female friendship, and it turned into something about a throuple."
ReplyDelete5 DNFs in a week? 😮 And, wait...a throuple???? Hardly what you had been promised LOL.
I hope by now you've started to feel better, because that sounds like a nightmare. I still have a coarse voice after 2 weeks, but that's my "normal"...
The throuple really threw me for a loop. That's what I get for thinking I can read literary fiction. I think those authors like to put stuff in their stories purely for shock value. Obviously, I was not the target audience here. I feel like garbage and look a little like Jabba the Hut. I dread going out in public looking like this. The swelling is really bad in my neck. Hurts too.
DeleteUgh, so sorry you're not feeling well! I don't call out sick from work a lot either, but sometimes you just have to. I hope the medicine helps soon. We didn't get as much snow as I thought we would, but it was enough for Henry to walk around in, so he was happy!
ReplyDeleteIf I could work from home, I would do it. I did that the week after Christmas (they let us WFH more days) and I could handle the misery since I didn't have to travel. Henry looked like he enjoyed the white stuff
DeleteYes! Let's normalize it! Well, except for scrolling Booktok. Read blogs instead!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're still unwell. I'm glad you went to the doctor and are getting taken care of.
I don't scroll BookTok either, but I found that reel amusing.
DeleteI'm sorry you're not feeling well! Lymph nodes swollen to the size of a golf ball? Yikes! I hope the meds clear out everything and you feel better especially with the bad weather coming. I hope you don't have to commute in it!
ReplyDeleteMy reading hasn't been stellar since the first of the year either. I need something to knock my socks off! I hope you love The Talk of Coyote Canyon as much as I did.
My face looks distorted and it hurt. I can't tell if the antibiotic is working yet, but I am hoping for the best. I am enjoying Coyote Canyon. I am sad for Ellen's lost childhood, but I am glad she is going to get her HEA
DeleteI hope that you are feeling better soon! Have a largely swollen gland sounds horrible! You still got a lot of great reading done (even if you had a few dnfs). I hope that you have a much improved week.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if it's a gland or lymph node, but something is sticking out the side of my neck and the swelling goes from the left ear under my chin. It's sore too.
DeleteI hope you're feeling better! We got some snow here overnight but it all melted. It was pretty to see though.
ReplyDeleteHope your new year is off toa good start in spite of being sick.
It seems I am destined to be unwell right now. Ho, hum. I am surprised you have not had more snow your way. Don't you normally get a lot out there?
DeleteThe sickness that's been floating around finally caught up to me this week too. Thankfully, it was a quick 24 hour bug. Wishing you a great week!
ReplyDeleteI wish it was 24 hours, but I am glad it wasn't too bad for you
DeleteI hope you are feeling better and the weather has cleared up for you by now.
ReplyDeleteWe're about to get our first really cold and snowy weather this week. I hate it lol
We are getting hammered with rain right now. I think it's another coastal storm, but it coming from way south. Saw some scary footage from Florida. Stay warm and I hope you don't get too much snow.
DeleteSo sorry your illness has lingered for so long! I hope you're finally starting to feel better after being on the antibiotics! Love that Insta video you shared--so funny!!
ReplyDeleteStill a little swelling/pain in my neck, but it's better. I have a nice three day weekend to relax. I remember getting fired up watching the reel until the end. So well done
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