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 am enjoying a nice three-day weekend. Next week will really be rude. It will be my first full work week in months. All good things must end.
Not much going on. We had some raging rain storms here. My area did ok, but there was some massive flooding in NJ. I did enjoy the warmer temperatures though and opened the windows a bit. I like to air the place out when I can. I didn't really do much this week. I had my dentist appointment. The streak of no cavities ever continues. Other than that, I only went to work.
I did get a nice surprise, and I firmly believe it's never too late get a sweet Christmas card. In fact, it's even more of a delight post holiday. Thank you, Roberta!
On the Blog
- Monday: Reviews - Take Two Birdie Maxwell, Principles of (E)Motion
- Tuesday: TTT - New Year, New Beginning
- Wednesday: CWW - Love Me, Before We Were Strangers
- Thursday: Reviews - The Last Love Note, The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett
- Friday: Discussion - Challenge Accepted
- Saturday: Sloth Goes Places- "A" States
Let's Discuss
Stacking the Shelves
This was an amazing week! I got a bunch of great approvals, but the best were the invitations. I was feeling sorry for myself when I boldly requested some BIG books and was quickly rejected, but then I got invites for two of my most anticipated releases, and well, I felt a bit better.
- The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick
- Jenny James is Not a Disaster by Debbie Johnson
- Lovers and Liars by Amanda Eyre Ward
Invites
- The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
- The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor
- Sunday Money by Maggie Hill
- Red by Annie Cardi
- A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi
- Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
Read Last Week
Lots of great reading last week. I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed Before We Were Strangers. Romances are usually good for a solid 4-stars from me, but this one deserved a bit more. My emotions, my emotions! Loved it! Five Winters was a great story that played out over several years. It was emotional too. I have been having good luck with Japanese translations. Like the last one I read, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library was a quiet story, but it had a big impact. My trip back to Coyote Canyon was fantastic as well. I was surprised by a few things, but also happy with the way Novak let it all shake out.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- The Spy and I by Tiana Smith - ★★★★
- What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - ★★★★ 1/2
- Five Winters by Kitty Johnson - ★★★★ 1/2
- Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlito - ★★★★ 1/2
- Apples Should Be Red by Penny Watson - ★★★★
Audiobooks
- The Talk of Coyote Canyon by Brenda Novak - ★★★★ 1/2
Currently Reading
I am almost done with A Guide to Being Just Friends. This has been fun, and I am very invested in this friend thing moving to more. Both hero and heroine deserve an HEA.
The relationships in and among the Murphy family is always wonderful to read about. I am enjoying being back in Peachtree Bluff. My heart has been broken a bit, but I know there will be a big payoff at the end of this one.
- The Secret to Southern Charm by Kristy Woodson Harvey
- A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan (audiobook)
To Be Read
- Return to Tradd Street by Karen White
- Hooked on You by Kathleen Fuller
- Right on Cue by Falon Ballard
- Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
Let us know in the comments!
Glad you got some fun ARCS to read and hope you end up loving them! I got some Christmas cards too from some bloggers and it just warmed my heart.
ReplyDeleteI do love seeing family relationships in books. Looks like you had a great week of reading there!
I remember when dysfunctional families was the trend, so it makes me happy to see so much of the opposite these days.
DeleteOooh I see the Rom-Commers! Where did you get it? From the publisher or on Netgalley? Also good luck for your first full workweek!
ReplyDeleteThe publisher sent me The Rom-Commers. I was pretty excited to get that email.
DeleteThat Christmas card is so cute!! Congrats on the books you got! I love when I get invites from pubs for my favorites! It helps ease the burn of rejection for all the other books! Hahaha!
ReplyDeleteI often get invites for books I am not interested in, so it was exciting to get two anticipated books. I had a swelled head and requested the new Emily Henry and CLo which I was quickly rejected for. I hadn't requested their books in a while, but I was very feeling very optimistic for some reason. Lesson learned.
DeleteLong weekends are nice, and it's hard to go back to long weeks. We're getting a ton of snow here, it's a mess.
ReplyDeleteBefore We Were strangers looks fun.
You all get a lot of winter out there. Are you in the UP? It's worse there, isn't it? Stay warm!
DeleteNo, we're in the lower peninsula, thankfully. Around Grand rapids area.
DeleteWhew! Still MI, but not as much winter?
DeleteHave a wonderful weekend! I'm sorry you have to go back to a full week of work. It sounds like you've had a nice break!
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't have to worry about the full week until next week.
DeleteThat card is so cute. I hope this next week is good, even if it is long!
ReplyDeleteI just want to get through this week. The forecast is for some low temperatures. I shouldn't complain, my daughter is in sub-zero temperatures. I am just no that hardy
DeleteHahaha, I love that Christmas card. Enjoy your 3-day weekend!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite a slothtasic card
DeleteLOL, my card got a lot of exposition, didn't it? 😅 "Slothtastic" 😂.
ReplyDeleteAt least you're easing into your first full work week with a free Monday! And thank goodness for no flooding and no cavities.
"I was feeling sorry for myself when I boldly requested some BIG books and was quickly rejected"
I wonder WHO gets such books...people with a YouTube/Tik Tok account maybe? Or Instagram users? Because as far as blogs are concerned, you sure must get lot of traffic, and are an indefatigable reviewer...so, if not you, who indeed?
This week will only be four days. Next week will be five. UGH! It's so cold too. Going to be 19F (-7C) tomorrow morning, but I should be happy I am not with my daughter. They will be sub zero (-17C) all week. You card was such a nice gesture. Really, it meant a lot. People with big accounts get the big books, or people who are lucky enough to still be on mailing lists. Essentially, not me. I think blogs are just not looked on as favorably as the other socials (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube). I am lucky. My library will get those books. I will read them at some point in my life.
DeleteThese rain storms have been wild - so much flooding near us!
ReplyDeleteWe have been really lucky. No flooding even in the parts of town that are near water.
DeleteI'm glad you got some good books. We had a little rain here last week and a lot of clouds.
ReplyDeleteDo you really ever get a lot of rain? I know it can get really cold at night, but you live in a desert climate, no?
DeleteI am so stinking excited about The Rom-Commers! Katherine Center can do no wrong. I hate that feeling of being denied for a book. I don't have to request much anymore since I can just download most of what is listed on Edelweiss but it is a terrible feeling. Enjoy all of these great reads and have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteIt's true, Carole, Center can do no wrong. I guess that's the perk of working a billion hours, lol! They were all BIG books, so my library with get them.
DeleteNice to hear the weather wasn't too bad for you. Boo to full weeks again. Yay to no cavities! The electric toothbrushes are so wonderful. I thought I remember you saying you use one, too.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you enjoyed The Talk of Coyote Canyon and you're continuing Tradd St. I keep renewing my loan for the first in Tradd St. but so many review books get in the way!
We just got more snow last night. It's a bit of mess right now, but you know, winter. My Sonic is the best! I am good with review books since I set that personal limit, but I don't travel and do great things as much as you. More time for reading.
DeleteHave you seriously not had a cavity? I feel like I need to know how you manage it, I've had a streak of not having anymore fillings since I found my new dentist a couple of years ago but I don't think that will last forever. We've had some cold weather here it's not been fun and now we're looking forward to a storm on Sunday so that should be fun.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see you enjoyed Before We Were Strangers, it was the same for me. I read it and enjoyed it far more than I expected.
That's my claim to fame - 51 years and no cavities. I have so few accomplishments, so I toot that one every year. I have all my teeth too (4 wisdom teeth!) I have a thing for books where characters are randomly brought back together. Maybe I believe in fate more than I think, but it's always pleasing to me when that is part of a story. Carlino did a great job with that aspect.
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