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 had a great week. I was sure happy to hear that Phil didn't see his shadow. Honestly, we haven't had too much winter here in NJ, but I don't want any. The afternoon temperatures aren't bad (mid 40s), but it's below freezing in the morning, and I never know how long I will be waiting on the platform for the train.
Wednesday, I checked the app, and it said the train would be there in 29 minutes. So, I drove over, and when I checked departurvision, my train was showing no time, then it was showing delayed, until they canceled it. I get there at 4:40 am. The next train was at 5:52 am. I guess I should be happy that it was above freezing, but it was a long wait, AND that next train was delayed by 10 minutes. I was running and hoping that the shuttle driver didn't leave me. Kind of made me cranky for the rest of the day.
On Thursday, a bunch of us ventured up to the third floor of our building to get a peek at the renovations. They are changing the building and putting us in these "villages". We won't have our own desks. We will have to reserve a space. I kind of hate that, but the actual set up was not terrible. It was odd the way all the desks were in rows, facing the same direction, but the desk was big enough and all were convertible (can rise to be standing desks). There were no trash bins at the desks. One has to walk to a centralized area to get rid of trash, and no desk drawers. You get a locker which is the size of my high school gym locker. I don't really use the drawers, so I don't care about that, but I like having my own dedicated desk. I don't like sharing my mouse and keyboard and chair. The new bathrooms were great. They finally abandoned that awful but popular stall design, and there are stalls with no gaps! I was excited about that. The pantry was probably the highlight. It's very slick looking with a really nice water station. Right now, they have these filter stations, but the water tastes terrible. That's why I lug my 64 oz of filtered water from home every day. But the new kitchen has crush ice, yummy filtered water, AND a water station that lets you pick a flavor and you can have still or sparkling water. I was pretty excited about it.
My daughter celebrated a birthday. I have not spent a birthday with her in over a decade. It never gets any easier, but that's my reality. I always was too nervous to travel where she was in February. Both Syracuse and Chicago can get some winter weather. As a matter of fact, I am hoping for the best when I go to see her show next month. They usually do it closer to Mother's Day, but it's the beginning of March this year. I am crossing my fingers and toes that I don't encounter any winter weather.
On the Blog
Let's Discuss
- The Black Librarian talks about review anxiety
- Annie Cardi shares YA books that spin classics for a contemporary audience
- Krysta tells us about YA historical fantasies that transform the past
Stacking the Shelves
I was really happy to get the approval for The Happiness Blueprint. The author is new-to-me, but the story sounds so good. I was also glad to get an invite for the new Wendy Wunder. I have enjoyed her books in the past and wasn't aware she had something new coming out.
BUT! The biggest surprise was getting an email that I was auto-approved by Harlequin Trade Publishing on Netgalley. I only have one other publisher auto-approval (on Edelweiss), so I was pretty happy.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- The Happiness Blueprint by Ally Zetterberg
- Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown
- Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller
Invites
- A Better World by Sarah Langan
- Mysterious Ways by Wendy Wunder
- Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss
- Better Must Come by Desmond Hall
Read Last Week
This was quite a good reading week. The surprise was that my top book was an audiobook. I sometimes worry that I don't always get the same experience when I listen versus reading a book, but Out on a Limb was so warm and wonderful that nothing could hamper my enjoyment. There were a lot of tears shed, both happy and sad, between all these books. These novellas keep exceeding my expectations, too. I adored the CLo short. The whole premise was wonderful, and the way they let it play out was the type of stuff I live for.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Love, Me by Jessica Saunders - ★★★★ 1/2
- Situationship by Maria Adair - ★★★★
- The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski - ★★★★ 1/2
- In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher - ★★★★ 1/2
Audiobooks
- Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood - ★★★★
- Flirtation or Faceoff by Leah Brunner - ★★★★
- Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young - ★★★★★
Currently Reading
The Bookbinder's Guide to Love is going well. I like this couple because they both need to heal. The found family and the book stuff are pluses as well.
I am not too far into The Forever Farmhouse, but I am happy to return to this world. I enjoyed my last visit to this town, and I am always up for a second chance romance.
- The Bookbinder's Guide to Love by Katherine Garbera
- The Forever Farmhouse by Lee Tobin McClain
To Be Read
- The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh
- My Darling Bride by Ilsa Madden Mills
- The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracy Garvis Graves
- The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Let us know in the comments!
I guess the good and the bad of your new working environment balance each other...if only your commute could be so gracious 😬.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity that your daughter's birthday is in the dead of winter (happy belated birthday Kiersten BTW!).
"The biggest surprise was getting an email that I was auto-approved by Harlequin Trade Publishing on Netgalley"
Eeeee! Doesn't it make you feel special when a publisher auto-approves you?
My daughter was actually born in a snowstorm. There was a foot and half of snow my father had to shovel in order to get me to the hospital. Took hours. I was pretty surprised to get the approval, and I do read quite a few books from that pub. A nice surprise for sure
DeleteHappy birthday to your daughter! Two of the things I hate most about my job are not having assigned computers and not having assigned cars. Sometimes I REALLY need a computer or a car, but there aren't any available. I end up just sitting around and watching TikTok until I can do my work.
ReplyDeleteThat is annoying especially if they expect you to get the work done by a certain time.
DeleteYou take your train at 4:40 AM??? Wow! and I was complaining as I have to be up at 5 AM when going to the office....
ReplyDeleteI catch the 4:58 am train. I leave my house at 4:30 am and am usually at the station by 4:40 am (I live 2 miles away).
DeleteSorry to hear you had such hassles with waiting for your train, especially when the wait is so cold!!! I wouldn't travel to Chicago in the winter either. Winter travel to cold places can be problematic with no idea if your flight will be canceled or delayed. I'm looking forward to that Christina Lauren short! Glad it's on KU!
ReplyDeleteI have to hope for the best when I head to Chicago in a few weeks. Let's hope the ground hogs were right. Let's gets the most of that KU subscription. I try to read at least one book a week from there. I hope you enjoy the CLo book as much as I did
DeleteWorkplace changes. I hear a lot about those now. Pods or everyone together no cubicles or privacy. Everything changes I suppsoe. I'm not a big fan of the sharing a workspace trending.
ReplyDeleteI don't care about privacy because I don't have to do a lot of meetings and what not, but I don't want to share a keyboard, mouse, and chair. We may have a dedicated space because we have to maintain physical files for FINRA. Could be my saving grace.
DeleteHow in the world do you get up that early?? I can't even imagine! The new work stations sound... interesting. Making it so de-personalized is unique, although the extra perks sound nice!
ReplyDeleteIt's a lifestyle. I go to bed between 9 and 10, and I am up by 1am. I don't sleep. Isn't it strange with the push for back to office they want to make it so sterile.
DeleteGlad that despite not having your own desk that there are some things to be excited about with work. Fingers crossed you'll have great weather for your trip in March. Happy birthday to your daughter!! It is sad not to be with them on their birthdays. I can relate to that. I'm really hoping I can pick up Out on a Limb soon. I keep hearing great things!
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I walked up to the third floor this morning to enjoy some crushed ice and flavored water. It's been so long since I spent a birthday with my daughter that I am kind of used to it. I don't see her for mother's day either. It's awful! Out on a Limb really surprised me. I wasn't sure how I would feel because the author's opening note was a little preachy on a certain topic, but it was really fun and touching and sweet, and the author did a beautiful job weaving in bits about their limb difference. I loved it!
DeleteThat commute sounds like such a (ongoing) hassle. I'm sure winter makes it 10x's worse.
ReplyDeleteThe work situation sounds like a mixed bag. I would want my own stuff too. Are there enough spaces for everyone? Like, what happens if you don't get a space first?
It could be worse. These could snow to deal with. I feel like I have been pretty lucky there. I was told that there would be as many seats as people, but those working in the new setup say that's not true. You have to reserve a seat online and check in when you arrive. For a company that is pushing back to office, they are certainly making it hard.
DeleteI don't like change at all. But sounds like some things are better while some things are iffy. As long as you mostly like the changes then it's a win.
ReplyDeleteChange is hard, and it does seem it's always a mixed bag.
DeleteThose building renovations sounds WILD. It kind of sounds like a coworking space. I imagine there are going to be people who like shaking things up. Personally I really love having and decorating my own space, but sometimes renovations bring fun things!!
ReplyDelete