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 is doing well. Not much to tell here. I had Monday off, got my hair cut. Other than that, I just worked. Same old, same old.
I was so excited the other day when I was looking through Netgalley and saw this book called Chronically Delores. The cover shows a feet under a bathroom stall door, so I thought maybe it was about IBS or something like that. NO! It is about a girl with Interstitial Cystitis which is a bladder disease that I have. I cannot say I have ever seen anyone talk about this except my doctor, but the description in the book summery is right on the mark, describing IC as a painful disease that isn't life threatening. Anyhow, it was surprising to see in a book.
It was a little lackluster as far as approvals go this week. I got NONE! I am sitting on some widgets and downloads. I want to wait until I am ready to read them. I like seeing my NG ratio that high. HA!
On the Blog
- Monday: Reviews - The Talk of Coyote Canyon, The Messy Life of Jane Tanner
- Tuesday: TTT - Bookish Super Powers
- Wednesday: CWW - Crow Talk, Well That Was Unexpected
- Thursday: Reviews - The Trail of Lost Hearts, Out on a Limb
- Friday: Six Degrees of Separation - The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett
- Saturday: Sloth Goes Places - "M" States
Let's Discuss
- Carol shares her reading tastes
- Your Book Friend has some book news
- Based on a True Story makes the case for shifters being the best paranormal characters
Read Last Week
Another solid week which was DNF free. Sampson's book was one of my favorites. I think it's being marketed as a mystery, but it really didn't seem like one to me. There were unknowns and maybe a few nefarious events, but it didn't feel like a mystery. It WAS a lovely story of friendship and forgiveness, and I really enjoyed it. I also like The Happiness Blueprint a lot. I loved how Alex and Klara found someone who gave them comfort and friendship. The way Alex saw Klara was especially precious because she struggled with her confidence, but he only seemed to see all her strengths. I was surprised with one of the choices the author made. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected. Regardless, I liked it a lot.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer - ★★★★
- Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto - ★★★★
- The Happiness Blueprint by Ally Zetterburg - ★★★★ 1/2
- Nosey Neighbors by Freya Sampson - ★★★★ 1/2
- Weekends with You by Alexandra Paige - ★★★★
Audiobooks
- Passion or Penalty by Leah Brunner - ★★★★
Currently Reading
I have not really read any of The Takeover. This book has such mixed reviews, but people I trust liked it, so I am giving it a go. I am about halfway through Check & Mate. There is some of that typical young adult stuff that makes me roll my eyes, but overall, I am enjoying it.
- The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi
- Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (audiobook)
To Be Read
- The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
- Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
- Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle
- The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore
Let us know in the comments!
Quiet weeks can be good, and no new approvals means more time to read other books which can be nice. I feel like after the longest January in the world it's quite nice having a more relaxing February. I actually read Check & Mate earlier in the month and enjoyed it. I was annoyed at the parental absence that was only weakly explained but as a whole the romance got me. Ali Hazelwood always seems to write books I think will be a bit meh and I enjoy more than expected. I should probably go into all books with low expectations.
ReplyDeleteJanuary was long for you? I thought it flew by, same as this month. I have to say, I agree with a lot of readers who felt Check & Mate didn't feel YA. It feels more new adult to me with an 18 year old heroine and 20 year old hero who have little to no parental supervision and have jobs. There's a lot about hook up apps, too which reads a bit older to me. I generally like her books because they amuse me, but like a lot of YA, I feel like there are things just being stuck in her to check boxes. It's fun and I like the chess storyline and the romance.
DeleteNo approval this week Sam?? I am shocked ;-)
ReplyDeleteI am already maxed out through June, so the books I am requesting are far out.
DeleteIsn't it wild when books get close to your real life? I had selective mutism as a kid and then randomly saw it in a book called After Zero. I hadn't thought about mutism in years. That was a weird way to bring back those memories.
ReplyDeleteI have read a few books with characters with selective mutism (had a kid in my class one year, too). Always interesting to see how someone writes about "your" thing, or in your case, shake up some memories.
DeleteI read about that book in one of your tweets. It's a great thing that more and more people can see themselves reflected in books nowadays. A few years ago it would have been deemed so uncool to talk about such things.
ReplyDelete"It was a little lackluster as far as approvals go this week. I got NONE!"
😮 Who are you, and what have you done to Sam 😂.
There is ONE book I requested a while ago, and it is publishing in March. I guess I am not getting it. *tears* My library will probably get it, and I DO have a lot of other books to read. Other than that, the books I have pending are not publishing for quite a while. I maxed out the first half of the year already. That could be a possible explanation for why I got no approvals. I did have like 4 library holds come through, though.
DeleteInteresting to come across a book with IC. Hopefully the author knows of what she writes so it will be represented accurately. I need to get a trim myself. I colored the evil gray roots this weekend, which was more important than the cut. Ha. That dog is such a puffball! I had to laugh.
ReplyDeleteI swear, I never see anyone talking about IC. I think it's one of those diseases where experiences can vary, but it's nice to spread a bit of awareness. Another name for IC is "bladder discomfort disease", and you really are just uncomfortable all the time. Makes it hard to do things, like sleep. I am waiting until I am old enough to just let my hair go grey. What I have seen is on the whiter side which doesn't look great with my skin tone, but I am tired of dying my hair.
DeleteI have never heard of Interstitial Cystitis but it sounds painful and debilitating. I'm glad you were able to find some representation of the illness in a book. It's always lovely to be seen in the stories we read.
ReplyDeleteThe Atlas of Us has a beautiful cover and I am happy to see a 4-star rating. I will have to add it to my tbr!
I hope you have a lovely week, Samantha!
Her Weathered Pages
IC is a chronic condition which makes one uncomfortable. It can be very painful when you have to hold it in, and I always feel like I have to go, even right after I go. It's annoying. I enjoyed Atlas. I cannot quite pinpoint what kept it from being 5-stars, but it was very good.
DeleteI wait to download widgets for the same reason, Sam! Interesting that a book features an illness you suffer with. I'm sorry you have to deal with that! I was offered the Freya Sampson too. Maybe I'll grab it up. I was hoping it was a mystery, though.
ReplyDeleteI want to bask in my high ratio. LOL! I guess there is a bit of a mystery in the Sampson book. There is an attack and they are trying to figure out who did it, and all these other small mysteries pop up along the way. It just didn't feel quite like one to me, but I believe it is being marketed as a mystery
DeleteWhen I was reading ARC's I really did love to see how high my ratio got. Best feeling in the world when it was at 100%. I do love it when books honestly portray what regular average humans struggle with. It only makes the story and the experiences becoming even more vibrant to the reader.
ReplyDeleteI will never be at a 100%. There are books I know I will never read, and I feel like it kind of pointless going back and reviewing books from many years ago. That's my opinion.
DeleteIt is nice to see representation of something you have experience with in a book. I always think that's good.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a nice weekend.
That is very rare for me. Hope you have a great weekend, too!
DeleteQuiet weeks are nice! At least we had no snow this past week, ha!
ReplyDeleteAnd hopefully we are done with the white stuff for the winter
DeleteI'm like you, I sit on those widgets until I'm ready!
ReplyDeleteI want to make sure I can really commit to the book as well, you know
DeleteI think recent books (mostly romance) have been so great at being more diverse and showing all kinds of real life things, that we cope with day to day.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to Gilmore's next library book! I mentioned it in a post I have going up next week.
Hope you have a nice week.
I do hope Gilmore's book is as delightful as her last.
DeleteI love a nice quiet week. I've been curious about The Takeover so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteI loved it! It was fun. It may be billed as enemies-to-lovers but that was one sided which is probably why I enjoyed it. I liked it more than I had anticpated.
DeleteI have had a quiet week this week, as all my friends that were staying with me have left. OMG, that dog is such a huge ball of fluff, I love it. I just read the blurb for Chronically Delores and it intrigues me. Of course I try to read whatever I find with an autistic character. Enjoy your upcoming reads, Sam.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting to see how something you know is represented in a book. I am curious about the IC rep.
Delete