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! It warmed up a bit here, but with the warmth came the rain. I don't mind. I had nothing on the agenda this weekend. In fact, I am still trying to figure out where Saturday went. Seriously! I have no idea how I was struggling to get everything done.
Although I had an amazing reading week, I almost didn't finish the last book on my TBR. I was ahead on Sunday, but I fell behind at one point. Maybe it was the full week of work, or that I have been really tired. This week should be better since I have a short week. I have off on Tuesday for two doctors' appointments, and then I fly to Chicago on Friday for my daughter's showcase. Right now the forecast is showing rain, but I guess it's better than snow.
On the Blog
- Monday: Reviews - Expiration Dates, Happily Never After
- Tuesday: TTT - I Spy - TREE!
- Wednesday: CWW - The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, The Cheat Sheet
- Thursday: Reviews - One Moment, What You Are Looking For Is In the Library
- Friday: Five Star Friday - February 2024
- Saturday: Five on my TBR - All Abroad!
Let's Discuss
Stacking the Shelves
When it rains, it pours. I got a bunch of invites and an approval or two. I also was contacted for a finished copy of One Moment. We all know I don't read physical books, but I thought it was very nice of the publisher to offer.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- The Game Changer by Lana Fergueson
- Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
- Finding Mr. Write by Kelly Armstrong
Invites
- Swift River by Essie Chambers
- Queerceañera by Alex Crespo
- Burning Crowns by Catherine Doyle, Katherine Webber
- Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
- We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
- This Used to Be Us by Renée Carlino
- The Fortune Tellers by Lisa Greenwald
- Hate to Fake It To You by Amanda Sellet
- Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll
- Only and Forever by Chloe Liese
- Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn
Read Last Week
As I had previously mentioned, this week was fabulous (reading-wise). I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed The Takeover. I was a little leery due to the middling ratings, but it was so much fun! My ARCs were both great, too. I JUST finished Gilmore's book and am still processing what it means to me, but I liked it. I am hoping Hogle's becomes a series. Let's have romances for all the sisters!
My favorites were Fangirl Down and The Cheat Sheet. I am a big fan of Bailey's newer books, and I think Fangirl may be my new favorite. It was a laugh riot, as was The Cheat Sheet. Both of these made me laugh so much, but they were also sweet romances.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi - ★★★★ 1/2
- Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey - ★★★★★
- The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams - ★★★★★
- Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore - ★★★★ 1/2
Audiobooks
- Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood - ★★★★
- Next of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young - ★★★★
Currently Reading
As I write this, I have not read any of Dugeons and Drama. I am sort of taking a chance on this book. My last Boyce book was okay, nothing spectacular, but people are raving about this one, so I thought - why not? Hopefully I like it as much as other readers.
When I visited the eLibrary, I clicked "feel good books", and that's how I got my audiobook. I now know that Dear Edward was a TV series. I didn't see it, but I am enjoying this story. I am still waiting for the feel-good part, but it's quite a concept. This boy is the sole survivor of a plane crash. The story follows him as he grieves and heals, but it also goes back to that day on the plane, and we get to know some of the other passengers.
- Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce
- Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (audiobook)
To Be Read
- After Annie by Anna Quindlen
- Love & Chickens by Kasey Morris
- Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman
- Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss
Let us know in the comments!
I hope it's been a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteTHank you so much for the link. It made my day :)
You are welcome, Gregg!
DeleteHooray for the shorter work week - even if one of the days if for doctor visits. Glad you'll be seeing your girl this weekend! :) I didn't request an ARC of It Used to Be Us but I will definitely be reading it. I love her books.
ReplyDeleteI have a widget for the Carlino book. I am sitting on it right now, but I do tend to like her books. There are a handful of authors who seem to polarize readers, and I normally sit on the side of "like".
DeleteYour book haul is giving me all the heart eyes!! It's so pretty and there are several books I'm looking forward to reading myself. I hope they are all a hit.
ReplyDeleteI'm also very happy to see your rating for Old Flames and New Fortunes. I'm so eager to read it as I adore Sarah Hogle.
I hope you have a wonderful time with your daughter and that your appointments all go well. Take care!
Enn @ Her Weathered Pages
I felt the last Hogle book (the holiday one) was kind of weird, but this was back to what initially won me over. The sparring was witty and the touch of witchy magic was fun. I hope you enjoy should you read it
DeleteEnjoy your trip to Chicago! Thanks for linking to my skunks. I had to teach myself how to edit videos for that post. I never thought skunks would take up so much of my time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about anyone else, but I am loving the skunk chronicles. The BBC should really consider hiring you as the presenter. You are very amusing.
DeleteWe've got rain here as well. I don't really mind it either. I hope the showcase goes well.
ReplyDeleteRain >>> Snow
DeleteWe Used to Live Hear isn't your normal kind of read. I look forward to your thoughts! I was offered the Tessa Bailey audio but had too many books. I'll have to request at my library.
ReplyDeleteOur weather keeps switching back and forth from snow to rain. It can't make up its mind. Yay for having a shorter work week and for getting to visit your daughter. Hope you have a fun trip!
No, it is not, and I won't be downloading it. I like to share all the invites because they could appeal to other readers. From that list of invites, I already had one, and there are three I may download. A lot are not "me" books, but I appreciate the invites nonetheless. I got the Bailey book from the library which seems to be getting all her books. I never request them anymore.
DeleteI think you earned that shorter week Sam! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any extended time off since.....August? A day here and there, but no real amount of time. It will be nice to have four days off in a row even if I am traveling for two of those days.
DeleteI hope you have a good time in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary.
DeleteNice haul. Hope you enjoy your books.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
Thank you! I hope you have a great week too
DeleteI'm glad we had nice weather for at least one of the weekend days! It does look like we're headed for a lot of rain, though.
ReplyDeleteRain is still better than snow. No one could convince me that is not the truth
DeleteIt's fun how the rain seems to have come for everyone in my circle. First Karen, then you...and we've had a very wet week here.
ReplyDeleteTwo doctor appointments?!? I hope they're both routine check-ups! How's your foot?
All those invites, hikes. Of course, a number of those books don't sound up your alley (like We Used to Live Here - the title was slightly ominous, and I noticed that the house on the cover was skewed, so I went to see what it was about). I wonder what's the criteria for those invites - probably just a bunch of automatic emails...
I think I will download like three of those books. I always like to share, spread awareness of the books. Sometimes I think the criteria is a pulse. I have my reading preferences set as romance and women's fiction. I get a lot of other types of invites, but I guess it's nice to be invited. I thought it was time to have another doctor take a look at my foot. It's not as bad as it was last year, but it's still numb and burning. It's not a good time at all. The other, is with the ophthalmologist to see how the new medication is working (it's not, working that is). I am pretty sure nothing will come of either appointment, but I thought I would try
DeleteOur week is off to a busy start as the Houston Rodeo started. I benefitted from a livestock show scholarship, so my husband and I volunteer every year to pay it forward. We've got several busy days ahead, but also lots of fun!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful that you continue to support this organization. I won't lie, I would love for you to post some pictures of you in you rodeo/livestock days. I am a city girl, so I know nothing of that world.
DeleteYou did have a great reading week with all of those stars! The cover on Finding Mr. Write is definitely calling to me. Hope it's a winner!!
ReplyDeleteMr. Write sounds so different from Armstrong's previous books and is more "me". I am interested in seeing how it goes.
DeleteBefore I say anything else, I have to say how much I enjoyed reading that skunk update. I know it's not funny to have to deal with skunks, but all the things AJ tried and the results were hilarious. I have had Dear Edward on my TBR for so long, I forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder, I will watch for your review. You added a lot of books this week, more than normal for you, Sam. I hope you enjoy them all. I also added Swift River and hope we both enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteAJ is my go-to when I need a good dose of wit and humor. I appreciate her flair and writing ability. Dear Edward is good. I have not watched the adaptation, but I like the structure and the way the author is letting us get to know Edward as well as the victims and their families. I didn't add all those books. I like to share all my invites, but I don't download them all. I will probably accept three of those invites.
Delete