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 and Erin go Bragh! I am not really a St. Pat's day person, but my mother likes to celebrate her heritage. I am up for some soda bread and corned beef. Anyone else doing anything?
Last Sunday, my daughter and I went out for Kurdish breakfast. It was excellent (and the service was great, too). She then took me to the Disney100 pop-up. They had some really neat items on display. I was most impressed with the costumes. Seeing them up close revealed some interesting details. I got to try Raising Cane's, too. I don't have one near me, and I must admit, it was tasty. All the hype about the Cane's sauce is true (in my opinion).
Monday, I came home. My flight was almost delayed due to high winds in Newark, but we left on time. Whew! Then, it was work every day, though, we got some great news on Thursday. They are going to let us work from home two days a week now. I was excited. It's good timing with the NJ Transit hikes. I am going to travel Monday through Wednesday, and then work from home Thursday and Friday. I am hoping I am motivated and use the extra time well.
On the Blog
- Monday: Reviews - The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties; Well, That Was Unexpected
- Tuesday: TTT - Animal Antics
- Wednesday: CWW - I Hope This Finds You Well; The Guests on South Battery
- Thursday: Reviews - Kilt Trip; The Takeover
- Friday: Spell the Month in Books - March 2024
- Saturday: Five on My TBR - Artsy Books
Let's Discuss
- Greg wants to know if you would want to live forever
- The Orangutan Librarian shares some weird books they like
- Krysta wonders who will hear our stories if we are replaces by AI
Stacking the Shelves
I got a bunch of invites. The new ones are below. Some were for books I already had. I may download the Rimmer book. I have enjoyed her books in the past. I took advantage of a read-now situation for If I Stopped Haunting You because it was for a book that was on my TBR (and not releasing in June like every other book).
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
Invites
- Archangel's Lineage by Nalini Singh
- The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray
- When I Lost You by Kelly Rimmer
Read Last Week
The week started out solid, but it ended with a bang! Effie Olsen was my favorite book of the week. It was just everything I love. A great friends-to-lovers romance that was packed with humor, great banter, and fabulous characters. I was laughing or smiling at almost every moment as I read this book. It was also a wonderful coming home tale, and food! So much food. I loved it!
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- ASAP by Axie Oh - ★★★★
- Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss - ★★★★
- Secrets of Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson - ★★★★
- The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - ★★★★ 1/2
- Effie Olsen's Special Summer by Rochelle Bilow - ★★★★★
Audiobooks
- The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - ★★★★
- Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart - ★★★★ 1/2
Currently Reading
I bumped my backlog book because I had to read a library book. I am sure I will enjoy the White book though. Next to You is fun. The hero is a total cinnamon roll. So far, the other Bonam-Young books I read have been good but they have not been able to surpass Out on a Limb.
- The Guests on South Battery by Karen White
- Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young
To Be Read
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
- Catch a Wave by Savannah Scott
- Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown
- Lovers and Liars by Amanda Eyre Ward
Let us know in the comments!
Glad Raising Cane's lived up to the hype. There are none in my city and I've never tried them. Hooray for the WFH option 2X a week! I didn't know you read Singh's Guild Hunter series! I need to get caught up with the Psy-Changeling series before I dive into the Guild Hunter world.
ReplyDeleteI do not read Singh's Guild Hunter series. I just got an invite. I won't be downloading. Not my thing.
DeleteAh, I misunderstood. I assumed the Stacking the Shelves section were all books you had added, not including invites that you declined. Makes sense because I was surprised at the Singh one! :)
DeleteI appreciate the invites, but not all the books I am invited for are "me" books, you know. I like to let others know about them because maybe they will want to read them.
DeleteLovely and funny pics with Sloth! (I was wondering, does Sloth have a proper name?).
ReplyDeleteYou were extremely lucky with your flight this time...especially after the previous one with its infinite delays...And what a nice present you got, working from home two days a week and avoiding the commute drama!
Sloth is a proper name. We always capitalize it 😂. I was relieved when it took off on time. It was a bit bumpy, but no real issues. I feel like I have been pretty lucky with my trains (knock on wood), so I am most happy about saving some money.
DeleteI love Raising Cane's! We have one nearby, and I always want extra sauce so I can dip everything in it. It makes the food I cook myself taste way better. I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI keep seeing reels on IG where they have full drink cups of the sauce. I guess you can buy it. The chick was not really seasoned (juicy, good), but that sauce was fantastic. It reminds me of Yum Yum sauce a bit. I will have to do a side by side comparison.
DeleteHomeworking makes life so much easier! Also you reminded me that I should get back to the Archangel series (guild hunter) of Nalini Singh!
ReplyDeleteI have not read any of Singh's paranormal books, only some contemporaries, but they seem well loved.
DeleteLoved the pictures. I'm glad they are letting you work from home for a little while. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
ReplyDeleteI always feel more rested on my work from home day, so two will be a great help to me. I am looking forward to the extra time too.
DeleteOther than wearing green?? I don't really do anything for st. patricks day to be honest. Glad you found a great friends to lovers to enjoy. I love a book that leaves you with a smile. Never tried Cane's, but glad you enjoyed it and that its worth the hype.
ReplyDeleteFriends to lovers is my favorite trope, so I am always looking for more of those to enjoy
DeleteYay, that's awesome that you get to WFH two days a week!! And Thurs and Fri are the best days. Tom cooked corned beef and cabbage yesterday, and of course he had a lot of soda bread, too! I really want to try Raising Cane's, maybe this summer!
ReplyDeleteLook at you with the chef preparing your holiday meal. LOL! Is there a Cane's near you? I know there are two north of me. There is talk of one opening in New Brunswick which is terrible for parking, but not too far a drive.
DeleteThat was a very violent sneeze lol
ReplyDeleteAnd that's great about work!
I love how chaotic pandas are
DeleteWe don't do a St. Patrick's Day meal, but I do like soda bread. I went out to dinner with friends instead. Looks like you have some great reads going.
ReplyDeleteDinner with friends is always a nice way to spend some time.
DeleteMy daughter is so sad for you that you don't have a Cane's nearby. She said to tell you that you can look up the recipe for their sauce online if nothing else and that it's easy to make. You gained true sympathy from her. LOL! YAY for getting to work from home two days a week!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Cane's "near me" are in cities to the north and south of me (Newark, Philly). It's painful to go to any city. I appreciate your daughter's compassionate response to my chicken situation.
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