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 glad I had Friday off, though because I had appointments, I really didn't catch up. But they made such a mess at the train station. They are doing some sort of "upgrades" while they are building a whole lot of stuff. I sketched this picture below. You can see my deck on the left. I have always made the left turn out of the deck and the left at the light. The light further down was always fed by the taxis, ride shares, arrival pick up, and buses. It's pure chaos and a headache. I have always been grateful that I did not have to go to that light, but things have changed. My deck is only allowing right turns. So, I would have to wade through all the people doing pick ups and then wait at not one by two traffic lights to get away from the train station. I thought I would just park on third floor and cross over to the other deck and exit that way. Well, they have also created chaos inside the desks. It used to be easy to wind up and wind down the deck. It took me about 10 minutes to exit. The flow is so odd now, and I had to rely on signs. It was very confusing. I will be counting down until they renovate my office and I get six weeks work from home.
The upside is that from August 26 - September 2, all NJ Transit will be free. That will save me about $65. You can tell it's an election year, but I think it's supposed to be some concession for all the cancellations, delays, stuck trains, and the 15% price hike, but it's not.
Enough from Salty Sam, I can say that we were gifted with some great weather this week. It was in the 50s in the morning, and a few days stayed cool as well. It wasn't super humid either since we only got a tiny bit of rain.
On the Blog
Let's Discuss
- The Orangutan Librarian is not excited your sex scenes
- Kit talks AI book covers
- This is what Carol thinks makes book unputdownable
Stacking the Shelves
I got a bunch invites for books I already had, but I also got approved for Make Me a Mixtape. I loved all the comps and I am all about love for a punk rock girl. I also downloaded The Book Swap. I keep reading that it's really emotional, so I am looking forward to shedding some tears.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford
- The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
Invites
Read Last Week
I struggle a bit with an audiobook I started and gave up on, but other than that, I really enjoyed all the books I read. The standout for me was Lowcountry Lost. I am trash for second chance romances, and this one had an interesting element. A woman is reunited with her ex-husband after six year when they are both hired to revitalize a ghost town. All the rebuilding was interesting, but it was also a nice parallel to how this couple was also being restored along with the town. It had humor, heart, and there were tears. I really enjoyed it.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Name Your Price by Holly James - ★★★★
- Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland - ★★★★
- Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss - ★★★★
- Lowcountry Lost by TI Lowe - ★★★★★
Audiobooks
- Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter - ★★★★
Currently Reading
I am in love with Morganthaler's new book! It's quite a crazy setup with a marriage of convience between two strangers for the sake of health insurance, but I adore them together. It's easy to see that the heroine's ex husband was not a great one, and this hero is so attentive, caring, and wonderful. His focus is caring for his ill child, but he grew to be protective of both his daughter and his real/fake wife.
This installment of Lovelight Farms is off to a great start. I was excited to get to attend a wedding for one of the previous couples, but I also think this is a fantastic pairing. I swear, the hero owns me even if he thins he's "too much".
- The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morganthaler
- Business Casual by B.K. Borrison
To Be Read
- The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella
- There's Nothing Wrong with Her by Kate Weinberg
- The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
- The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Let us know in the comments!
You know, the recently did something similar at my train station and it was so frustrating (still kind of is when I think about it now). They basically rerouted all exits to one side and that means if I want the quiet exit with less chaos, I have to make a big round trip in the pollution filled heat in the dark(!) and it's just a no go. I hope the "upgrades" and building get done quickly so you don't have to suffer through the chaos for long!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you've read some great books. Lowcountry Lost sounds different to what I'd normally read but also wonderful so I'm gonna keep that on my radar. Also excited to hear your initial thoughts on Morgenthaler's newest book—it's defo going on my TBR! I hope you continue to enjoy all your reads and have a great week ahead, Sam. 🌻
I am crossing my fingers that this is all temporary, or at least that I learn to navigate the new pattern inside the deck better. I loved Morgenthaler's new book. It was emotional since there is a very sick child involved. AND THEN, in the author's note, I found out why this is the first book from Morgenthaler since 2021. I cried some more. A beautiful story about love and hope for sure.
DeleteLOL, I loved how you took the time to sketch the deck situation for us. You're never having any luck with your commute, are you? Boo to the people in charge! You didn't need an additional complication...
ReplyDeleteThat dog clip ended up making me laugh out loud. Most of the times they actually "sit" their toys with their head over/into the bowl, for goodness' sake 🤣.
Roberta, I am that frustrated with what they did at the station. I needed people to understand the chaos. That dog is a treasure. How adorable, right?
DeleteI hate when people mess with my transit routes. A couple times over the summer I had to take my husband to work and less than a mile from his work, the road was closed. The detour around it was an extra 15 minutes. I was so angry. Thankfully my job is only 13 min away and there are 3 different ways I can go that I don't hate. Hopefully they fix the mess they made for you soon!
ReplyDeleteThat is the worst, too. When the most direct route is closed. Fifteen minutes is precious time for many people.
DeleteYour train station truly makes things more complicated! Also I laughed and swooned at that video! How cute that he wants his stuffed friends to eat too.
ReplyDeleteI am sure it's a safety thing with all the cars entering through that first (my) road, but it's irksome for sure. He's a good boy, right?
DeleteThat's good that it will be free for a little while.
ReplyDeleteFree is nice. Hopefully there won't be mass cancellations with the weather heating up again.
DeleteSorry about the train chaos. At least it's free chaos? The trains in Denver are free during the summer months, but I don't go anywhere during the summer. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see the increase in ridership because it was free. There were quite a few sleepers on the train who looked like they were just riding the tracks. All summer??? That's amazing. And here I was thinking the $20 one week unlimited card in Chicago was a good deal.
DeleteThe traffic business sounds like a headache. But already down into the 50s!! Super jealous! We've barely dipped our toes into the 60s, and that's only happed a couple times. Our lowest low this week is expected to be 73. Fall can't come quick enough. Lowcountry Lost and Morgenthaler's newest both sound really good. I still need to read Business Casual, too.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, the temps are in the low 90s in the afternoon. I was delighted by both. I was already shedding happy tears when I readMorgenthaler's author's note. She had not written a book for a while, and it was because her husband died in an accident. It really made me process her book in a different way.
DeleteI live near Houston, where there is always some kind of construction happening, so I feel your frustrations! Their latest great idea is to dismantle the overpasses of one of our major highways and bury them underground. It has flooded in these areas 3 times already this year!
ReplyDeleteWe just got back from a cruise, so I'm slowly getting the house and everything back in order. Only 2 punch items are left on our construction list, so I'm eager to FINALLY be finished with construction at the house hopefully this week.
Well, I bet that tunnel seemed like a good idea at the time, and imagine, a professional got paid for that idea. Welcome back! Hope you had an amazing time on the high seas, and it's always nice to reach the end of a big project. I hope it lives up to your expectations.
DeleteIt seems like monkeys plan all the commuting "improvements", at least that's how I felt when I was driving through all the frwy construction that had been going on my route. It's STILL going on as I just found out a couple of weeks ago when I was in SoCal. Your office renovations can't come quick enough! The Christmas You Found Me sounds so good, but I'm afraid my heart would break with a very sick child in the mix.
ReplyDeleteIt takes me so long to park and leave now. You know the joke about construction projects - that it's generational, the workers pass the jobs down to their kids. I will tell you that The Christmas You Found Me is uplifting with sad moments, but overall, happy.
DeleteIt's nice to be able to look forward to working from home when they do those renovations, to offset the frustrations you have now. I love that video of those daschunds, so cute. I love T.I. Lowe's books, and that is an autumnish over, to I will try and fit it in during September. It looks like you have some good reads coming up, Sam. I am looking forward to the Morganthaler book. I hope you have a great week ahead.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first book by Lowe, and it was wonderful!
DeleteGlad to hear that. Her debut was wonderful and hooked me.
ReplyDeleteI definitely hope to read more.
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