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 you all had a great week. It was crazy at work, but at least I got to visit with my daughter. On Wednesday, we went to Ugly Dumpling for dinner and then to Princeton to see Empire Records the Musical. I am a big fan of the Empire Records film and thought they did a nice job bringing it to the stage. There were a few changes to the story, but I actually liked them better. I have not been to Princeton in a really long time, and I don't think I have ever been to the university. It's quite beautiful.
It's nice when the kid comes to visit, but I always read less. It was time well spent though. I leave on Wednesday for my riverboat cruise. I am flying overnight to Frankfurt and then a short flight to Basel. This trip has been so many years in the making. I cannot wait! I anticipate my reading may take a hit, and I am not sure how much free time I will have, but I hope to keep to my posting schedule.
I would have loved to have blogged ahead, but I have been busy with my daughter visiting. Saturday, I had an appointment with my hairstylist. Then, I had to return some shoes I ordered, and I thought I would go to the mall and try and find another pair of shoes as well as a new jacket. I have been searching for a new jacket for years, but I refuse to buy something I don't really like. The mall was a bust. I found NOTHING!!! I did stop at DSW on my way to the market, and I ended up getting a pair of Birkenstock clogs. Everyone swears by them, and it will be good to have shoes I can slip on and off easily.
I found that I need to wear different shoes each day to ease the pain in my foot. I know that is what is recommended sometimes for plantar fasciitis, but I don't have that. Anyhow, it seems to help and will add the Birkenstocks in the rotation.
On the Blog
- Monday: Reviews - The Christmas You Found Me, Kiss Me at Christmas
- Tuesday: TTT - Take Me Away!
- Wednesday: CWW - The Mistletoe Mystery, Out of the Clear Blue Sky
- Thursday: Reviews - Business Casual, The Beach Trees
- Friday: Spell the Month in Books - September 2024
- Saturday: Five on My TBR - Lighthearted
Let's Discuss
- AJ offers tips for building reading habits
- Aelyn talks about personalized and meaningful book rating systems
- The Orangutan Librarian argues that your literary analysis can be wrong
Stacking the Shelves
I got a LOT of invites this week. I already had the JES book, but I am glad to be on their list. I always welcome a new Emma Lord book. They never fail to delight. I was very excited to get approved for the new Colleen Oakley book, and not only did I get approved for the new Debbie Johnson, but I also got auto-approval from the publisher.
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Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley
- A Very Irish Christmas by Debbie Johnson
Invites
- Fun For the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith
- Mr. Nice Spy by Tiana Smith
- Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen
- The Rival by Emma Lord
- Eleven Houses by Colleen Oakes
Purchased
- Rootbound by Tarah DeWitt
Read Last Week
This week was okay. I had expected a few books to rate higher, but at least there were no stinkers. If I had to pick, I would say Sweet Spot and Make Me a Mixtape stood out for me. I love sports romances, and the golf stuff was actually interesting. Make Me a Mixtape had several interesting storylines and all the music stirred up some nostalgia.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Nice Work, Nora November by Julia London - ★★★★
- The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava - ★★★★
- Sweet Spot by Rebecca Jenshak - ★★★★
- Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford - ★★★★
- Christmas Presents by Tarah DeWitt - ★★★★
Currently Reading
Higgins is really heaping the pain on book Lillie. I am sure she will make things right, but her past and present are rife with painful events. I didn't get a chance to listen as much as I had hoped this week since work was nuts, but I am almost done.
- If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkins
- Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins (audiobook)
To Be Read
- The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
- A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
- Rootbound by Tarah DeWitt
- Wish I Was Here by Melissa Wisner
Let us know in the comments!
Don't worry if you can't keep up with your posting or reading schedule Sam. Just enjoy your trip!
ReplyDeleteI am sure I will!
DeleteYou're living the life! Why worry about reading and blogging, while you're spending time doing things you love with your kid or going on a trip? (says she who can't seem to leave the computer alone 😅. Though it's not like I have much of a choice...).
ReplyDelete"I have been searching for a new jacket for years, but I refuse to buy something I don't really like."
Same! I'd rather keep wearing stuff from 20 years ago until it falls apart LOL.
I loved that video - such a natural! 🤣
Yes. My daughter and I booked the trip together. We actually are on the same connecting flight from Frankfurt to Basel. We haven't flown together in eons. That monkey had me rolling on the floor. Talk about sass, style, and swag. I wish I was that photogenic.
DeleteI hope you have a wonderful trip!
ReplyDeleteI have found that my most comfortable shoes are my Brooke Adrenaline GTS. I wear them pretty much daily. When I'm home, I wear a pair of Oofos slides. Both were podiatrist recommendations. Not the coolest shoes, but certainly comfortable.
I don't know what foot issue you experience. Are they for metatarsalgia or nerve damage? The shoes I buy all feel comfortable, but they exacerbate my issues.
DeleteMy sister did a river cruise several years back and Basal was one of the stops. She loved it! I hope you share some photos of your trip! I'm so excited for you, Sam! Out of the Clear Blue Sky was emotional! I cried a bunch, but loved it. Hope you do, too!
ReplyDeleteWe start in Basel and end in Amsterdam. Looks like good weather, so it should be a fun time. The stuff that happened to Lillie - MY GOODNESS! She needed a lot of healing. I was glad she built some new and better relationships.
DeleteI'm glad the changing of the shoes is helping with the foot pain.
ReplyDeleteIt's not 100%, but it helps
DeleteI'm sure you are all prepared for your trip, so have fun!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI'm so excited for your cruise! I know you'll have a blast!
ReplyDeleteWe finally finished with construction and renovations from the storm damage we had in April, so I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief. I don't recommend having a hurricane while you have ongoing construction lol. It will all have been worth it though now because the house is looking better than ever, and I know it should withstand future storms much better.
That good that you were able to fortify the house though I hope you don't need it.
DeleteI hope every bit of your trip is an absolute delight!! And books are awesome, but life is definitely about a whole lot more than just reading. Enjoy it!! Can't wait to hear about it!
ReplyDeleteI am excited, stressed, but excited.
DeleteCan't wait to hear about your trip, Sam! And see some photos. I hope the Birkenstocks work out well.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the photos yet. I am going through them when the kid comes home in November, but there are some of Sloth on IG.
DeleteI am reading this almost two weeks late, so I don't know if you are back from your trip or not, Sam. I hope you had a wonderful time. Fantastic that you got to visit with your daughter before that as well. Don't worry about your posts, we all understand that. I have never worn Birkenstocks, but my friend swears by them, so I hope they help you.
ReplyDeleteI am back! It was great!
Delete