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Sunday, August 20, 2017

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I can share my wrap up of the past week, as well as plans for the current week.

My Week in Review

Not too much to report. The dog has been reunited with my sister (and she feels so good). I am kind of jealous of my daughter, because she is practically in the path of totality. But when I asked, she hadn't even procured a pair of viewing glasses! I probably will not get to catch any of the solar eclipse, because one of the higher ups (who is actually really awesome) is visiting our site, and he scheduled a meeting with us beginning at 2pm. I guess he did not consider this astronomical event when he was doing the scheduling. I hope everyone gets a chance to see it, though, because it's sort of a once in a lifetime event.

On the Blog:
I don't normally talk about Stacking My Shelves, but I was really excited about some of the ARC approvals I got this week. A few of these were my Can't Wait Wednesday picks, and I am so excited to get the opportunity to read and review them.

eARCS:

PURCHASED/FREE:

What I Read Last Week

I had a decent reading week. I read some paranormals, knocked out my blog tour books, and even read a few challenge books. My two favorite books were both romances (surprise, surprise!), but Nothing was a really close. The book was really fun and adorable. It's on the younger end of YA, and is a book about nothing in particular. I thought the author did an incredible job. I really thought this was written by a teen, and there were definite Seinfeld moments in there.

What I Am Currently Reading

I loved Wonder so much, and when I saw the novella, which is from the POV of the "villain", I grabbed it. Bonus: it will count for one of my reading challenges. I am listening to Pipe Dreams, which is part of the Brooklyn Bruisers series, and I am loving it. Sarina Bowen has yet to disappoint me, and hockey romance!

What I Plan to Read

I have no patience, so I am reading Lucas right away. I adore the Cold Fury books, and jumped up and down when I got this ARC.  I am reading Ink, because it has a non-western setting, which is the mini-challenge this month for the Diverse Reads challenge.












How was your week?
Let us know in the comments!
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40 comments:

  1. You guys are having an eclipse? I know this is not hitting the UK as there has been no mention. We did have a partial one last year and that was exciting. I think because it's so rare it is exciting to see. Sorry you'll end up missing it. Loving some of the books you've gotten/read this week. And Pipe Dreams! I love Sarina Bowen books and she doesn't disappoint with her hockey sports romance books. Or any of her books really.

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    1. Ah, yes, the path of totality goes from he NW corner of the US to the SE corner. NJ is not in the path, but we are supposedly in the 70-ish% band. I used to teach astronomy, so I am pretty excited. Bowen is always a solid pick for me. I will read all her books!

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  2. Lots of great ARCs you got this week!!! I am excited about The Chaos of Standing Still. Also glad to see you liked Nothing. I have that one to get to. Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Nothing was fun. At times, it was like a stream of consciousness.

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  3. Great book haul this week! I'm dying to read Speak Easy, Speak Love so I can't wait to see what you think of that one.

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    1. Speak Easy was a late request from me, but I was seeing raves, and experiencing FOMO, so I clicked request. It sounds amazing!

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  4. Haha! We aren't in a prime viewing location but we haven't gotten any glasses either. I dunno, I'm just not super interested in watching the sun get covered by the moon? XD Awesome haul this week! I'm glad you read some that you liked. I really need to check out Ink! Have a great week!

    Here's my Weekly Recap!

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    1. My interest in the eclipse stems from being a former astronomy teacher and also understanding how rare this is. I just want to be a part of it. *wah!* Whenever I request books on Edelweiss, my requests pend forever, so I accept that I won't be getting them and then *boom* I get like a million approvals. I read at least 5 books a week, so it's ok with me.

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  5. Hope you get to see the solar eclipse!! It's all I've been hearing about recently, lol :)

    Wow what a lovely lot of books you got approved for! Hope you love them :) I'm also dying to read Love and Gelato, so I hope you enjoy that one too.

    Have a great week ahead, Sam, and happy reading :)

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    1. I would rather hear about the eclipse than a lot of other stuff, so I am ok with the papers and the news spending time on it. Love and Gelato has been on my TBR for eternity, so when I saw it on sale for $1.99, I could not resist one-clicking.

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  6. I just finished up The Luster of Lost Things. It was one of the books that took me forever to get through, but when I finished it, I realized I liked it more than I thought I was - totally confusing huh? Don't even know how I'll put that into a review. Hope you have a wonderful week!

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    1. Interesting. I remember changing a star-rating, because as I was responding to comments, I realized I liked the book more than I originally thought.

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  7. You got some really great books this week. I hope you do get see the eclipse.

    Happy readin',
    Jenea's Book Obsession

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    1. Me too! We are going to have to work on the boss. =)

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  8. You got some really interesting ARCs and Speak Easy is on my TBR list. I'll probably miss the eclipse too because of meetings lol. But I didn't buy the glasses so I'm not prepared for the eclipse. I hope you have a great week!

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    1. What kind of people schedule meetings on Mondays during solar eclipses!!! My daughter is in NC, and I told her to get some glasses and whatnot, and she told me maybe she could find a live feed. SMH.

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  9. I haven't gotten my glasses yet either, what's wrong with me? I guess I have today to do that! Sorry to hear about the meeting- I think eclipse viewing should be excusable for everyone, given that this is once in a lifetime, as you say.

    Hope you like Love and gelato. I was curious about The Door to January.

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    1. I heard you can use a cheese grater if you don't have the glasses. And this link tells you have to make a viewer https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/how-make-solar-eclipse-sun-viewer

      The Door to January was pretty good 3-3.5 for me. I liked the mystery part a lot. It was actually two mysteries intertwined, and the paranormal aspect was interesting too. I just wish there was a little more of the romance, which is really just touched upon and then not even mentioned in the epilogue, but extra points for the epilogue, which threw me for a little loop. I would love to ask French about that ending.

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  10. Oh I LOVE Sarina Bowen and the brooklyn Bruisers series. I am dying for Nate and Becca's story!
    I am excited for Sawyer Bennett's Lucas too. I have enjoyed that series a great deal as well.
    I have professional development during the eclipse, but since we are teachers, I'm pretty sure they will let us go out and watch. The science department might mutiny otherwise!
    Have a great week!

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    1. I know! The build to Nate and Becca's story is crazy. I sort of love Lucas, and this is an interesting storyline. Loving it (as always). I hope Bennett keeps churning these books out, because I love them. My old teacher-friends (I taught chem, physics, astronomy) are having a viewing party. I was invited, but now I am in the business sector and have to go to work. *wah!!*

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  11. I am in Connecticut so I don't even know if I will be able to see any of the eclipse from here? It would be cool to see it thought. I will be at work in a building surrounded by big trees so I doubt I will be able to see it. I work in a locked unit and we can't all go out at once. Sigh! I guess we'll see.
    I like the idea of Nothing. Why aren't there more books like that? All of your books look awesome. Have a great week!

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    1. It's stories like our's that make me cry. CT should see about the same as NJ (70ish). It will be black as night where my kid is, and she isn't even interested. She said she will watch it on the internet or something. When kids break your heart. I think Nothing is an acquired taste. I really liked it, but a lot of readers were turned off by there being no real plot. I tend to be more character driven, so it worked for me.

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  12. We are in the path and will see a full eclipse. I am beyond excited my hubby is meh. *shakes head* Hopefully everyone will be able to take a break and witness it.

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    1. Your husband and my daughter need to form a club. I keep trying to tell her - ONCE IN A LIFETIME!!!!

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  13. I really wish I were in the path of totality! Baltimore will not get a full view but that is okay. Everyone in my office is going on the roof (it's a tall building) and watching it when it is time. I got the glasses and everything. :D I hope you enjoy all of your new books!

    Have a fabulous week, Sam. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. You are so lucky you work in a science-y field. I was trying to spread the fever at my office, but it seemed that only I cared. *sigh*

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  14. I won't be able to see the eclipse here in Texas. Which is a shame really.

    You had a great book haul. Hope you enjoy all your new books. :) ~Aleen

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    1. That is sad. I thought it would be slightly visible from all states.

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  15. I'm teaching a class during the eclipse, so I plan to have us go out and see it. We'll be at 86% here, so it should be neat. Of course, it's a very cloudy day right now, so we shall see!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  16. I am honestly so excited for the upcoming release of American Panda, I hope to see a review of that one from you sometime in the future! :D Lots of great e-ARC approvals you got there. ;) I'm excited to hear your thoughts for the middle two books on your TBR for the week! I'm so envious, how do you read so many books???

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    1. I have a 3 hour daily commute and I read the whole time. If it wasn't for books, I was be completely miserable due to my commute. I am almost done with Lucas, so I will probably be starting You Don't Know Me tonight. I always put a little something on GR when I finish a book, so something will be up there this week.

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  17. I think I missed the eclipse too :D but then, I'm not sure it was visible in my country...

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    1. I think it was only visible in the US, and it was NOT very visible by me.

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  18. Hope you got to see some of the eclipse. Maybe the big boss allowed a meeting break? :) Wow, that a lot of ARCs! I've been meaning to read something by Mila Grey but it hasn't happened yet. I haven't started that Sarina Bowen series yet. But I've loved everything I've read by her so far so I bet it's awesome. Hope your week is off to a good start, Sam!

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    1. So, our meeting was rescheduled, and everyone was going out, and one of my co-workers said she would text me if there was something happening. No text, but they all come back, and she tells me you can see a partial eclipse. I run out and it was completely over by the time I got there. Ho hum. I always get a ton of ARCs at once on EW, but at least I get them, and I read 5 books a week, so I don't mind. I had read another book by Grey in this series, and I really liked it, so I was happy to get the new book. I do like the Bruisers, but I love all my hockey romances. Lucas was so good, and the set up for Van has me so intrigued.

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  19. I hope you did get a chance to see the eclipse. I got to go home early so I watched it in the backyard with my dogs. You picked up some great books this week. Happy reading!

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    1. Did you get a good view? By the time I ran outside, there was nothing to see. I am always late to the party, but at least I have a ton of ARCs to read.

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  20. Oh wow, I'm super excited to read The Door to January. I liked her first book a lot. Also, so many of the eARCs you got this week are my most anticipated for the next few months-- The Date to Save, Feral Youth, Chaos of Standing Still, Bad Girls With Perfect Faces!! I'm definitely going to read all of them!!

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    1. I did a dance when I got The Date to Save, because I really like Strohm's humor and its companion was one of my favorites. I liked Door to January. A great concept, but I am slightly perplexed by the ending and would have liked a little more with the romance and follow up, but overall, I enjoyed it, and thought French wove the different parts of the story together well.

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