Sunday, October 1, 2017

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

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

October is here, and we are enjoying fall weather again. *applause, applause* I am joyfully donning my sweaters, and sucking in all the autumnal perks. We had two anniversaries on my team, so free lunch and ice cream cake. That was a nice treat. The new season begins at the local theatre (Paper Mill Playhouse) we subscribe to, and I am going to see the Honeymooners: The Musical today. I loved the show so much, and am eager to see it in play form.


My birthday is this week, and as a rule, I never work on my birthday. So, I have a delicious day off this week. No train. No bus. No shuttle. I am very excited. I am also happy that the fall TV season began. New Grey's Anatomy and best of all, This Is Us is back in my life - oh how I've missed you. If you like family dramas, I highly recommend this show. It is packed with incredible characters, and the writers are brilliant! The way they lay out the story is so deliberate. Every week you are just sitting there, enjoying this wonderful show, and BAM! There is this reveal right at the very end that just leaves you in a state. I love the way it flips between past and present, with each vignette being an important moment one of the character's personal development. Fantastic show!


I was also pretty excited to see this announcement on Twitter:
September was a very good reading month. I read 27 books, and two were five star reads.


On the Blog:

Stacking the Shelves

Bought

ARCs

Library

What I Read Last Week

I over indulged on romance again, but I sort of loved it. The best of the bunch was Haunting the Deep, which was one of my Can't-Wait Wednesday books, so I was glad it met my expectations.

  • Salvaged by Jay Crownover: A solid finale for this series, which is bittersweet because I loved the world of the Marked Men and I will miss it. 
  • After All by Karina Halle (audiobook): Although the beginning of this book is super heavy, the story was rather fun. I loved all the CW, Degrassi, and Canadian references, and there was even a reference to my favorite grand gesture prior to the hero's grand gesture. 
  • Haunting the Deep by Adrianna Mather: I was not sure how Mather was going to continue this series, but she did so in a big way. I loved the way she blended the modern day Salem with the Titanic disaster. ★ 1/2
  • Just One of the Boys by Leah and Kate Rooper: This was so She's the Man, and I loved it! It was sweet and adorable, and I couldn't help but love Alice and Hayden. 
  • The Victoria in My Head by Janelle Milanes: I loved the family dynamic and the friendships that played a huge role in Victoria's personal journey, and was so happy with the outcome. 
  • Wanderlust by Roni Loren: What a fun rockstar romance! Aubrey and Lex had great chemistry and banter, and the epilogue was fantastic. 
  • Holiday House Call by Jen Doyle: My love for Independence grows with each of these books. I love getting to know all the fine folks, who inhabit this town, and the more I learn, the more I want to live there. 
What I Am Currently Reading

I am more than halfway through each of these books, and I am really enjoying them both. Drag Teen is quite amusing, as expected, and I love that Self is the narrator. So far, I am in love with Top Ten. I have a thing for these boy/girl friendships, where there is pining and longing. And as we go through their top ten, we get their history, and you know I love history.

What I Plan to Read

A rather mixed bag on my TBR this week. I have a grief story, a fun satirical look at YA, a cancer story that will make me cry, and a heartfelt tale. Looking forward to the emotional roller coaster.









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

42 comments:

  1. Happy birthday this week! Glad that September was a good reading month. :)

    Layover looks like it could be good, and so does Top Ten.

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    1. I have seen some negative things about Top Ten, but I am almost finished, and I sort of love it. I have thing for that unrequited love and friendships that evolve.

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  2. Wow, your reading this week really is something! Enjoy Broody, I wanted that ARC :) and it's so cool you can take a day off for tour birthday! I hope you enjoy that a lot, and happy October!

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    1. My co-blogger ran off the NC with the physical ARC, but I was lucky enough to get a download on EW. When I was teaching, I had no flexibility with days off. We had 2 personal days and 10 sick days, but they would sometimes ask for doctor's notes if we called in sick. So, having the freedom to go on vacation when I want or take a day here or there is so liberating after all the years as a teacher.

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  3. Happy early birthday. I hope you have a great day! And what an amazing amount of books you got through this month! :D

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    1. I am going to the dentist on my birthday (gotta get those appointments in). I read a lot due to my commute, but I think I am reading more, because I am watching a lot less TV. They keep canceling all my shows, so I am hesitant to start new ones.

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  4. I'm behind on the Saints of Denver series but it sucks that it's at an end. I do love Jay Crownover's little world set in Denver. :)

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    1. She didn't do that many books in the Saints series, which made me sad, but I have only heard raves about the newest series, and I have the second trio of the Point books to start.

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  5. Happy Birthday to you!

    I really need to start watching This is Us. Pretty much everyone I know keeps telling me how incredible it is.

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    1. I will never forget the way my jaw hit the ground when I realized what they did on the very first episode of This is Us. Hopefully you have not heard too much, because I think my ignorance made the impact that much bigger.

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  6. Happy early birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day! Grey's Anatomy is one of my favorite shows, but I'm so behind on it (I still have to watch the whole last season). I actually started This is Us last year, but then school and life got busy and I let it go...I'm hoping to get into it again. Layover looks adorable! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. I've also been on a romance overload this week, but I have no regrets...sometimes you just need some good romances! Have a great week, Sam! :)

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    1. The hour premiere was classic, awesome Grey's. I have chills just thinking about that ending from hour 2. It was a week of romance and they were all HEA romances. I needed to make myself feel good last week.

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  7. I've been eyeing the Eleanor Oliphant book...and I just added The Female Persuasion to my list. Love Meg Wolitzer's books.

    Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. I waited forever for that book to come available at the library, and I have heard a lot of good buzz, so I am excited. I just about jumped up and down when I saw new Meg Wolitzer on Edelweiss ready for download. I have enjoyed all her books as well, and this sounds wonderful.

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  8. Free lunch and ice cream cake is always a good thing. I almost always enjoy live theater (especially musicals). Hope The Honeymooners is good! Happy, happy birthday! Hope you enjoy your day off. Mine was about 2 weeks ago but I worked. Blah. The cover of Haunting of the Deep looks creepy. And a blend of Salem and the Titanic is certainly an interesting mix. Can't wait to see what you think of Top Ten. I hope to have my review posted tomorrow.

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    1. The play was so cute. It was a very sweet take that emphasized how Ralph was a total dreamer and how much he loved his wife and his friends. We all enjoyed it. The thing is Mather's books are inspired by her family history, which I think is such a cool connection. My review for Top Ten is scheduled for Thurs (I think), but I can say right now, I really liked it. (4.5/5)

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  9. Ohh happy early birthday! I hope you'll have a fabulous day off work, yay! :)
    I'm so glad you had such a great reading month, 27 books is WOW, it's incredible that you are able to read so much.
    I'm glad to see you bought The Lost & Found, I really want to read this book :)
    Glad to hear you're enjoying Top Ten, that book is on my TBR as well :)
    Hope you'll have a lovely week xx

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    1. Leno definitely won me as a fan with Everything All at Once, and I am eager to read her backlist. Outside of the very end, Top Ten was a winner for me.

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  10. Happy Birthday this week! I hope you have a wonderful one! You got some really great books and your upcoming reads look amazing. Have a fantastic week.

    Jenea's Book Obsession's Sunday Post

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    1. I am just excited for a day off. My commute is a beast.

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  11. Happy birthday!!! Enjoy your day! I might take my birthday off too...thats a good idea! Enjoy your books!

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    1. I never work on my birthday if I can help it. It's the gift I give myself.

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  12. Oh you subscribe to your local theatre? That's awesome! I used to go to plays but haven't in years. And happy birthday! I hope you have a great day :-)

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    1. This theatre is really impressive. It is usually a stop right before the show goes to broadway. When A Bronx Tale premiered there, the author was in the audience, and the productions are really high quality. My daughter has a BFA in theatre design, so I look at plays in a totally different way now too.

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  13. I've heard so many good things about This Is Us so I'll have to start watching it. Wanderlust was really good, but I've loved just about everything Roni Loren has written. Haunting the Deep sounds interesting especially since you liked it so much. I'll have to check it out. Have a great birthday this week! :)

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    1. Wanderlust was my first Loren book, but I will definitely read more. This is Us is the perfect blend of drama and comedy, family and love. I adore it!

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  14. Glad you enjoyed the Honeymooners musical and Happy early birthday!!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog and join in this week’s Book Photo Sundays!

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    1. The play was great, and I always love live theater.

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  15. Ooh I hope you have a great Birthday week, and yay for being off for it! That's awesome. I love live theater too; hope the musical is a lot of fun.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. The musical was fabulous. Fun and very heartwarming.

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  16. I haven't tried this is us, but I'm so glad Poldark came back on - two whole hours worth last night! :)

    I'd love to see what you think of the Broody book!

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    1. You know I just googled Poldark. I think my father watches that. He and my sister love historicals (the sister teaches AP US/Gov classes. I am starting Broody tonight. Kiersten really liked it, so I am thinking it's pretty good.

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  17. 27 books? You're amazing! I really enjoyed The Victoria in My Head as well. Happy October!

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    1. Yeah, I read a lot it keeps me out of trouble. 😏 I found Victoria to be adorable, and we don't see the lower range of YA featured a lot in books. Their focus is different from that of upper YA (usually), and it's nice to get that perspective sometimes.

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  18. It's your birthday this week? Happy birthday! I hope you have a brilliant day. And Dolly Parton is doing music for Dumplin? I was excited to see that anyway but that is brilliant news! I will definitely watch now. Looking at what you've read just makes me want to binge on some good old romance and I was thinking I was a bit bored of romance.

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    1. I think it's awesome that Parton wants to be involved, since she was such a huge part of Dumplin's story. And did you see the cover reveal for the next book!!!! I was so excited.

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  19. Enjoy your birthday! I try to take my birthday off as well. It is always the week of Thanksgiving so I like sneaking in an extra day. I am trying to imagine a month were I would be able to read 27 books. That is amazing!

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    1. Well, some of those 27 are audiobooks, but I read about 5 books a week. I read mostly contemporaries, and they tend to be under 400 pages and just read faster than SFF, which tend to be OVER 500 pages with tons of details.

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  20. Happy belated birthday! I really want to read Autoboygraphy. The library is taking forever getting it to me!
    Jen Ryland Reviews

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    1. My birthday is actually today, so you are right on time. 😄 I am standing by my opinion that Autoboyography is stupendous. The problem with the library, us that people may be finished with the book, but they don't return it right away. I really only do digital loans, but I return them right after I finish them.

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  21. Happy belated birthday!! I live really close to the Paper Mill Playhouse we have gone a few times. We just passed it the other day and I was like we should go see The Honeymooners! I hope you have a great time! Have a great week!

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    1. Whoa! We are practically neighbors! Hi, neighbor 😉 I enjoyed the play, but I have to say, I have yet to see a stinker at Paper Mill. Their productions are very good.

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