Sunday, October 15, 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

I am writing this post from North Carolina, and very happy to be spending time with my lovely daughter. She has been showing me all the work she has been producing here at the Institute (sounds a little dystopian, eh?), and it's quite impressive. Funny airline security story. Being from the tristate area, we take our bagels seriously. I was tasked to bring some with me for this visit, but since I was only coming for the weekend, I have to squeeze them in my carry on. Sure enough, I was pulled from the TSA line, and the bagels were tested for gunpowder residue. I asked, and they advised that I should NOT individually wrap each bagel, but rather, leave them loose in the bag. That's your travel tip for today.

And I have a fun reading story too. One of the women I work, who's mother is a librarian, was looking through some books and recognized When Dimple Met Rishi as one I gushed over, so she read it, and she loved it, and she told her mother to read it. When we were talking about it, we both looked sort of like this:


This never happens to me IRL, so I was really excited.

Some things that delighted me on the internet this week:
The cover reveal for Sandhya Menon's next book!!! You can read the first chapter here.


The Simon movie is getting closer, and this is one I really want to see, because that book was near perfection.


And we had the cover reveal for the last book in the Ruined series, and I am dying to see how it all ends.


On the Blog:
STACKING THE SHELVES

The trend for me is, when it rains, it pours. A bunch of approvals I had given up on came through, and I was really excited about them, but I think my Can't-Wait Wednesday has some sort of magic mojo, because I post it, and BOOM! Approval.

Bought/Free

ARCs

What I Read Last Week

I read a lot of romance last week, but I did get a few different types of books in there too, so I am proud of myself. My best read was Warcross. The hype is real.

  • The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott (audio): I loved the MCs in this book. They were so wounded, and I was glad they were able to find some solace in each other. There were some really lovely developments that I didn't expect, and Scott knows how to give me an epilogue I will love. 
  • Kids Like Us by Hilary Reyl: A beautiful coming of age story through the eyes of an neurodiverse teen. I learned so much from this book, but also felt a whole lot of feels. 
  • The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook: My mood with the general social climate is not great, so the politicizing in the book rubbed me the wrong way, but it was a good mystery-thriller, and although I saw one of the twists coming, it still was a good reveal. However, I did think the ending was weak. 
  • Warcross by Marie Lu: The story, the characters, the world -- I loved it all! 
  • All He Wants for Christmas by Jill Shalvis: A short and sweet romance, where a big hearted hero is able to win the reluctant heroine. ★ 1/2
  • Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis: I loved Sean's story. It was my favorite kind - second chance romance, and I have always known there was more to Sean than met the eye. This one left me really happy. 
  • Seeing Double by Tamra Baumann: A second chance romance with a murder plot and a paranormal twist. Sometimes I felt like Baumann was trying to get too much into this story, but when she focused on Michael and Dani, I forgot all those feelings, because I loved the couple so much. ★ 1/2
What I Am Currently Reading

I started Everything Must Go this morning, and so far, I am enjoying it. It is told through blog posts, diary entries, and letters, which is a format I enjoy, plus, the whole alternative school setting is quite amusing. The Final Score is the 12th (!!) book in this series, and I love that Burton is still able to find some connections. This one is special, in that the hero was a teen in the first book, and now he is taking over his father quarterback position in the NFL. Also, this is another merging of some Play-by-Play families, which I always enjoy.


What I Plan to Read

























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

38 comments:

  1. Lol, too funny about the bagels. Yep, the bagels taste better. We always load up when visiting home. I love your book story. Enjoy your visit.

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    1. I can laugh about the bagels now, but I was worried I was going to be pulled into a back room. What we do for our kids.

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  2. You seem to have had a great week. So happy to hear that you could spend time with your daughter. I hope you enjoy your new books. Happy reading and have a wonderful week. 😁❤️

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    1. Mostly I am watching my daughter do work, but at least she stops to eat with me.

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  3. I thought Warcross was pretty awesome too. Love and Other Train Wrecks sound fun, and I love that cover for Allied . I've liked all the covers for that series though really.

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    1. Warcross was ah-mazing. I liked Konen's last book, so I was happy when I was approved for Love and Other Train Wrecks. The covers for the Ruined books are low key, but they convey the right feel for the story. I am just excited to see how it all ends.

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  4. So glad you loved Warcross! I nominated it for the Cybils in the YA Speculative Fiction category, but I haven't finished it yet as it was just released.

    https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/10/scary-library-substitute-teachers-and.html

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    1. Marie Lu never disappoints me. The book deserves the nomination.😄

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  5. Dang, that bagel story. It ended up okay, right? I would have been scared. But I guess you should feel safe because they're ensuring everyone's safety?
    Nice to hear that story about Dimple :)
    Have a great week!

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    1. No lie, I was shaking a little, but the agents were really nice. I had similar experiences in France and Germany, where I was patted down and residue tested, but it still makes me nervous. And exactly what you said, I cooperate because there are safety concerns.

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  6. Glad to hear you're having fun in NC with your daughter. That bagel story! The same thing happened to me. Well not with bagels, but I had bought chocolate (because I think US chocolate is gross) from the duty free at my previous layover, and it was still in it's duty-free bag and all, but they had to individually test it for gun-powder residue and I was so confused haha. Even the TSA agent felt awkward doing it!
    I'm in love with the Twinkle cover and I can't wait to read it! :)
    I hope you enjoy your new books!

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    1. Wow. Even in the duty free bag, Huh? I guess it is goid the agents are cautious. It's crazy out there, and that's 2 for 2 with Menon's covers. Love them!

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  7. Yes bagels are taken very seriously here! Good tip for traveling with them lol. Wow lots of books did come through. Hope they are all good. I agree the ending of Hanging Girl wasn't really strong to me. Have a great week!

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    1. I am originally from Brookly, so I have a bias against NJ bagels. 😂

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  8. So happy you're in NC with your daughter! I know you had been counting down the days. :) Funny about the bagels. Who knew they were a TSA red flag? LOL (And I guess there's that big a difference between the bagels there and the bagels you just buy in the grocery store down here? I'm showing my bagel ignorance here.) Oh my gosh, connecting over a book is awesome, and when it was you that recommended it - even better. I had something similar happen this week. Someone commented on my review for Far from the Tree that they don't read YA contemporary but my review convinced them to one-click it. One of my favorite comments ever. :) Can't wait for the Simon movie. I have such high hopes.

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    1. Uh, you totally made me want to read Far From the Tree too. 😊

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  9. Interesting bagel situation - I'm going to fly with frozen breast milk tonight - don't ask me why - but It's my first time and I'm just waiting to be pulled to the side.

    Love your books, Shalvis, Burton and Fredrick have all been on my tbr shelf. Shalvis is the one I read the most from, Burton got annoying after awhile and Fredrick I have only read her collaboration as Erin Watt - but I loved them. I always wanted to read a Fredrick book, I love sport romances, but my ARC schedule never really gave me a chance. October has been slow, I think I'll pick one up for this week.

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    1. Good luck with the milk. I feel like there are details on the TSA website about that, since babies need their milk. Oct and Nov have a crazy amount of releases. I am behind on Oct, but not drowning yet. Shalvis is my fave if the bunch. But I have been happy with Frederick's football books. Play by Play has grown on me, as I feel like the later books have more story than the earlier one's.

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  10. I never would have thought that bagels would cause a problem at airport security. How very strange. But, I'm glad you made it to NC!
    I'm excited to read Played by Jen Frederick!

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    1. Maybe the agents were hungry. 😂 I liked the first two books in the series, so I couldn't pass up the sale of Frederick's books

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  11. Oh, the bagel story made me smile...but at the same time, how frustrating it is to go through security these days.

    You have a LOT of tempting books to consider. Thanks for sharing, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. The agents were really nice, and we joked about it. I am glad they take their job seriously though. It makes me feel safer.

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  12. YAY, so happy to hear you're spending some great times with your daughter <3
    I am so excited, both for From Twinkle with Love and for Love, Simon. I absolutely loved When Dimple Met Rishi, it was such an adorable book, can't wait to read more from the author. Simon vs. was a GREAT book and I'm so excited to see it on the big screen -for once, haha.
    Together at Midnight sounds so good, I have it on my TBR, I hope you will love it, can't wait to hear your thoughts about it :)
    I hope you'll have a great week! xx

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    1. When Dimple Met Rishi is one of my top reads this years. Loved it to pieces. If Menon's next book is anything like D&R, we are in for a treat. I got so many great approvals this week, it felt like Christmas!

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  13. Wow! That's a lot of awesome books you got there! I can't wait to read the new book from the author of When Dimple met Rishi!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

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

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    1. Menon definitely won a place on my must-read list with Dimple and Rishi.

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  14. That is a funny bagel story. My mother-in-law brings food when she visits family so I better tell her your story. I love the cover and title of From Twinkle, With Love and I need to read the first book soon. I hope you are having a great time with your daughter and have a safe trip home. Have a great week!

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    1. Manon's books are stand alones, but I will say When Dimple Met Rishi made my heart explode. Not looking forward to leaving, but at least I know the kid will be coming home for a few weeks in December.

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  15. I'm so stoked for the Simon VS movie. Have you seen the movie poster? It's adorable!

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    1. I love the poster!!! This is another well cast film too. The actors chosen totally fit what I imagined when I read this book.

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  16. It would be awesome if Can't-Wait Wednesday was the perfect formula for getting approved for books. Lol! I like the idea of a trick that works for getting books we really want. I am so excited about Allied! YAS!!! I need that book for sure.
    I haven't read Simon and the Homo Sapiens, but I guess I better soon. I didn't even know it was going to be a movie.
    I hope you enjoy The Memory of Trees and the Book of Lies. They book look really good. Have a great week!

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    1. The CWW voodoo is working for me, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. 😝 Simon was such a fabulous book. If you have the time, you should keep it in mind. I adored it.

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  17. Oh wow, you got some awesome books for review! I'm glad you're having such a nice time visiting with your daughter - that's great!

    Ooh I hadn't seen the cover for Twinkle, but I'm liking it. Too cute. I'm SO excited for Love, Simon. It's a favorite book of mine and the movie just looks amazing.

    -lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. It was a nice visit. Even if at this moment I am in NJ and my phone is in NC. Oh, well. I am giddy with anticipation for the Simon movie. I have a good feeling about this one.

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  18. Yay that is great that you get to see your daughter. I love your airport security story. I honestly had no idea how to even bring bagels, but now I know.

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    1. I messed up so many things on this trip, but at least the kid has bagels. She promised her team that she would bring in ONE bagel for them all to have a taste. I laughed quite loudly when she shared this with me.

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  19. That is one crazy story about your bagels! I am so terrified about having the wrong thing on my carry on that I wouldn't try to bring food. I guess that you do take them seriously! lol I hope that you enjoy all of the amazing books that you have added to your TBR. :)

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    1. My daughter assured me I could bring food. I am paranoid when I fly, so I made her check. I guess it was more of an issue that they were wrapped in little packets. And yes, bagels are serious business in these parts. =P

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