Sunday, June 9, 2019

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

It seems that summer is upon us. It was hot and sticky this week, and these are things that make me unhappy. But, I can't control the weather, so I'd better suck it up.

I went to see Beauty and the Beast Yesterday. It was the last show of the season, and it was wonderful. This was my third time seeing the show. I saw it, when it first opened on Broadway, 25 years ago, and Tom Bosley was in it. I then saw it again in Jacksonville, when my daughter was about 5 years old - about 20 years ago. I forgot how adorably awkward the Beast was around Belle.

I don't know if you all have seen this, but my co-worker and I about fell out of our chairs, because we were laughing so hard...

Too cute!

And, you know, your weekly dose of cute hedgehogs...


Let's Discuss!
  • Book Beach Bunny discusses Netgalley moods. I, obviously, found this post very relatable
  • Sophie wonders if reading makes you a better person
  • Krysta asks where are the funny YA books, and you know I am all about the funny. 
On the Blog:
  • Monday: Blog Tour - No Place Like Here by Christina June
  • Tuesday: TTT - My Favorite Genre - YA Contemporaries
  • Wednesday: CWW - Truly Madly Royally, Notes From a Former Virgin
  • Thursday: #AmReading YA - I Wanna Be Where You Are, Ordinary Girls
  • Friday: Discussion - Book Adaptations
STACKING THE SHELVES

Edelweiss/NetGalley


What I Read Last Week

It was a really solid reading week. Four stars across the board! My favorite of the week was probably Fix Her Up, it was close to 4.5 stars. I loved the premise and the character baggage and the Just Us League. Lots of fun and warm moments in this one.


Books

Audiobooks
What I Am Currently Reading

Aurora Rising is fabulous. Kaufman and Kristoff can do no wrong.

And, If I'm Being Honest is so fun, and I am all about it.


What I Plan to Read

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

50 comments:

  1. It's been hot and humid here too. I need to find more time for the pool. That puppy and hedgehog are too cute:)

    My Sunday Post

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    1. I wish I loved the pool, beach, and whatnot. I guess I am lucky I sit in a cold office all day.

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  2. It's starting to warm up here too, although it's been mostly pleasant and 70's. Thankfully no real humidity yet!

    That tweet is awesome!

    I love that cover of Natalie Tan's. :)

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    1. 70s are my sweet spot. It's beautiful right now, but NJ always has a lot of humidity this time of year.

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  3. We've had nothing but rain. :( I'll take a few days of hot and humid this week! (But not too many or I'll complain about that too!)

    I love the stage production of Beauty and The Beast. I've seen it twice, once with my grandfather and once on a school trip. Both good memories.

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    1. Our hot and humid came with rain too. Sudden downpours, at that. That's so nice that you got to see the play with your grandfather. Awesome memory!

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  4. Oh nice! I did see Beauty and the Beast when it came down my way some years ago! I saw it was headed our way and I asked my mom if she'd go if I'd buy the tickets. Our theater isn't in the best of areas and I didn't want to go by myself, so I treated us both to the show since it was her favorite Disney movie too from the 90s! I'm still devastated that The Little Mermaid never traveled to my city, I'd like to see that one and Frozen too of course!

    Nice new reads! New to me ones but I hope you enjoy them all!

    Here's my StS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. I guess I knew the play had been around a while, but didn't realize it was the 25th anniversary. Because I live only about 30 mins from the city, I did used to see a lot of plays. I saw the Little Mermaid (it was wonderful!), but now it's so expensive, that I don't get to go to Broadway plays as much. I am so grateful Paper Mill does such high quality productions.

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  5. It was definitely very hot and sticky! It made me want to stay indoors at all times but alas I had to go to work and school! Oh fun, you got to see Beauty & The Beast! I'm glad you had a good time.
    I hope you enjoy Ayesha at Last!

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    1. I am so late reading Ayesha, but very excited. I have yet to see anything bad. The summer always makes me wish I had one of the telecommuting jobs, so I could just stay inside all day. I leave at 5:55 am for work, normally, it would be ok, but last week, there were some yucky mornings.

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  6. I read Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune and enjoyed it also. The writing was poetic at times and the sense of community so strong. I have Ayesha at Last to read this summer too.

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    1. I liked the prose, because it fit with the mystical qualities of the story, you know? The community aspect was my favorite part of that story. Though, I adored Daniel so much, I wish there was more of the romance.

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  7. I feel you on the hot weather. We've been in the midst of a heatwave and it hit 100 a couple days. The rest of the week it cooled down to about 95. LOL That note from the kid was hilarious! :) I haven't managed to see a stage production of Beauty and the Beast yet. Woe is me. I'm excited for The Bromance Book Club. That one looks right up my alley. :) And I love me some Brigid Kemmerer! Can't wait to see what you think of that one.

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    1. Now, when you tell me stuff like that, I don't miss JVille. The whole concept of Bromance BC has me excited. That kid is going to be a politician someday.

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  8. Thanks for featuring my discussion post Sam! And that hedgehog is really ...elastic LOL
    I really liked Call It What you want and you are right Aurora Rising is amazing!!! let's hope next week is less warm for you .

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    1. I guess hedgehogs naturally do that with their limbs when on their backs, because I see that pose often. It's the faces they make that really get me. I am about a third of the way through Call It What You Want, and it's lovely, as all Kemmerer's contemporaries are for me.

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  9. Ok that note about the boy missing the bus it hilarious! Obviously, he is smart enough to miss a day. And yay for more hedgehogs! They are so stinkin' cute!

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    1. That kid is going to be a politician or diplomat. He's fantastic!

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  10. That note is just too funny! I am not big into theater but I think I would enjoy Beauty and the Beast so I understand why you have seen it so many times. I hope you have a great week and enjoy all of your new books!

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    1. I love Beauty and the Beast. The play followed the movie as well, so it's a happy ending (unlike the play version of Hunchback, which was devastating).

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  11. That note about missing the bus is pretty funny! I'm interested in The Bromance Book club. I'm currently reading Ayesha At Last and I'm enjoying it now but it did take some time to get into. I felt the first part was mostly a lesson in Indian culture instead of a P & P retelling.

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    1. That note made my day on Friday. Laughing so hard. I never read P&P, just P&P retellings, so I am taking Ayesha at face value on its own, which could work to my advantage.

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  12. I desperately miss the cold. It seems like you enjoyed Waiting on Tom Hanks more than I did! I'm happy it was a better fit for you. I clicked on your review link, but Goodreads is down for maintenance, so I'll have to check back later. I am thrilled to see Fix Her Up was a four-star read! It's one I'm really looking forward to. I hope we both love Call It What You Want!

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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    1. I did enjoy Tom Hanks. It was fun for me, and I liked all the rom-com stuff, which seemed to be too much for some readers. Fix Her Up was close to 4.5 for me. I am warning you - the hero is really alpha, but I don't have a problem with alpha heroes, but younger women seem to be turned off by that.

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  13. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite musicals too. Such a wonderful story. I'm glad to see you're enjoying Aurora Rising. I still need to pick up a copy of that. Yay for the Kemmerer book. I have that one coming up soon too and can't wait. I'm also curious about the P&P reteling. I haven't seen any reviews for that one yet but I'm always on the lookout for those retellings since P&P is such a favorite of mine.

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    1. Kemmerer's book was really great. I enjoyed it a lot. Super messy, lots of family drama, and tons of growth for the MCs. I have seen a lot of good reviews for Ayesha, and heard the author incorporates a lot of her culture in the book, which is a nice spin on P&P.

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  14. OMG, that note is the best thing ever. I wouldn’t be mad at my kid if he missed the bus and wrote me that. I hope you’re having a good week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. That note is worth being shared forever. When I was teaching, the kids used to tell me I had to keep a straight face, when I was reprimanding them, BUT sometimes what they did or said was so funny. That's how I felt reading that note.

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  15. I saw Beauty and the Beast years ago and loved it! Oh, and that letter that you shared is absolutely hilarious!!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I didn't realize it's been about 20 years since I last saw the full stage show, because I have seen it so many times at Disney World. It was fun seeing again.

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  16. Ugh, hot and sticky is not fun. I'm really hoping my pool is fixed soon before it gets TOO bad out. I need water if I'm going to be in the heat. haha I'm glad you're enjoying Aurora Rising; I need to read that!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I just don't do the outdoors, but I hope your pool situation gets worked out soon, so you can enjoy the weather.

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  17. I was in NYC all last week and we only got one day of nice, breezy weather before it got hot and humid. Now, I'm back in Arizona and it's just hot. Ugh. I hate summer, but you're right -- there's nothing we can do about it so we might as well just suck it up and deal! At least we've got good books to help us cope, right?

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    1. Yep. Just gonna sit in my reading chair in the a/c. The weather got better towards the end of last week. See! You needed to stay longer.

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  18. Ahh, I love your haul this week! Can't wait to hear what you think about The Library of Lost Things and Truly,Madly Royally, both of these sound AMAZING :)
    Happy reading and have a beautiful week! :)

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    1. I am super excited about both. I have seen good reviews for Royally, but haven't looked into Library (yet). I think they are both a good fit for me.

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  19. thanks for the cuckles grins and book
    sherry @ Sunday Memes

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  20. Hot and sticky weather isn't for me. I don't enjoy high temperatures. Not even a little bit. I'd love to see Beauty and the Beast as a musical. I'll forever and always cherish this tale.

    Enjoy your new books.

    Happy readings! ;)
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

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    1. Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful story, and how could we not love a heroine, who adores books!

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  21. So many awesome books! Try to stay cool - even we're going up to the 90's this week.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I think today is the hottest day, and it's supposed to stay under 80. The humidity has got to be 1000% though. I don't even know why I combed my hair today.

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  22. It's getting hotter and sticky kier where I live too! I think The Bromance Book Club and The QB Bad Boy and Me looks so good! I loved Ayesha At Last, and think Call It What You Want sounds good! I'm looking forward to reading what you end up thinking off those two. I hope you have a wonderful week Sam! Happy Reading :)

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. Call It What You Want was great. I have grown to expect messy family dramas from Kemmerer, which are also pretty touching. I love the set up for Bromance. As soon as I saw the cover, I knew it had to be mine.

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  23. You had another great reading week!! So many good ratings!! I am interesting in Fix Her Up, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune and Like A Love Story. Also The Bromance Bookclub is totally calling my name!! Have a great reading week!!

    ~Kendra @ Kendra Loves Books

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    1. Fix Her Up was fun. I know some people were not fully onboard with the hero (he's all alpha), but I loved the idea of the story and liked them together. Bromance looks fun. I am really excited about that one.

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  24. Yay for being about to see Beauty and the Beast again and it sounds like you had a lovely time seeing it. Been so happy to see you enjoying all these showings lately :D

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    1. B&B was great. Sad, because it was the last show of the season. So, nothing new until the fall. I am hoping my daughter can make a trip home in July. We want to see Vanessa Carlton in Beautiful - The Carole King Story. I love King's music and Carlton is a favorite of ours.

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  25. How great about Beauty and the Beast. I have not seen it on stage. Very cool. I love the hot weather and have looked forward to it since last year. I DREAD the fact that it will be fall/winter soon. I hate it. I just want to move. I hate it here. Hate it. I NEED warm weather. I hope you have a great time with you daughter in July. Since I am typing this and it is July you might be having that great time now! =)

    Mary

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    1. I want to move to somewhere that is not as hot and humid as here or cold. I want my weather to be just like me - moderate. My daughter is coming at the end of the month, but it is quickly approaching. Yeah!

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