Sunday, October 6, 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

You know, it's always sad when vacations end, and you have to return to real life. I just got home, and I feel so far behind. If only I had internet on the ship, I would have been able to keep up. With that said, sorry I didn't visit this week, but I only had short spots of wifi in the two ports. I am trying to get to everyone though. It's tough, because I was busy last weekend seeing Chasing Rainbows, which was incredible, and today, we are going to see Percy Jackson. I almost want to call out tomorrow, but I fear wasting my days.

Speaking of vacation, it was very relaxing, though, the North Atlantic is a lot rougher than the previous cruises we have been on. The kid got sick our last day at sea, but other than that, it was nice and casual. I usually love taking advantage of see the current crop of Disney films, when I am on the boat, but it was essentially Toy Story 4 and all the live action re-boots. Kiersten and I were both really perturbed about what they did in Toy Story, and I really want to know what Pixar was thinking there.

Other than that, make sure you go an enter my birthday giveaway. It's open to any and all, who Book Depository will deliver to.






Let's Discuss!
  • Sophie wonders if you need to shout to be heard
  • The Orangutan Librarian shares the most pretentious post you will ever read
  • Hypable shares a list of fierce YA female characters, which I totally agree with

On the Blog:

STACKING THE SHELVES


Bought/Free

Edelweiss/NetGalley

What I Read Last Week

I was able to sneak in an extra book this week, and I was happy I did, because it ended up being my highest rated of the week. My sports romances are usually solid 4-star reads, but Legend had a bit more going on, that made me go a little higher. I was all in and totally engrossed from beginning to end.

Books


Audiobooks

  • Rush by Emma Scott - ★★★★ 

What I Am Currently Reading

I really started both of these today, and therefore, have little to say. I like that Glines is trying to have a little diversity in her series, and am hoping she does a good job with this hard of hearing heroine.

I don't normally tag in for fantasy books, but Lifestyles is a retelling that has me intrigued. I have seen a lot of glowing reviews, and seriously, a YA retelling of the minotaur? Sounds really promising.


What I Plan to Read

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

46 comments:

  1. Glad you had a nice cruise, sorry to hear seas were a little rough! Although the North Atlantic- that does seem like it might be rougher than some areas, although not having cruised I don't really know. One of these days we're going to go... :)

    Lots of great looking books this week!

    I played that first cat video and my cat, who was sitting on my lap, started looking around lol.

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    1. That is so cute, that your cat reacted to the video. Fantastic! When I was talking to our server, about how Kiersten had never gotten sick before, he said the other cruises we were on were through much calmer waters.

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  2. Sorry to hear your kid had a bad last day, but at least it was the only one!

    I still have to watch Toy Story 2 and 3 (whose DVDs I own...), but now I'm a bit anxious about the 4th. I saw your tweets with Lindsi where you said you both were disappointed, and I have a rough idea where this is going...

    That last cat video πŸ˜‚.

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    1. Just stop at Toy Story 3, though, my daughter was angry about that too. I was ok with it. The last one though, it's a nope.

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  3. I hate that manic catch up that always follows a holiday but I'm glad you had a nice time - excluding the final day sickness - hope your daughter is ok now!

    I haven't seen Toy Story 4 and I have no intentions of doing so. I don't understand why they felt the need for it when Toy story 3 ended in a nice place. :(

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    1. I am lucky that my job will have no catch up. It's really just housework and the blog. My daughter was fine later Friday evening, but she had a rough day. I just really had a problem with the ending of Toy Story 4. My daughter would argue, that Woody should have been brought to college in the third movie, but that's her love for her own dolls bleeding through.

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  4. I only have a desktop computer and no mobile phone of any kind or laptop so it is nice and easy to leave everything behind when I go on holiday! It is a bit of a pain trying to catch up on everything when I get home though!

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    1. The catch up is killing me right now. It would have been better had I no plans for the weekend, but I am still excited to see Percy Jackson, even if I have to go back into the city for it.

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  5. Aww it sucks about the kid getting sick. Oh man I would have been peeved about the cruise not showing the best Disney movies from back then.
    I've had Tessa Bailey's novel in my Kindle since July (maybe August) and I can't wait to read it!
    Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

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    1. We both suffer from motion sickness, but her's is worse. It's not that they aren't showing the best Disney movies, it's just that almost all the recent WD movies have been live action adaptations, which I have no interest in. I am excited about Bailey's book. It's nice to have a married couple romance every now and again

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  6. First, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!! I hope you had a wonderful day. <3 I'm happy to hear your had a relaxing vacation. How haven't I heard before of Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters?! I'm adding it to my wishlist.

    Happy readings! ;)
    TΓ’nia @MyLovelySecret

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    1. My vacation was very wonderful. No commuting for one whole week! We had nice, cool weather too. I am only about 20% into Gods and Monsters, but it is a very interesting take on the minotaur.

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  7. Yay for vacation! I love cruises, but I do get seasick easily. That part is no fun.

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    1. I have never had a problem, which surprises me, because I do get some motion sickness. This was our 4th cruise, and the first the kid was sick on. Very different experience from the others, but we still loved it.

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  8. Several thoughts here:
    Happy Birthday!
    Then I am happy that you had a relaxing holiday even if the sea was rougher
    Third though: that cat attacking the phone is so funny!
    Fourth: I can't wait to read your thoughts on I'll Meet you There!

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    1. That cat was phenomenal! Totally cracked me up. I wish I knew what the cat was thinking, when he saw the image on the screen. I am proud to finally be reading I'll Meet You There, and I feel like it will be a good fit for me.

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  9. Good to hear you had a good time on your crusie! That's a nice way to celebrate your birthday! The cat videos are pretty funny! Toy Story was a bit bittersweet, right? Kind of creepy in parts, too.

    I should check out Legend. I've enjoyed Sawyer Bennett's writing. :)

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    1. We have started meeting around my birthday for our yearly vacation. The weather is usually decent, and it's off peak, so, a bit cheaper. My daughter and I both left the theatre in a snit. We were utterly appalled by the decision Pixar made there. It just doesn't fit the brand or everything the toys stood for. I love hockey romances and Bennett's are always great for me. I will read them, as long as she writes them.

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  10. Glad you had a great time on the cruise! I haven't been on one in over 10 years, because I get seasick and I never know what it's going to be like!

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    1. We are actually looking at a Rhine riverboat cruise for our next trip. The water should be a lot calmer.

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  11. I've never been on a cruise, but they kind of freak me out. LOL I think all that you can do on one would be fun though. Coming home from vacay is the worst though.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. My sister used to feel the same way, but after her first cruise, she was addicted. I love getting to change locations without having to pack up and sit on a bus and whatnot.

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  12. Glad you got some relaxing in on the vacay! I know you probably feel like you now need a vacation from the vacation. Welcome back to the world of wifi!

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    1. Last year, we did Disney, and were worn out at the end of the vacation. At least this one was really relaxing. We were quite slothful. If yesterday wasn't my birthday and we didn't have the theatre tickets today, I would have been fine time wise, but we packed a lot of stuff in our time together.

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  13. Glad you had a nice vacation. I think everyone always needs a few days to recover from vacation before going back to work! Its so difficult!
    Happy Birthday!

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    1. Truth! Though, at least this vacation was very relaxing.

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  14. OMG the cat video is so adorable!! I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise even if there was a little backlog from taking vacation and a couple aggravating things that happened. It's nice to just not worry about any deadlines. The Paris Project looks super cute!! ❤️

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    1. That cat was so awesome! The Paris Project was cute, and it deals with people in a lower socioeconomic bracket, as well as a parent, who is incarcerated and a gambling addict. It was done well.

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  15. I'm glad you had fun on your cruise! That's really good to know about the North Atlantic - I'm also prone to seasickness. Strange about the movies though! Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters is one I haven't heard of but I'm definitely going to check it out!

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    1. It was the rockiest cruise I have ever been on. I guess I didn't realize, that Disney's most recent releases have ALL been live action remakes. Lifestyles has a LOT of mythology in it, while also skewering the world of reality TV. It's fun.

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  16. Glad you enjoyed the cruise... but sorry to hear your girl got sick there at the end. :( We’ve been knocking around the idea of planning a cruise and taking my mom. She just applied for a passport this week and I’d love to help her get a stamp in it. :) I’m reading Twice in a Blue Moon now. And I’m so excited that you plan to pick up I’ll Meet You There soon! Oh, that book...an all-time favorite.

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    1. The kid gets sick from too much heat/sun too. She must have a very delicate constitution. You would probably cruise from FL. The water is much calmer down there (normally). Tons of curses offered from ports not too far as well. Twice in a Blue Moon was not the rom-com I thought it would be, but it was great second chance romance for me.

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    2. Yep, there are plenty of options for ports here: Cape Canveral (Orlando area), Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay, Miami. We even departed from here in Jax last time but that was on Carnival and I don't want to do that again. Was not impressed.

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    3. We went out of Port Canaveral and my parents are leaving out of Miami when they sail. It's nice to have so many ports nearby. We have ships that said from NJ, but not Disney, and that's our preferred cruise line. I had no idea cruises left from Jax. Look at that.

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  17. I like the cover for I'll Meet You There, it caught my eye right away. I'm glad your cruise went well, even if the waters were a bit choppier than you're used to. I'm not sure I'll be heading to see Toy Story 4 myself, I was already tired of the franchise when I saw the third one.

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    1. My daughter was still mad about the third movie, but the 4th, put her over the top furious.

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  18. It is so hard to go back to work after vacation! So hard! We have not taken a cruise largely because I am scared that one of us would be sick and it would end up being a miserable trip. Nice new reads this week! I hope you have a good week getting back into things.

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    1. Being at work was not hard. I am lucky my job is not mentally taxing (at least not for me), but doing the commute this morning was zero fun. I sort of wish I worked on the cruise ship, because I would have. really short commute to work. I have been on 4 cruises, and have had no trouble. This kid got sick a little bit, but it was not the whole time, and other bodies of water are gentler than the North Atlantic.

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  19. I'm glad to hear you had a nice time on your cruise overall. That sucks about getting sick the last day. Good to know about Toy Story 4. I hadn't seen it yet and will probably skip it.

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    1. I don't want to discourage you, if you are a fan of the franchise, but I was shocked with the way they went.

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  20. Happy to hear you had a lovely time on the cruise! Always hard to get back to reality. <3
    I'm so happy you read and enjoyed Always Never Yours, it's such a fantastic read! and I can't wait for you to read I'll Meet You There, hope you will love it :)
    Have a wonderful week <3

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    1. Always Never Yours were so relatable, and I adore this writing duo. I cannot wait for their next release.

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  21. Do you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? It sounded like you had a lot of fun, I'm forever on the fence when it comes to cruises. On one hand, I like getting away, but I also fear water.

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    1. The vacation was relaxing, which was a 180 from last year (Disney World), but I had all this stuff waiting for me at home. I am still trying to catch up with reviews and whatnot. A cruise could be problematic if you fear water, since land is quite far away, but it's like being in a city on the sea. The boats are enormous. We are looking at a river boat cruise next year, and those boats are much smaller, though, we will be close enough to land for free wifi.

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  22. Take your time with coming back! I am glad you enjoyed your holiday and are taking time to have fun yourself!! I hope you enjoyed yourself so much and let me know what you thought of Percy Jackson :D

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    1. It was my second time seeing PJ the musical, and it was as good as I remember. The hardcore fans will be happy with it, because it closely follows the book too.

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