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
Happy Sunday! October is off to a rather warm start, but I am going to let it slide. I will continue to dress for the 50s in the morning and 80s in the afternoon..for now, but I really despise false summer. Mother nature needs to pick a season and stick with it.
Work was work. I have been training the team that will take over our letter writing queue. It has been slower than I anticipated, but things were looking up on Thursday. I took off Friday to take care of a few things. My birthday was this weekend, so my driver's license had to be renewed. I am actually in my 30s on my license because I was allowed to renew without a new photo one extra time due to COVID. I had to go in person this time. I made an appointment for 11.20 am. I got there in line at 11.16 am. They verified my points of identification, gave me a number, and then I sat, and sat, and sat for 2 HOURS! When I was finally called to the window, they took my payment, snapped a terrible photo and sent me on my way WITHOUT a license. I have a paper temporary license until I get mine in the mail. Now, I know it's been a while, but I swear they used to give me my license at point of service.
Because my license was taking so long, I canceled my service appointment for my car. I made it for 1.30 pm thinking I would have enough time, but nope, the DMV continues to disappoint with its extreme inefficiency.
Yesterday, my parents took me out to eat for my birthday. It's the only time I can get them to drive far, so I always pick The Cracker Barrel. I love breakfast foods, and I love their breakfast. I am a simple girl. Today, we have a show at Paper Mill. It's Bull Durham The Musical. I am intrigued.
On the Blog
Stacking the Shelves
Don't judge me! There were a lot of great sales on Amazon, some were free too. I am excited about the new Garvin and West books, but even my invites look great this week.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Bumblebee Season by Eileen Garvin
- Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West
Purchased/Free
- Cast and Caught by Katharine Sadler
- Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Meet Disaster by D.E. Haggerty
- Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey
- The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine
Invites
- Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell
- You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
Read Last Week
I know it looks like my reading week was great, but it was actually a rough one. I DNFed three books, two of which I was really excited about. Could be my mood, but one of them had too much casual drug use for me. I let it go when there was a whole chapter dedicated to teen pot smoking escapades. I cringed when the character again talked about popping mushrooms quaaludes, but then there was a whole chapter dedicated to a bag of every edible under the sun, and I just could not continue. I don' think drug use is amusing since I lost a family member to addiction. It was frustrating too because I read like half the book.
I did read some great books though. My favorite was Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon. I am really loving Matthew Norman's books. They have all been hits for me, and this was a wonderful story of two widowers and their healing journeys. There were sad moments, but it was packed with warmth and humor and even some holiday cheer. I really enjoyed it.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Yours for the Season by Emily Stone - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram - ★★★★ 1/2
- Trouble for Hire by Naima Simone - ★★★★
- Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman - ★★★★★
- Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey - ★★★★ 1/2
Currently Reading
Walsh is back in her sweet spot with Everything's Coming Up Rosie. She does stories of friendship and personal journeys so well. I love the retirement home setting, and I am really rooting for Rosie to succeed with this Senior production.
I didn't get to listen to Villain much this week, but the story is getting more dramatic, but it still makes me laugh plenty.
- Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh
- The Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
To Be Read
- The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell
- Hot Mess by Amy Andrews
- Some Kind of Famous by Ava Wilder
- Anne of Avenue A by Audrey Bellezza, Emily Harding
Let us know in the comments!
Happy belated birthday! except, I guess, for the not-so-welcomed gift of having to throw a couple of hours in the waste bin in order to renew your licence...
ReplyDeleteI'm not judging you! I know you're pretty capable of reading 9 new books in a week or so 😉.
Thank you. The DMV is always a miserable experience. I can handle about 5 books. I used to get more read when I had time to listen to audiobooks. My listening is way down this year.
DeleteHappy birthday! I had the exact same experience at the DMV back in April. I made an appointment, sat there for hours, and look like a chubby psychopath in my photo.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Good to see the DMV is just as terrible in other states. LOL! I look like Shrek in my picture.
DeleteI love breakfast food too. If there's ever a choice of a meal, I will choose breakfast food!
ReplyDeleteBest foods! Only thing better is brunch.
DeleteI'm over the weather. Its been in the upper 80's here. Even in the morning its in the mid to upper 60's. I'm ready for winter!
ReplyDeleteIt was 43 the other morning. I always get stuck lugging a jacket around in the afternoon.
DeleteI forgot about Everything's Coming up Rosie! I need to listen to that one. I am not a fan of a book portraying drug use as no big thing. I wouldn't continue either! Happy birthday! Hope you have fun at the play!
ReplyDeleteThe book was great! So fun and sweet and loved the old people.
DeleteThey did the same thing to me the last time I renewed my license.
ReplyDeleteDMV sucks in all states. Yeesh!
DeleteHappy birthday! I didn't wait quite as long at the DMV last time I went. Were you getting the Real ID this time? I think that's why they have to mail it to you.
ReplyDeleteI did NOT get a Real ID. I have a passport and the appointments were too far off or too far away.
DeleteI'm so glad that when I make an appointment at our DMV, they take me within 10 minutes of that time. It's so unfair that you had to wait for 2 hours. We have to wait for the picture licence to come in the mail as well. I love Emily Stone's books, so will look for that one. I never get approved for ARCs of her books, but I read them anyway. Happy Belated Birthday to you. I hope it was a good one.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I was first seen 4 minutes early, then I waited. Lesson learned. I should have gone to a different location. This was the most romance of Stone's romance books. I liked it.
Delete