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! I hope everyone is doing well. It was nice having my daughter visit last week. She prepared some healthy and tasty meals. Since she couldn't use salt, the spices were flying! I enjoyed the meals, and I hate cooking, so it was nice being served. She left on Thursday to meet up with the original WLABBers. I love that they are still friends.
It's getting chilly in the morning, so I had to renew my complaining to New Jersey Transit. Still no doors on the waiting rooms on the platform and now the heat lamp is broken too. It was 33F one morning and 30s every morning. I have been waiting in my car longer, but I have to watch the time since I have to get to the other side of the tracks which takes more time.
I had to schedule my remaining vacation days. I had this past Wednesday off. I used it to finally get my flu shot - better late than never, and run some errands. I am not working any Wednesdays in December either. I love a good four day week.
On the Blog
Stacking the Shelves
I did a little dance when I got my Netgalley approvals this week. Both are upcoming releases from authors I always have great success with. I always worry that the authors I like will get too big, and I won't get approved any longer. Good to see I can still get a Painter and Louis book.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- First and Forever by Lynn Painter
- The Phone Swap by Lia Louis
Read Last Week
Though there were on 5-star books, I had no DNFs and everything rated over 4 stars. I was happy. I enjoyed The Full Moon Coffee Shop sequel. I am addicted to these gentle and heartwarming stories coming out of Japan. Secret Nights and Northern Lights was a great second chance romance centered around a fantastic trip to Iceland. The author did a great job incorporating the location and transporting me there. Finding Her Edge is a young adult book I had wanted to read a few years ago. It is getting re-release along with its Netflix adaptation, so I snapped up the arc and was not disappointed. I have a thing for elite athletes, and I found the Persuasion + ice skating an interesting combination. The Tradd Street finale did not disappoint either. Melanie and Jack were still having relationship drama, but I always enjoy a trip to this world. The mystery was interesting, and I liked getting the introduction to some characters from the spinoff.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- The Best Worst Thing by Lauren Okie - ★★★★
- Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki - ★★★★ 1/2
- Secret Nights and Northern Lights by Megan Oliver - ★★★★ 1/2
- Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli - ★★★★ 1/2
Audiobooks
- The Attic on Queen Street by Karen White - ★★★★ 1/2
- A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan - ★★★★
Currently Reading
I am enjoying both these books. Night Shift is a fun, opposites attract new adult romance. I love that they met in the library, and the heroine is a real book nerd.
I was drawn to Fun at Parties because there is a cross-country road trip involved. I kind of wish I saved this one for next year's reading challenge. They have scheduled stops at some of those tougher states.
- Fun at Parties by Jamie Harrow
- Night Shift by Annie Crown
To Be Read
- Pickle Perfect by Ilana Long
- Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen
- Where It All Began by Lucy Score
Let us know in the comments!
Kiersten spoiled you LOL. Great to see a daughter who cooks for her mom.
ReplyDelete30s? with no door and no heat lamp? That sounds like a nightmare. Bring your complaints to social media, I'm sure they'll be quick to fix everything! 😈
"I always worry that the authors I like will get too big, and I won't get approved any longer."
Sometimes I think that's not where the real problem lies - maybe the publishers are simply more inclined to grant access to Booktokers/Booktubers these days...
Always wonderful to have my daughter here, and she was very supportive of cooking healthy for dad. I am paranoid of social media after I complained about my flight and almost got scammed. I get it that ARCs are for publicity, and they want to give them to bigger accounts, but I still get sad.
DeleteIt sounds like you had a lovely time with your daughter visiting you! It's great that she made some delicious and healthy meals for you while she was there. 😊 Also, not working Wednesdays all of December sounds amazing—I'm more than little jelly! I finally secured my leave dates last week as well and I'll be off to Sri Lanka on Christmas until the New Year. I honestly can't believe it's already near the end of another year. 🫣 Secret Nights and Northern Lights sounds really fun. I'd love to visit Iceland one day... I hope you continue enjoying all your reads and have an awesome week ahead, Sam!
ReplyDeleteYeah for getting leave! That will be a nice trip. I thought Secret Nights was great. A good one if you love travel.
DeleteI hate cooking so I would have enjoyed someone cooking for me as well!! Glad you got to spend some time with her. That's always nice! Hopefully this week is a little warmer for you-waiting outside in 30 degree weather is miserable.
ReplyDeleteThe mornings are rough, but the afternoons are not too bad or out of the norm for this time of year.
DeleteI also hate cooking. That's why most of my food comes out of the freezer and goes in the microwave. :) Enjoy your vacation days!
ReplyDeleteFrozen food is definitely easier than all this prep.
DeleteThere's one publishing house that never gives me ARC's on NetGalley because they will only give books to blogs that are only bookbloggers. You can't have anything else on your blog. I think that's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you got to see your daughter. That sounds cold!
That is interesting but unfortunate for you, so BOOO to them.
DeleteI had the last week off from work (also using my vacation days haha). We spent the first half relaxing at the lake cabin, and the last few days were spent putting up Christmas decor and running errands. I'll work this week, then be off for Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a lot of fun. Less working is always great.
DeleteI love a short workweek, too! I'm always one to take Fridays off, but Wednesday is interesting - only 2 days to work at a time, I like that!
ReplyDeleteI do like a three day weekend but because of the way my job is, I will end up reviewing the bank complaints. They switched to a different reporting platform and the report comes out on Wednesdays after I am gone for the day. I cannot review it in one day since it's over 3,000 complaints. I am not *that* fast. So, Wednesdays it is!
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