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 am happy to report that we made it through the blizzard without losing power. That was a big relief. We got about 2-feet of snow, but the highs this week were above freezing, so it's actually melting. I didn't do much this week. We got permission to work from home Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I took the train to work. I got lucky because the one after mine was 30 minutes late. One of the people I take the shuttle with said it kept getting stuck. I would have lost it.
Thursday, I had off to get my first IPL treatment. The office was really backed up and didn't see me until 90 minutes past my appointment time. I was not happy. The procedure only took about 15 minutes. $350 for 15 minutes. Not sure if it has helped yet, but I still have three more appointments.
After that, I did more of nothing. Food shopping, meal prep, laundry, cleaning. All that good stuff.
On the Blog
- Monday: Reviews - Margo's Got Money Troubles, Nothing to See Here
- Tuesday: TTT - You Can Quote Me On That
- Wednesday: CWW - Darling Daffodils Farm, Holly Jolly Rebel
- Thursday: Reviews - All the Perfect Days, The Autumn of Ruth Winters
- Friday: Six Degrees of Separation - And Now, Back to You
- Saturday: Sloth Goes Places - Illinois
Stacking the Shelves
I continue to limit my requests, but I grabbed a few freebies.
Purchased/Free
- Cowboy's Cafe Crush by Clara Pines
- The Accidental Dating Experiment by Lauren Blakely
- Leave It Up to Love by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Invites
- The Lake Club by Lina Patton
- Missing by E.A. Jackson
Read Last Week
This week was a mixed bag. I was a bit disappointed by a few reads. I expected them to rate much higher than they did, but I ended the week on a high note with three books earning 4.5 stars.
Beth O'Leary did it again! She No-Showed me. She had a twist in The Name Game that had me seeing everything in a new way. Brilliant! I also loved The Paris Match. This was a slow burn which usually annoys me, but the characters owned me. I wanted everything for them, and I had to be there to witness them both heal and fall in love. The Hotshot was a nice surprise. It ended up being even better than I anticipated. The situation of instant mom of three was an intense one, but the authors gave her a fantastic hero to lend some support as she adjusted to her new life. I was hooked.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Pomona Afton Can Totally Catch a Killer by Bellamy Rose - ★★★★
- Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven - ★★★
- Holly Jolly Rebel by Kate Meader - ★★★★
- The Name Game by Beth O'Leary - ★★★★ 1/2
- The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn - ★★★★ 1/2
Audiobooks
- The Hotshot by Piper Rayne - ★★★★ 1/2
Currently Reading
- The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
- On Thin Ice by Kelly Jamieson
To Be Read
- Key Ridge by Allison Speka
- The Write Off by Kara McDowell
- Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West
Let us know in the comments!
Another book friend in the community shared pictures of her backyard before and after the blizzard and I don't think I've ever seen that much snow all at once. I'm glad to hear you did alright though! Sorry to see you didn't love Meet the Newmans—I've had my eye on that one ever since I came across it, but glad to see you loved O'Learys' and Clayborn's latest. I hope you have a great week ahead, Sam :)
ReplyDeleteThere were things about The Newmans that didn't work for me, but you probably would like it. I am just not a fan of the heavy handedness the author used. I get that it's set in the 60s, but it just wasn't for me.
Delete"I got lucky because the one after mine was 30 minutes late."
ReplyDeletePhew. It sounds like transportation never goes smoothly in your area...even when it doesn't snow, actually. At least you can work from home on the occasion.
"$350 for 15 minutes"
😮 I hope your insurances covers it! What is it supposed to do?
Nope. I have had to pay for all the dry eye therapies out of pocket. I paid $1,000 a few years ago, but the treatment didn't help. This one is supposed to have a higher success rate. I put $1,400 into my Health Savings Account for it, so at least I am getting a tax break.
DeleteThat's a lot of $$$, especially for something that didn't even work...Let's hope the new treatment is successful!
DeleteI had to Google what IPL treatment meant Sam! And yes 350 USD for 15 minutes is a lot. I am sorry Meet the Newman was not better for you!
ReplyDeleteThe cost will be worth it if I get some relief. I have been battling chronic dry eye for over 20 years. It has a big effect on my life.
DeleteNice that you didn't lose power and got to work from home a few days! I'm thrilled that you loved The Name Game because I've seen mixed reviews on it, but I've enjoyed the books O'Leary have written that have really mixed reactions. I grabbed up The Paris Match and I was a little worried because I haven't read the author before and it's on the longer side. I got the short story by Harvey, too. It'll be a nice way to try out the author.
ReplyDeleteMy niece and co-worker both lost power, so I was very happy. I LOVE Harvey! My first book was the Songbird one, and I was hooked. Every one of her books has been great. I like O'Leary's books, and that twist!!! I am still thinking about it. So well done and made the story really interesting.
DeleteFor that amount of trouble and money, I sure hope it helps.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both
DeleteSo glad you made it through the storm okay! And I'm happy that it's melting pretty quickly, unlike after the last storm!
ReplyDeleteI heard it's going to be quite warm this weekend. I am ready for it.
DeleteWe got very lucky (or unlucky if you are me and wanted some days off from work heh) and got literally like an inch of snow when they predicted feet. It was WILD, especially seeing others so close get hammered. Glad you didn't lose power, at least! Also WOW waiting for 90 minutes is so messed up! Especially when you are paying them that kind of money! I am sorry, I hope it goes better next time. And bummer about the Newmans, glad that the next ones you read were better!
ReplyDeleteI just accept that The Newmans is not for me. Coastal storms are always a risk where I live. It is melting fast this time.
Delete