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.

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My Week in Review

Happy Sunday! I hope all is well with you all. 

This week was a struggle. Tuesday, there was a trespasser strike right before I left the office. Things were backed up for a while. I was one of the lucky ones because my stop was not one being bypassed. I understood going slower near the accident as the police were still there on the tracks (and the body bag was on the platform!), but we went slow through parts nowhere near the accident. Thursday morning, I have no idea why, my morning train was 25 minutes late. I am glad the morning was warm due to the rain, but waiting 40 minutes was no fun. 

Thursday was dad's 82nd birthday. I got him a Carvel cake because that's what he likes and took him to the steakhouse for dinner. It's always a gift to get an extra year with his health issues. I had off Friday but really didn't accomplish much. I had plans but nothing happened. I did make my doctor's appointments, so that was one thing accomplished.

Wednesday, we had an online meeting with the new head of our line of business. There have been so many changes, and there are so many more coming. My cohort and I were messaging furiously trying to figure out all the things that would change with our function. My role is so niche, they often forget us. Gotta keep calm and go with the flow. 

On the Blog

• Monday: Reviews - Bad Words, Solar Eclipse of the Heart
• Tuesday: TTT - In a Word
• Wednesday: Five on My TBR - One Word Title
• Thursday: Reviews - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, The MASH-Up
• Friday: Five Star Friday - October 2026

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Stacking the Shelves

I couldn't resist some of the auto approvals and nabbed Haley, Gilmore, and Score's new books. I also grabbed the new Buxbaum as a read-now and clicked the invite for Ava Wilder's forthcoming release. I am excited about them all. 

I will definitely download the Ballard book and maybe the Wibberly/Siegmund-Broka book. It's been a while since I read something from them. I am on the fence about the Gilmore book. I love Lucy Gilmore, but this is described as dark which is not a buzzword that pulls me in. 

Netgalley/Edelweiss

• All Together Now by Julie Buxbaum
• Love Notes by Ava Wilder
• Let Me Get Back to You by Liana Haley
• The Book of Forgotten Things by Lucy Gilmore
• The Heist Before Christmas by Lucy Score

Purchased/Free

• Special Delivery by Lauren Blakely
• Please Send Snow by Clara Pines
• Faking the Fall by Julie Christianson

Invites

• The Empire Burns at Dawn by Fatima Al-Shemary
• Just in Time by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegmund-Broka
• The Isle of Lonely Monsters by Julie Leong
• The Book Hunter by Jayne Ann Krentz
• This is Why We Don't Date Serial Killers by L.M. Gilmore
• Meet Me in the Future by Tanya Guerrero
• Come Away with Me by Fallon Ballard
• The Us We Knew by Katy Upperman

Read Last Week

I struggled so much this week. I had a DNF, I was disappointed by a bunch of books which I thought I would love, and one was even by an author I normally adore. Maybe it was me. My audiobooks were solid considering they were both chosen for reading challenges. 

I have read all the other books in Kendrick's series, so I was not shocked that that one hit the spot, but Bates is new to me. It was a cozy murder-mystery, and I have to say, it was quite funny. The author had me laughing often. Disenchanted was a solid addition to Wood's series. Not my favorite, but I did enjoy it. There were some great magical elements and the ending was solid. 

Find all my reviews on Goodreads

Books

• The Little Shop of Merry and Bright by Jenny Bayliss - ★★★
• Disenchanted by Lucy Jane Wood - ★★★★
• Back Where We Started by Becca Freeman - ★★★ 1/2
• You, Me, & the Conspiracy by Emma Barry - ★★★

Audiobooks

• In Dog We Trust by Beth Kendrick - ★★★★
• The Bitter End by Keeley Bates - ★★★★

Currently Reading

• A Serving of Hope by Hisashi Kashiwai
• Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

To Be Read

• Kooky Spooky Love by Josie Silver
• Merry Spooky Love by Josie Silver
• The Heist Before Christmas by Lucy Score

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