Monday, November 20, 2017

Sunday's 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

I know, you're thinking, "Sam, it's Monday, not Sunday." This is true, but since I had a blog tour, I just moved my Sunday post by one day. Things will be back to normal next week. This week's discussion was quite interesting. We discussed yet another thing we love to hate: instalove. Most people were ok with the idea that there can be a spark, but people want to see the buildup and the relationship develop, while others were ok with it, especially when the book is a straight romance.

These announcements were EVERYwhere and I was excited:







On the Blog:
STACKING THE SHELVES

I was pretty excited about my acquisitions this week. I picked up so ebooks I had been wanting that were either free or deeply discounted, and the highlight, was being approved for Sophie Kinsella's new book. I am such a super-fan of her's, and am so excited to get the opportunity to read this book early.

Bought/Free

ARCs

Won from Goodreads
A post shared by Sam Kozbial (@kozbisa) on


What I Read Last Week

Another good reading week. I had two 4.5-star reads. One was a great mystery and the other was a hockey romance, which is kind of a surprise, as I don't usually give that high a rating to contemporary romances, but it was so good.
  • The Truth Beneath the Lies by Amanda Searcy: This was a great thriller, that pulled me in from page one. There were things I figured out, but there were some things I was NOT expecting. ★ 1/2
  • All About Mia by Lisa Williamson (audiobook): I enjoyed this complicated family story. Mia was living up to an image not defined by her, but rather for her, and it was great to work through her sister issues and find herself in the process. ★ 1/2
  • Any Way You Slice It by Kristine Carlson Asselin: This was a fun romance with hockey, reality TV, and pizza. ★ 1/2
  • Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley: This was a really interesting exploration of grief, and I cried many tears - happy and sad. 
  • Run Away with Me by Mila Gray: A really good second chance romance, which had some OTT moments, but they served a purpose. The romance and friendship was quite wonderful, so it was easy to overlook. 
  • Slammed by Victoria Denault: Loved this one! It was a combination of the characters, the romance, and the story. It really worked for me, and has made Denault a new go-to for my hockey romances. ★ 1/2
  • Good and Gone by Megan Frazer Blakemore: Another complicated sibling story, which is worked out on a road trip. I went into this without really reading the synopsis carefully or any reviews, which I think was a good idea, because they reveal something that I feel had more weight because the reveal confirmed my suspicion. 

What I Am Currently Reading

I am listening to This is Not the End, which was a Can't-Wait Wednesday pick, and it is so interesting. It's technically SiFi, but it reads contemporary. There are some really weighty issues in this one, as the main character is grappling with the decision on who to use her resurrection on: her best friend or her boyfriend, who both died in a car accident she walked away from, or her brother, who was paralyzed after a climbing accident. I am currently reading another Can't-Wait Wednesday book, Foolish Hearts, and it is such  a "me" book. I  am loving it!

What I Plan to Read

I still have a few November ARCs, but decided to move on to the December ones, since there are not too many. I have heard good things about Meader's hockey book, so I am excited to read So Over You, and I just adore Stephanie Kate Strohm, therefore, I cannot wait to read Prince in Disguise.








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

20 comments:

  1. I'll probably skip both movies (I have to be realllly excited for something to make me see it - I'm just not much of a TV/movie watcher). Totally excited for an Albertalli release, though! Hooray for getting the Kinsella arc! Go you! :) I haven't read anything by her in so many years. My sister loves her books. I've been meaning to read 738 Days for months but it just hasn't happened yet. That's awesome that you have two such great reads last week. Love when that happens!

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    1. I think it's been over 4 years since I went to the movies, but I am still looking forward to these two, though I will most likely watch them on cable. I seriously gasped when I got the approval email for Kinsella's book. I am obsessed with her! I regretted not getting 738 Days at BEA, and then I was seeing all these great reviews, and then I saw it was going to be a series, and then it went on sale, and I just couldn't say no.

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  2. Yay for The Incredibles 2 trailer and new Albertalli! I am so excited for the Kinsella book. I hadn't realized that Waxman had a new book coming out. I just added to GR and entered the new giveaway :) Glad you are enjoying Foolish Hearts. It is one of my most anticipated releases. Have a great week!

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    1. I had seen a lot of great reviews for Waxman's other book, and believe it or not, I entered this giveaway on the very last day. I love winning books, and this one looks really good. Foolish Heats was just perfection for me. I have two other Mills books, and I cannot wait to get to them now. I think me and Mills are a perfect match.

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  3. I love the cover reveal for Leah, it looks so great and I am loving the colors. Can't wait to read the book now :)
    I'm glad you're enjoying Foolish Hearts so far - this book is on my TBR, I can't wait to read it soon :)
    Hope you will have a fabulous week and happy reading! xx

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    1. Did you see Julie Murphy's tweets, where she shows various pics of her in the same pose as Leah? It was awesome! Foolish Heats was fabulous! I loved each and every last second of it.

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  4. Oh the Incredibles look so cute! I loved the first one.
    Glad you liked Slammed! I will have to check it out. I love hockey romance!
    Hope you have a great week!

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    1. I cannot get over how long it's been since the first Incredibles movie, but it was definitely one of my faves from my daughter's childhood. I am excited to see them again. I didn't just like Slammed, I loved it! I was really surprised. I had liked Denault's other books, but this one just had the perfect combination of hero, heroine, and story. I love a book that gives me happy feels, and Slammed made me stupid happy.

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  5. I seriously can't wait for A Wrinkle in Time to come out. When I was a kid, it was my favorite book. I read it so many times. The movie trailer looks awesome. I'm glad they chose to diversify.
    Rebecca @ The Portsmouth Review

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    1. A Winkle in Time was such an important book when I was a kid, and the cast is phenomenal. I can only imagine it will be incredible.

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  6. Incredibles 2! I will have to see that one. I am also curious about Wrinkle in Time. I hope you have a great week and enjoy all of your new books!

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    1. I have been really impressed with all the great adaptations lately. I always wait for them to come to Netflix/cable, but I am happy they are being made. And I always love Pixar movies.

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  7. It looks like you had a great week in reading. I can't wait for A Wrinkle in Time to come out!

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  8. You have some wonderful books this week. Congratulations on your Goodreads win, Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman. I just recently watch a Book Tube review, and it sounded very interesting. Have a wonderful week.

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    1. I have heard good things about Waxman's other book, so I am excited to read Other People's Houses.

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  9. OMG! YES! I'm so excited about The Incredibles 2. Way too long of a wait.

    I love Sophie Kinsella too, but have yet to read her latest in the Shopaholic series. I have it, but I'm biding my time. But since, I can't say no, I went ahead and requested her new book. Hope I get approved. Thanks for mentioning it.

    Hope you have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving. ~Aleen

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    1. I know! It's been forever since the first Incredibles movie and the characters were so fabulous, so yeah for more! I have read all the Kinsella books. I am looking forward to Surprise Me, but also her middle grades books that are on deck.

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  10. I can't wait for a new Incredibles movie! The teaser was so adorable!
    I also just realized I've never won anything from Goodreads and I'm a tad bit jealous of you :)

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    1. I probably have won more, because they do more US giveaways than international, and I enter A LOT, because it's so easy. I agree, the teaser is so cute for the Incredibles!

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