Sunday, November 11, 2018

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.

My Week in Review

It was a quiet week, though, I felt like the universe was on my side, at least a little. I had off for my dental check-up on Wednesday (still no cavities!), and I missed a huge accident, which had my co-workers stuck in 2 hours of traffic. You all know how I hate delays. So, I am glad I missed it. Don't worry, NJ Transit made up for it almost every other day, either making me late to work or late home.

I felt like my backlist was trying to tell me something this week with that TTT topic. One new feature I started, in an effort to read more backlist books, was One Old, One New, which debuted this week. I try to find a connection between an ARC and a backlist book, and so far, it's been pretty fun.

I actually have something to look forward to this week! My daughter is coming home on Saturday. She left at the end of May, so we are all excited to have her home for the week.

I love rom-coms, and this looks hilarious!
Another fun quiz from the Epic Reads folks
What's a Sunday post without some cover love?
On the Blog:
  • Monday: One Old, One New - What Goes Up 
  • Tuesday: TTT - Beat the Backlist
  • Wednesday: CWW - Match Me If You Can by Tiana Smith
  • Thursday: Isn't It Romantic? - Knocked-Up Cinderella & Sleepover
  • Friday: Discussion - Do We Need a Teen Romance Category?
  • Saturday: Giveaway - If you're a US reader, and would like to read The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig, enter my giveaway!
STACKING THE SHELVES

My approvals this week made up for all my denials last week, as I was lucky to get approved for so many amazing books.


Edelweiss/NetGalley
What I Read Last Week

This was my big romance week, and as expected, I pretty much smiled from ear-to-ear. All of these were so fun and delighted me to no end. It seems the last book I read this week just edged out two other books. I love Crane's books, and this one was everything I always look for. It was funny, witty, and touching. I was fan of the themes she touched upon and the way she did it, but mostly, I loved the friendship portrayed in this book. It was really special.


Books
Audiobooks

What I Am Currently Reading

Hey, look at that! I am reading one of the books from my TTT Beat the Backlist. Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots has been on my radar for quite and while, and I am excited to see what everyone has been talking about.

Co-Ed has a really odd premise, but it's pretty fun, and I am interested in seeing where it goes.


What I Plan to Read

Mixing a little backlist in here. I have had the Mackler ARC for months, and will do a series read this week for my One Old, One New feature.

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

52 comments:

  1. Love the covers this week, especially for The Infinite Pieces of Us. Looks like most of your recent reads have been pretty good too!

    Hope you have a great weekend with your daughter home. and have a super week. :)

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    1. I loved Infinite Pieces of Us. Crane always writes a story I love.

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  2. Oh nice new reads! Hope you enjoy them all!

    Here's my STS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  3. I hope you have a great time with your daughter! The book "The Earth, My Big Butt, and Other Big Round Things" By Carolyn Mackler sounds so fun from the title! :)

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    1. She doesn't get in until Saturday, and the daughter has informed me that she will be working every day, but at least we will be in the same state.

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  4. Yay for your daughter coming home! Have a great time with her!

    Looks like you've got a bunch of great new reads coming up. I've been eyeing Death Prefers Blondes so I look forward to seeing what you think of that one.

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    1. We really only have three days to spend together, because of work, but I just like having her nearby.

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  5. Enjoy your time with your daughter! I’m glad you missed all of the delays and disasters. Public transport usually sucks, but when I’m cursing past traffic jams, I’m happy to be on the train. I hope you love your new books!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. I grew up in Brooklyn, and always took public transportation, and NJ Transit didn't used to be this bad. This is what happens when you don't practice proper maintenance. However, like you said, it beats Jersey traffic any day for me.

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  6. Your new feature sounds really fun! I'm off to check it out! Great haul this week too. I recently got Match Me If You Can but I haven't gotten to it - I hope you enjoy it! Have a great week :D

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    1. I am just finishing up my December ARCs. I usually am only one month ahead. We both have time for Match Me.

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  7. Love the idea of One Old, One New. I want to read more older books too and not be so distracted by shiny new releases.

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    1. I am ALWAYS distracted by the new and shiny. That's why I need features and reading challenges to make me read older books. If nothing else, at least I can exploit my competitive nature for a cause.

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  8. I hate going to the dentist-it's been years since I was there, despite really needing to go. I'm just so scared of that drill!

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    1. I have never had any dental problems, and that is probably why that is one doctor I am NOT afraid of. Not one cavity. Ever. And my cleaning was done really quickly too.

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  9. Glad to hear you missed the traffic nightmare! I hate traffic and yet I'm stuck in it everyday. It takes me an 1 hr 15 min to drive 33 mile to work. Going back is a little less time, but still it sucks the life out of me. Sorry to hear public transit isn't much better for you. Thank goodness for audio books! The one positive thing about my commute.

    Your covers are very colorful this week! I need to get to several old ARCs. The Infinite Pieces of Us sounds great. You got a lot of reading done! Hope you enjoy your time with your daughter. :)

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    1. My job is 40 miles away. It takes the same amount of time to drive (90 mins) as to take the bus/train/shuttle. I would rather have someone else do the driving. The positive side of my commute is getting solid 3 hours a day to read. I used to work 4 miles away, so this has been a big change for me. Sometimes it wears me out, but at least I am treated like a human being at my new job.

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    2. I drive the extra time to my job because it's a good place to work, so I can understand why you take the extra time in commute, too. Plus, we do what we love on the way, right? :)

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    3. True. I like my job a lot more than I did my teaching job. I am treated a lot better. I remember in my mid-year review, when my manager asked what I disliked most about my job - I told him the commute.

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  10. I am staring at those gorgeous covers...and lingering. Enjoy! Thanks for sharing, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. They really are lovely. I can't wait to dive into them all.

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  11. I'm so excited for Isn't It Romantic! I love Rebel Wilson and the premise seems hilarious!

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    1. I was laughing so hard, I was crying while watching that trailer. I always like poking a little fun at things I love.

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  12. No cavities and the return of your daughter that's great! And I already did the "would you survive your fairy tale" LOL I am happy to say that I would be a proud survivor ! Happy Sunday Sam :-) Sophie @bewareofthereader

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    1. I am not surprised you survived, but am glad to hear you could make it through a fairytale.

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  13. Ugh, you reminded me that I need to go to the dentist. Way to go Sam. Haha.

    Have a great week!
    Amber Elise @ Du Livre

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    1. Do it! That's the one doctor I actually go to, because I want to have my own teeth years from now.

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  14. I am glad that you missed the traffic jam and got a good report at the dentist. That worked out for you. I am so happy that you will have your daughter home for a week. That is great! Enjoy your new books and have a great week!

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    1. It should be interesting having her here next week, watching her work everyday.

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  15. I hope you have a lovely time with your daughter Sam! I know there's a whole work week between then and now but at least it's something to look forward to when the commute is a pain in the behind!

    I love the covers for Match Me If You Can and Death Prefers Blondes. :)

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    1. Commuting is just a reality of living in civilization. At least I am just sitting on the train, reading, as it all happens. Death is an amazing cover. My favorite of Roehrig's so far.

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  16. I'm glad you had a pretty good week! And wow, you got lots of books read! That's awesome, and I'm glad they were all fairly good too. :)

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I have so much to read, and yet I continue to add to the pile and check books out of the library. It's an illness.

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    1. It will be a nice treat for me. Let's hope absence made her heart grow fonder too.

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  18. That seems an interesting feature - One New, One Old. Backlist books deserve more love and that's a great way to do it. :) Enjoy your time with your daughter.

    Happy readings! ;)

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    1. If you pick the right backlist book, a lot of people have opinions about it too. And some good discussions can arise

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  19. I got rejected for Serious Moonlight so that was sad. They always send me finished copies during release week though so it's so weird!

    My Death Prefers Blondes request is still pending but really I never get approved for YA. Most of my arc's come from conferences or the romance genre.

    I'm almost through with my ALA books so I'll be getting back to my TBR pile soon!

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. That's pretty awesome that you get finished copies. The pub approved half my requests and declined the other half. We usually do BookCon/BEA, but not this year because I was moving my daughter to Chicago that weekend. Any physical books came via tours or wins, but I prefer ebooks. I am an anomaly

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  20. It sounds like the dentist appointment was timely and glad you missed the accident. Have fun with your daughter!

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    1. I love when I just miss travel nightmares. It makes me feel a little lucky

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  21. Glad you enjoyed Trouble Makes a Comeback. Going to see if my library has the final book, so I can finish the series. Hope you have a lovely week!

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    1. I am on the wait list right now, but looking forward to seeing what happened to Digby's sister.

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  22. I would hope I would survive a fairy tale as long as it wasn't tooo gruesome. I have been really bad. I did complete my GR challenge of 65 books. But, I need to review a bunch of them. I figure that will keep my busy on my break. Have a wonderful week.

    Mary

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    1. I don't know, those Grimm's fairytales were a special kind of scary. I let reviews go last week, and had to write four in a row. I felt like I had no words left in me. Congratulations on you GR challenge!

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  23. Glad to hear the universe got your back Sam! I do hate NJ Transit too! I think my 2019 is going to be at least 70% backlist books!

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    1. I am definitely going to try to do more backlist, which I say every year

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  24. Wow you got a lot of ARCS but it looks like you read about 10 books this week so maybe that's fine. I've been reading for HoHoHoRAT and lots of contemporary romances, quite a few novella or short books, so I've read about 10 this week also. I'm just happy I finally got organized and wrote a bunch of the reviews today. Yay for a quiet week, it's been so cold and rainy I don't want to go anywhere at all. Anne - Books of My Heart

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    1. I get through a lot of books. Right now I am at 373 for my GR challenge. Falling behind on reviews is the worst! I feel so drained when I write too many reviews in a row, so I try to write them the day I finish the book. We are experiencing our first winter storm as I type, and I am still ill (running a 101.9F fever). I just can't shake it, but I am out of sick days.

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  25. Enjoy the time with your daughter being back home! And yay for dodging traffic jams from time to time. I'm glad you're also enjoying looking at and thinking about backlist titles too. We can sometimes get so easily caught up in those new releases!

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    1. The kid is working every day, but we will have all of Thanksgiving day together.

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