Sunday, December 15, 2019

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

My streak of not working a full week continues! I had Thursday off to go to the dentist (still no cavities!), and while I was home, I got my haircut too. My mother turned 70 yesterday, and I just can't help being practical. I got her a thin tower shelf that slides in and out from between the washer and dryer. I also reorganized her pantry shelves. I thought she might flip, but she was amazed by how much space she now has. So, a win for me!

My mother and my daughter were in cahoots to get this ginormous sloth. My mom put it on hold at a Kohl's in Chicago, but when the kid went to look at it, she realized she would not be able to get it home. I just look at my mother, when she does things like this, and wonder if the body snatchers came for her or something, because my mother would have never indulged my desire for a doll this book or that costs that much. My daughter claimed it would be a great "statement piece" for her apartment, but I struggled with that concept.









Let's Discuss!

On the Blog:
  • Monday: One Old, One New - How to Build a Heart, The Distance from A to Z
  • Tuesday: TTT - Free Skate
  • Wednesday: CWW - Break the Fall, The Sound of Us
  • Thursday: Blog Tour - Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins
  • Friday: Discussion - Can We Just Let People Like Things?
STACKING THE SHELVES

Bought
  • Erik by Sawyer Bennett

Edelweiss/NetGalley

What I Read Last Week

This was an excellent reading week. The biggest surprises came from my contemporary romance books. Lauren Layne is always solid, usually 4 stars, but her final Central Park Pact book earned a little more from me. Absolutely loved it! A bigger surprise was Nina Bocci's latest release. I struggled a bit with the first book in the series, which was more successful for me as an audiobook, and I am glad to say, the follow up was so, so good.

Books
Audiobooks

What I Am Currently Reading


What I Plan to Read

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

42 comments:

  1. Your mom sounds adorable. That's a gigantic sloth! Where would you put it?! I used to have a gigantic Tweety and it was a headache on where to put it lol
    I've seen Love, Jacaranda on Edelweiss and I'm contemplating on getting it.
    I hope you have a lovely week!

    Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

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    1. Exactly! Where would you put that ridiculous doll. My child had a large Pooh and Pikachu, but they are nowhere near as large as that sloth. It's bigger than a person.

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  2. Yay for no cavities and a birthday gift your mom appreciated. Man that sloth would be the size of my first college studio room. LOL

    Looks like a good reading week for you. I have found trying something on audio can usually make me enjoy it more for certain issues.

    Have a good week, Sam!

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    1. I am laughing just thinking about the enormous sloth in a college dorm room. There are some narrators out there, who really do a great job making the characters come to life, and that could be key sometimes.

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  3. Wow, that is a very big sloth. I don’t know where I’d put it in my house. My sister and I did once have a giant rainbow dolphin that we won at an arcade in Las Vegas. We sold it at a garage sale because there was nowhere to put it.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. All that hard work, and no rainbow dolphin to show for it. I hope you made a good deal with the buyer.

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  4. Oh wow! Was that the reallllllly big sloth from Kohls? I saw it and thought of you, but was like daaaaaang that thing is HUGE! Lol!

    Nice new reads! They are new to me ones as usual, but I hope you will love each and every one of them!

    Here's my StS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  5. LOL, your Sunday recaps are always entertaining and full of unexpected things. I mean...a sloth could never be unexpected...but the whole sloth story was hilarious! Did your daughter find a way to take it home in the end? Also, I think your mother's behaviour makes perfect sense. I've always heard that grandparents let their nieces and nephews get away with stuff they would never do their daughters and sons!

    I love the look on the dog's face LOL. And those monkeys are adorable!

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    1. My child was heartbroken, that she could not figure out how to get it home. She would have needed help, considering she lives in a third floor walk up and doesn't drive. It's amazing who your parents become, when they have grandchildren.

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  6. Happy Belated Birthday to your mom! And LOL to the sloth story. It's adorable, by the way. :)

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    1. The sloth is cute, but does anyone need a 100 pound sloth doll?

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  7. I'd have found a way to get the sloth home! On holiday years ago I bought a huge furry crocodile on a whim and I had to tuck it under my arm to hoof him back to the hotel! He's about five foot long!!!

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    1. I love that you would have made it happen! More power to you. My daughter can be pretty determined about things, and she thought it impossible by herself. They claim it is 58 inches, but my daughter, who is 5 ft 4 in, says it was bigger than her, and it's fat. She said it weighed a ton.

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  8. That sloth is so cute but it's so huge! I remember asking my mom to buy me a teddy bear as big as that back when I was a kid and she refused because it takes up so much space (and will likely just collect dust). I didn't really understand then but as I got older and finally had a place of my own, I get her lol. *still kinda want one though... lowkey.. idk why* HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO YOUR MOM!! And great job on reorganizing the pantry that even your mom approves!!

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    1. But you asked for it, when you were younger and didn't know any better. My child is almost 25.

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  9. Happy birthday to your mom! :D That sloth is adorable. *.* I do have an unhealthy obsession with soft animal toys, so, no matter what, I'd find a way to bring that sloth home with me. A few months ago, I dragged a very heavy box with a toy for my cats - a toy higher than me after built - all the way through the street and then I had to climb 48 stairs with it.

    Happy readings!
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

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    1. My daughter has had to get rid of a lot of her stuffed dolls, but she still have a crew that she takes with her when she travels. Old friends. Wow! You are a good cat mom for doing that.

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  10. Bwahahaha Sam that hedgehog's video! He is like Buddha meditating in a state of bliss! And I saw your post on Twitter and IG about the dentist and the gift your mom wanted to make LOL

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  11. WHAT a gigantic sloth, I need it in my life oh my god hahaha. I love it.
    It seems like you've read so many excellent reads last week, that's so great! I can't wait to read Don't Read the Comments and Every Other Weekend, they both sound so good! :)
    I hope you'll have a wonderful week <3

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    1. I saw it next to my mother, and it towered over her. It's obscenely large. Don't Read the Comments was geeky goodness with an honest look at social issues. I am still wrapping my head around Every Other Weekend, which I really enjoyed

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  12. That sloth is awesome, love it! Thanks for the review of The Sound of Us! I'd won an paperback arc of How to Speak Boy from Goodreads which I'm currently reading; so far, so good!

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    1. The sloth is awesome, though, highly unnecessary. My daughter doesn't even have a couch, but she wants an enormous sloth. Where did I go wrong with my parenting? Yeah for winning a Goodreads giveaway, that's awesome, and I am glad you are enjoying the book. I liked Smith's last book, and this one sounds even better. I have high hopes for it.

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  13. That is such an impressive sloth! LOL.

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    1. It really is, but just because we are impressed by it, doesn't mean we need to own it.

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  14. LOL your mom and daughter - grandparents definitely act differently with their grands than their kids! Way more laidback!

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    1. My mother never indulged me like that. She would have berated my grandmother had she bought me something that ridiculous too. Unreal.

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  15. What a great gift idea for your mom. I'm sure she appreciated that a lot. Love the sloth. Isn't it funny how our moms change with age? My mom has said some stuff that floors me. I'm like, this is *not* the same woman who I lived with as a child/teenager. LOL She's definitely mellowed. Glad the LL book was even better than the previous ones! Breathe, Annie, Breathe is one of the few Keannelly books I've read and it really stuck with me.

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    1. I am trying so hard to organize my mother. Her Christmas gift is an attempt to get her pocketbook in better order. I heard some people saying the final Pact book was more of a romance, and maybe that's why I liked it best. Sometimes, I just want to enjoy a full on romance, and though the characters had some baggage, it was not as heavy as the previous books couples.

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  16. Happy birthday to your mom! And omg, I love the giant sloth. LOL I hope you have a great week. We're so close to Christmas!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. We are so close to Christmas. My daughter is actually flying in this week for the holiday.

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  17. That is one gigantic sloth! I think practical gifts are nice and useful, and I would've totally appreciated someone re-organizing my pantry! The monkeys are too cute!

    I'm looking forward to Marriage on Madison Avenue, because I do love a good friends to lovers story, but even more so now after hearing you loved it so much.

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    1. The monkey video cracked me up. It was so adorable. Madison Ave was such a treat. It was fun with all the wedding stuff and finally seeing those two recognize the feelings that had probably been present for quite a while.

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  18. Happy birthday to your mom. :) I can relate, my mom is 73 now and she does thing she never would have done before! It cracks me up sometimes, but other times I'm like... huh??? lolol

    Wow- that guy stayed WAY calm. You never know with squirrels and what not haha.

    Almost Maine looks great.

    Oh my gosh that last one is so cute.

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    1. I am scared to see the sort of stuff I will be trying to get away with in the next 20 years. Right? That guy was so calm. I think I would have passed out.

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  19. Thanks for the shout out in the Let's Discuss section :) Love this weekly review thing, this site does it really well especially with how many posts and books you all make it through each week. It's incredible.

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    1. I am always looking for interesting posts. Glad to share. I am a fan of the weekly wrap-ups. It's a fun place to share little bits of stuff I discover during the week.

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  20. Happy birthday to your mum! Sometimes the most practical gifts are the best and what we need. I am glad she liked the reorganisation :D And yay for not having a full work week again!

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    1. Having days off during the week is amazing! It should always be like this

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  21. The sloth related antics of your mother and daughter had me giggling. I hope you mum had a lovely birthday!
    The hedgehog video soothed a ragged little piece of my soul. Oh, how I wish I could be as peaceful and content as that hedgehog!
    Hope this week has been a good one!

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    1. We're just going to refer to that as Sloth-gate. Those two! Didn't you just want to be the hedgehog. He was so blissed out. I want to attain that level of chill too.

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