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 last Sunday of July! This month is going fast, but I am excited because my vacation is getting closer. It was another quiet week. Work was crazy busy. I am still training the new woman, and this rotation is one of the toughest in my opinion. That, coupled with our super high volumes had the week feeling like it was a month long. They pulled in people from other service teams to assist each function in my department. We got three helpers who were supposed to create the cases for us, so that we could be freed up for more complex works. Guys, case creation is essentially data input. That's it. It takes me about 30 seconds to create a case. I was doing the full volume, and now, we have three people who could not split it and get a portion of the cases created by end of day. I hope they get better at it.
I think I finally found a pair of sneakers that fit and feel great. For the past month, I have been ordering and returning shoes. They never feel right, but I got Birkenstock sneakers, and the fit was good with no pain in the front of my foot. I just need to put a little padding in the back of the right shoe because it slides a bit. I am happy to FINALLY have shoes that work.
On the Blog
Let's Discuss
Stacking the Shelves
I was excited to get an invite for the new Pamona Afton book. I had already requested and was approved, but THERE'S MORE PAMONA AFTON!!! I really loved this character, and it should be fun getting back tot hat world. I saw the next book in Shalvis' new series drop, so I had to download since I gave the first book 5-stars. I picked up some freebies that looked interesting. Both are new-to-me authors, but I was drawn to the story description.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Free Falling by Jill Shalvis
Free/Purchased
- The Truth Never Spoken by Ambar Cordova
- The Tides Between Us by Cali Melle
Invites
- Pamona Afton Can Totally Catch a Killer by Bellamy Rose
- A Heart for Christmas by Sophie Jomain
- The Last Love Song by Lucinda Riley
Read Last Week
I read a bunch of different books this week. The historical, Finding Dorothy, was really great. Maude Baum was an interesting woman with such a fascinating backstory. I really enjoyed learning about her and Frank. But my favorite book was The Incredible Kindness of Paper. This was such a charming and feel-good story. It was about a woman who began leaving origami flowers with uplifting messages all over NYC. They seem to find the right person. This led her to a reunion with her childhood best friend and first love. I adored all the positivity, the second chance romance storyline, the coincidences, and all the ways these people were connected. It was fun and fantastic, and I was left filled with hope and happiness.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts - ★★★★ 1/2
- Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano - ★★★★
- Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst - ★★★★
- Game Point by Meg Jones - ★★★★
- The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye - ★★★★★
Audiobooks
- Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao
Currently Reading
- These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
- A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
To Be Read
- The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida
- The Passengers on the Hankyu Line by Hiro Arikawa
- Anywhere with You by Ellie Palmer
- Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks
Let us know in the comments!
I am so glad gthat you finally found shoes that wouldn't hurt! As someone who walks 8 KM every day shoes are the one "outfit" I am ready to spend fortunes on! And these happy dance videos made me smile Sam!
ReplyDeleteI did return them for a smaller size. I didn't realize Birkenstock has a size guide on the inside of the box. They cost too much to not get the right size. Those dogs are precious
DeleteYay for finding a pair of sneakers that work for you! I just ordered a pair of cute summer slides from Birkenstock. A friend was wearing them in Montana and I fell in love! I was invited to The Last Love Song, too, but I looked it up on GRs and it has a lot of mixed reviews from friends. I'm interested to see what you think if you grab it.
ReplyDeleteThe Last Love Song doesn't sound like a good fit for me, so I will not be reading it. Sometimes I read books I was invited to read later, from the library, but I try to pick what I believe would be sure-fire hits for me for ARCs. I have the closed slides (the Boston, lined and unlined). I have awful feet, so I don't wear sandals.
DeleteSorry to hear about the work frustrations, Sam! I hope that they get better (quick) and that it becomes less trying/stressful for you. Also, I had no idea that Birks made sneakers as well, but yay for finding one that fit you well! I can't believe how quickly this month has gone as well—I mean, how is it already August on Friday?! 😱 It's mad, lol. I hope you're enjoying Mandanna's latest (I can't wait to read it) and all the other books you have upcoming on your TBR. Have a great week ahead!
ReplyDeleteMandanna's book was cute. I think I made a mistake picking the audiobook because I definitely missed stuff with that format plus the accents.
DeleteFinding a pair of shoes that fit and feel good is so hard. I found a pair of Sketchers shoes that fit well and was so happy about it so I get it.
ReplyDeleteThen you find them, and you want to always buy them, and then they change them. I got the new version of my athletic sneaker and they are all wrong. I was lucky to be able to buy the same pair three times, but I could no longer find them anywhere. I am sad about this.
DeleteI love finding good shoes!! Its crazy how adulthood makes you so excited about things like that. I have about 30 different pairs of Toms because they are the only thing that works for me! Hope things get slower at work!
ReplyDeleteBefore my surgery, I wore Toms all the time. I have so many cool ones, but I need a stiff sole now, so I cannot wear them. Makes me sad.
DeleteSo glad you found some shoes that will work for you! I don't buy new shoes often, so it's a bummer when I finally spend the money on them and they don't fit great.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is the lack of the stuff I want in stores. I have to go online and do returns. I hate doing mail returns. I am spending almost $200 on the shoes and the refund will take 2-3 weeks. I am always stressed out that it didn't get there either.
DeleteI'm glad you found shoes that are comfortable for you. Bad fit of footwear can wear down the whole body. I loved the insta post. I was wiggling in my seat like some of those dogs. So cute. The Incredible Kindness of Paper, sounds really good. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Sam. I hope you have a wonderful week, and it goes by quickly for you.
ReplyDeleteRight? You just wanted to dance with them. Skye's book surpassed my expectations. I have to admit, I never wanted to read her YA books after seeing her on a panel. She rubbed me the wrong way, but I am glad I gave this book a chance. Uplit to the max and I adored it.
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