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 Sunday! This was another chill week. I had off on Wednesday. I got my hair done, and I continued my soup experiment. My dad likes soup, but there is a LOT of salt in prepared soups. Trying to make some yummy, low sodium soups. This one was a white bean soup with spinach and shredded carrots. I used unsalted bone broth to pump up the protein, and I was happy with the results. Yesterday was my parents 56th wedding anniversary. We went to dinner, and the place does a nice fuss when you say it's an event.
I am preparing for that weird part of the year where all the days are a blur. I am off work this week. The kid is flying in tomorrow night. I hope there are no weather disasters or delays. I bought something for my mother but ended up ordering new frying pans for my parents as well. I got the carbon non-stick Misen pans. They had very good reviews, so I am hoping for the best. I had already gotten my father a new coffee maker. I want him off the pods. I am trying to get him on a more "clean" regimen in conjunction with his chemo. I believe all that hype. I am taking him for a PET scan tomorrow. Fingers crossed this new chemo is doing its job. It would be the BEST Christmas gift.
I do hope that each and every one of you are having a wonderful holiday season. I know I am counting my blessings.
On the Blog
Let's Discuss
- Fantasy with Friends, a discussion meme was announced at Pages Unbound
- Dini shares some festive reads
Stacking the Shelves
There were some good sales for books on my Amazon wishlist, so I snapped them up. I adored the last Ali Brady holiday novella and could not resist their new release. I downloaded some freebies as well. They looked cute, and my mood is dictating cute right now.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood
Purchased/Free
- Merry Little Book Shop by Ali Brady
- A Slice of Courage Quiche by Jennifer Moorman
- The Necessity of Lavender Tea by Jennifer Moorman
- Sporting Goods by Roxanne Tully
- The Christmas Window by Melissa McClone
Invites
- The Great Outdoors by Kayla Olson
Read Last Week
I had a really good week. I was surprised I was able to read an extra book since I did pick an over-400 page book, but that was the one I read the fastest. I absolutely LOVED It's Different This Time. I had been offered an ARC but had too many commitments. I am happy my library had it as it was a great second chance sort of romance. Loved the setting, the story, the flashbacks, the characters - I was all in on this one. My other five-star book was also from a new-to-me author - Racing Hearts. I have a thing for books featuring elite athletes, and I was so invested in seeing Kath get her rowing groove back. Adrian was a wonderful person to step in as her temporary coach simply because he was a great person. I loved them both.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- It's Different This Time by Joss Richard - ★★★★★
- Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen - ★★★★
- Racing Hearts by Ann Adams - ★★★★★
- Mr. Right Under the Mistletoe by Kara Kendrick - ★★★★
- A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber - ★★★★
Audiobooks
- Daydream by Hannah Grace - ★★★ 1/2
Currently Reading
I am excited to be back in the world of the Rebels. This is the newest "generation" of the team, and I couldn't believe where one of the second generation was now. Always a thrill the way Meader blends the new players with the old.
Parish is new-to-me, and I am enjoying A Very Merry Mistake. It takes place in a town started by people with Christmasy names who celebrate Christmas all year. I just got to the high drama part, but I am eager to see these two go the distance.
- Sweet Thing by Kate Meader
- A Very Merry Mistake by Lyra Parish
To Be Read
- The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick
- Far and Away by Amy Poppel
- And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison
Let us know in the comments!
A town started by people with Christmassy names and who celebrate Christmas year round!? Sounds fun 😍 I've heard so many good things about This Time It's Different. I've got my eye on it and I hope to get to it soon. I also recently added Racing Hearts after seeing it on another post of yours. It looks great 😍 I hope things go well tomorrow with your dad and have an amazing week ahead now that you're off work and that your kid is coming in, too! I can't believe the year is already practically over.
ReplyDeleteUnreal how fast the year went! Thanks for the good vibes, and I hope you get to check a few of those books out.
DeleteIt seems that we are both preparing soup for our parents Sam because that's just what I did for my mom this week.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind did you make? I am looking for good, low sodium soups.
DeleteIt's wonderful you're helping your dad with his health! I don't like pods. Hope he enjoys the coffeemaker and soups! I have my eye on the Kirsty Greenwood. Hope you have a wonderful holiday Sam!
ReplyDeleteI love my KCups until they started talking about all the bad things associated with it. I have to say, my pour over and small batch coffee maker are just as easy. Safe travels and have a great holiday!
DeleteI hope the scan will bring good news. You all deserve a break. Sending good vibes for "no weather disasters or delays"!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think the kid will be in the air soon (I HOPE!)
DeleteCongrats to your parents on 56 years - that's amazing! Fingers crossed for your dad's scan today! I have to say, I love my Keurig but I know the pods aren't the best. I just don't drink a lot of coffee, so I need to find a better solution than a large coffee pot.
ReplyDeleteNow we wait for the results to see if the chemo is working. It's very stressful. The OXO coffee maker I got makes as much coffee as the water you put in (with a 10 oz minimum). It's perfect for the one cup size we make.
DeleteI personally do pour over which is super simple, and I only drink one cup of coffee a day.
DeleteI hope you get good news in regards to the chemo.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSo, as usual, I'm way behind catching up on your blog, Sam. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family. It's lovely that your daughter was home. I love making soup. I made a huge pot of turkey soup using the carcass and extra turkey I had in my freezer. I hope all you are doing, along with the new chemo, works for your dad. I've read so many postive reviews for It's Different This Time. I hope my library gets a copy. Wishing you a marvelous New Year.
ReplyDeleteI love that you made good use of the leftover parts there with the turkey. The PET scan showed the chemo is working. We were over the moon about that news.
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