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! Jack Frost is here with a vengeance, so I am just trying to feel warmth again. This winter has been a year long and not very enjoyable. The forecast is looking a little better during the week. Tuesday, the low is ok (27F) and the high is above freezing from that day forward. Even a few 40s in there. *CELEBRATE*
What did I do this week besides complain about the weather? Not much. Since I rolled over 7.5 days from last year, I took Friday off. I had grand plans but didn't even accomplish the bare minimum of what I wanted to do. I gotta get my focus back. I feel very distracted and cold. Yeah, I am cold. Today, we have a show at Paper Mill - Come From Away. This is a new one for me, but my daughter said it was good. I trust her and her theatre degree.
On the Blog
Stacking the Shelves
I did a lot of one-clicking, but several books on my wishlist were on sale, and there were some freebies in the mix as well. I got a few invites for books on my TBR as well. I will definitely be downloading the new Ellie Palmer but need to check my current ARC list to see if I will download the Sellet book. I have been doing very well with my goal of not requesting many books. It's been hard, but I have resisted the temptation. I think having to decrease my TBR has been a good motivator as well. I have to resist the FOMO.
Netgalley/Edelweiss
- Off Course by Julie Cook
Purchased/Free
- Accidentally Yours by Christina Lauren
- Clear the Ice by L.C. Reagan
- Conner by Victoria Denault
- Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley
- The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura
Invites
- Like This, But Funnier by Hallie Cantor
- Married with Benefits by Ellie Palmer
- My Best French Wedding by Amanda Sellet
- The Winged Game by Sophie Kim
Read Last Week
I read some great books this week. The new Royal Street book was good, as expected, and White continues to keep that romantic sub-plot in the push-pull zone. GAHHH! The final Big Shots book was solid. I was surprised to see that Catch Her if You Can was the end because it seemed that Bailey was laying the groundwork for another pairing. Hmmmm, I hope she revisits them. Either way, I adored this couple, they had an incredible shared history, and Bailey ended it with a very sweet epilogue. It's not a secret that I adore Rebecca Serle's book. She always does something that polarizes readers, and I can already hear the complaints about something that happened in Once and Again, but I liked it. I was crying at the 90% mark and again at the end. The thing about her books is that she takes on these always saddles her flawed characters with some huge choices. These situations never fail to pull me in and make me ponder these things myself. I feel like I am always left with something to think about after reading one her books.
Find all my reviews on Goodreads
Books
- The Lady on Esplanade by Karen White - ★★★★ 1/2
- Catch Her If You Can by Tessa Bailey - ★★★★ 1/2
- Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard - ★★★★
- Once and Again by Rebecca Serle - ★★★★ 1/2
Audiobooks
- Happily Ever After by Jennifer Honeybourne - ★★★
- Second Chance at Christmas Inn by Anne-Marie Meyer - ★★★★
Currently Reading
- Heart of the Lover by Lily King
- Know Your Newlywed by Hillary Nussbaum, Heather Taylor
To Be Read
- The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine
- No Matter What by Cara Bastone
- Save the Date by Mallory Kass
Let us know in the comments!
The weather is crazy Sam because you are freezing and today it feels like spring over here! I hope you feel warmer this week. Sending you some of our spring vibes!
ReplyDeleteI am jealous. I am looking forward to the high 30s/low 40s next week. The bar is low these days.
DeleteI think I'll wait until more of the Royal Street books come out before picking up the latest. I'd rather binge them and get through the relationship drama quickly. Plus, I forget what's happened in the last books. I remember the whole mystery of the mom drowning the sister disappearing??? But just snippets.
ReplyDeleteI hope it warms up for you! It's hard to be motivated to get out and do anything when it's so cold. Hope you have fun at the theatre!
The mom and sister get more attention in this book, and we get a lot of answers there. Tuesday is the start of some better temps (30s/40s), so I am excited.
DeleteI just got home from a 7 day Caribbean cruise, so it's definitely a bit of back to reality shock today. Thankfully, the cold weather here in Texas has subsided for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to hear. Hope your trip was amazing.
DeleteI hope the weather quickly warms up for you over there, Sam! It's been miserable weather here too—but not because of the cold. It's just raining constantly but not even giving a reprieve from muggy yucky weather. 😂 Well done on resisting the temptation of requesting ARCs and saying no to FOMO! The Ellie Palmer book *does* look good though and I might check out what it's about some more before (likely) yoinking it on my TBR, lol. Have a great week ahead!
ReplyDeleteIt's 37F out there right now. Heat wave! I really am proud of my lack of requesting books. I loved Palmer's first book and the follow up was good too. This has a great concept, so I am sure it will be a good fit for me.
DeleteCold and distracted - that's how I've been feeling, too! Definitely seems like we're getting some relief this week though!
ReplyDeleteGlad it's not just me. It's been much better this week. I am actually venturing out this weekend, so I am glad we are at least above freezing.
DeleteI hope it warms up a little for you.
ReplyDeleteIt's above freezing, so I am feeling happy about that
Delete