Sunday, December 17, 2017

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

This was a good and bad week. I was really disappointed, when my eye procedure was canceled two hours before I was supposed to go. *Sad* BUT, the good thing is that my prodigal daughter has returned! I am so happy to have her for these two weeks.

On the Blog:
STACKING THE SHELVES

It was a very light week. I was sort of sad, when I realized that the galley I requested on Netgalley was NOT the whole book, but only a preview. I checked and double checked the request, it was not indicated that it was only a preview, but I read it anyway. I was delighted to get the new Catherine Bybee though, because I love her books, and am a fan of the Not Quite series.

ARCs
Won

I won another Goodreads giveaway! The best part about it, I got the book 2 days after I was notified, and the print is big enough for me to read. I was quite delighted by this. 
A post shared by Sam Kozbial (@kozbisa) on


What I Read Last Week

I feel like a reading beast this week, and I am happy that I got to some older ARCs. I was left a snotty mess by some of these book, but they were worth all the tears. My favorite book this week was A Taxonomy of Love. This as in the vein of Top Ten (which I also loved), but I think people will like this one more, because it's told in a linear format, AND you get closure at the end (which was my pet peeve with Top Ten).
  • Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi: I knew it would be wonderful to revisit this world, and it was. This tale is darker than the previous book, but still had the magic and wonderful friendships that I loved so much in the previous books. I hope Mafi will keep aging these characters up, because there were these wonderful little "peek aheads" that made me want more of their lives when they reach that upper YA age. 
  • What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold (audiobook): This was a painful and dark look at being a teenaged girl. Nina's understanding of love was slightly distorted due to her home life, and it took quite a few missteps for her to see that there was more and it could be better. I was grateful for the positive growth Nina experienced, but this was a really emotional journey to get there. ★ 1/2
  • The Speaker by Traci Chee: Another #BloggerShame book. I put this one off so many times, and then it was as good as I thought it would be. Chee taught me even more about this world, Sefia's parents, and how all the book drama really came to be. She also introduced me to a slew of fabulous characters; however, she didn't let me keep all those characters, and there were tears. You know what I loved the most though? That she turned up the swoon. There were quite a few really beautiful moments that brought sappy tears to my eyes. The ending was fantastic too. (Yes, you heard that right!) I am really excited for the next book, and cannot wait to continue this story. ★ 1/2
  • Together at Midnight by Jennifer Castle: This was such a delightful story of searching for identity. Both of the main characters were slightly adrift and were trying to figure out their next move. In that week between Christmas and New Year's, they rediscover each other, go on a quest of kindness, and make some big decisions. I really enjoyed tagging along on their journey.   
  • A Taxonomy of Love by Rachael Allen: The note from the editor called this a YA When Harry Met Sally, and I couldn't agree more. The story spans six years, which is a long time in YA, and we get to see Spencer and Hope's relationship ebb and flow. I cried veritable buckets of tears throughout this book, and my heart ached often, but in the end, there were tears of joy. I also have to mention that Spencer had Tourett Syndrome, and I learned a lot about the different issues someone with TS deals with. This book has been added to my made-me-happy list. 
  • Busted by Gina Ciocca: Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was on the lighter side, and had a sweet little romance going on in there. However, there was a side plot, that I didn't feel was necessary, and I think that the original "feel and flow" of the main story got a little lost in it. Still, I was smiling at the end, and Ciocca wrapped it up nicely. ★ 1/2
  • I Hate Everyone But You by Gabby Dunn and Allison Raskin: More #BloggerShame here. I was really excited about this book, until the reviews started rolling in and were less than favorable. I am in the middle with this one. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. The format was used well, and an important, cataclysmic time in a young adult's life is explored. The dialog is witty, and I found myself wanting to keep reading. However, I was sort of turned off by Gen, and although we eventually get a little bit of an explanation for her reactions, it is practically on the last page of the book, and my relationship with her could not be salvaged. 
  • Sightwitch by Susan Deanery (preview): So, once I got over the disappointment of realizing I only got a preview from NG and NOT the entire novella, I read it, and it was as fabulous as I expected. I had previously talked about Sightwitch as a Can't-Wait Wednesday pick, and my excitement for this book has grown even more. This is Ryber's story, and Ryber was a character I wanted to know more about, because she was sort of shrouded in a little mystery. A few things got me excited in this preview. It's a Sightwitch diary that Ryber wrote for Kuller -- to help him remember! This gives me hope for him. I was destroyed when he was cleaved, because I was shipping him and Ryber really hard. Thanks for keeping the flame of hope lit, Susan Dennard. Also, tons of Sightwitch history and background regarding their magic and purpose is revealed through diary entries, pictures, book excerpts, and even songs. This "taste" made me even more excited to read the rest, and to find out how Ryber's "quest" turned out. 

What I Am Currently Reading

I am FINALLY starting Graffiti Moon! Crowley won my heart with Words in Deep Blue, so I am excited to be reading more of her work. I am more than half way through Ghosted, and I have to say, it is living up to all the fabulous things I am hearing about it. I love second chance romances, and alternating time line has me wanting to listen just a little bit longer each day, so I can find out what happened!!!


What I Plan to Read

I have no idea if I will get all these books read, since we have holiday obligations, but I am hoping to read a bunch of January books so I don't fall behind like I did recently.









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

47 comments:

  1. Oh man, sorry about your procedure... but hey, at least you got a looooot of reading done :) congrats on the giveaway! And that preview of the ARC thing hasn't really happened to me, thankfully - so disappointing. Hope you can read the whole book when it's released :)
    Have a great week!

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    1. My eyes hurt, so I am mad and disappointed, but I guess the silver lining is that, since I have to pay in full out of pocket for the procedure, it will give me a huge start on meeting my 2018 deductible. I feel like maybe I did request the ARC, but got a preview because I am a lesser blogger. I don't know, felt like I was tricked, because I never request previews, and I kept checking the entry on NG, and didn't see anything about it being a preview until it was downloaded. Life goes on.

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  2. Sorry to hear about your procedure being cancelled. I hope they reschedule you as soon as possible! And glad that your daughter has come and visited you!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog and join in this week’s Book Photo Sundays!

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    1. Yes, it is wonderful to have my wee one home with me, though it will sad when she leaves.

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  3. Boo about the procedure!! But yay for time with your daughter. That stinks about the NG that it was only a sample. Enjoy your upcoming books and have a great week!

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    1. I feel so deceived. I have plenty to read, but I was so excited about that one. Ho hum.

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  4. Ugh, sorry the eye procedure got pushed back. But hooray for your daughter being home! Kind of a letdown with the galley being just a preview. I once got approved for one on Edelweiss that was literally just the cover! Not an excerpt, nothing. Just the cover. I contact Edelweiss but they said that was all the publisher had provided. Crazy! Congrats on the GR win! That's always fun. And how cool that you received it so quickly. I love hearing that you're enjoying Ghosted. I have that one and am really interested in picking it up sooner rather than later.

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    1. So, how did you review the cover? 😝 Ghosted is really good. It's a second chance romance, with a lot of baggage in there, and the little kid is so cute and fun. Really enjoying it and hoping to get to where it all went wrong the first time real soon.

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    2. Tough to review just a cover. LOL I basically just left a message for the publisher saying that I was unable to review since they kind of forgot to provide the actual book. =P

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  5. I hope you’ll have a wonderful with your daughter. Oh and I hope you love Ghosted. I LOVED it. Happy reading, my friend, and have a wonderful week. 😁❤️

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    1. I am absolutely loving Ghosted. The only way it could be ruined is if the ending is terrible, but I have a feeling I will be happy with it.

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  6. Oh bummer about your eye procedure being canceled! That sucks! Having had different assortments of procedures done myself, I know that I like getting them over with! Cancellations do not help that! But yay to have your daughter back for a visit!

    Bummer about Sightwitch being a preview! I can't always handle reading previews because I don't like reading a segment of the book! I want to read the whole thing through! Plus, it's always likely that I will have to re-read all that I read when the book finally comes out! My only exception to that rule was The Language of Thorns! Short stories are a good exception to the rule in that matter! Lol! Happy Reading!

    Here's my STS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. I never read previews for exactly the reason you stated, but since it would hurt my NG percentage, I knocked it out in a very short amount of time, and was even more disappointed, because it was really good.

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  7. Aww, that's so disappointing about Sightwitch. That's so weird that it wasn't more clearly stated that it was a preview. Little Big Love looks amazing so I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. I'm also glad to hear you enjoyed Busted overall since I'll be reading it this week. Have a great week, Sam!

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    1. Part of me feels like some bloggers did get the full novella, but I was only granted a preview. Little Big Love looks great and the print is big enough for me to read comfortably, so I was pretty happy about that.

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  8. You read more this week then I have read all month. Wow! Sorry to hear the Dennard book was only a preview. I do hate when pubs do that. I pre-ordered Truthwitch and still haven't read it. That's sad since this is the third book in the series coming out. Maybe I will binge read them all back-to-back. Maybe.
    Have a great week Sam!

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    1. I take mass transit for my commute, so I get over 3 solid hours of reading from that alone. Truthwitch was SO good. I adored the female friendship. Sightwitch was promising though. I liked what I read and am eager to read the rest.

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  9. Sorry about the cancellation of the procedure...and the disappointing ARC preview. Shouldn't there have been a clear message about that? I will have to pay close attention in the future. I don't ususally check to see if my ARCs are "whole" books before I start reading them.

    Little Big Love looks tempting! Thanks for sharing, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. That's what bothers me. I would never have requested a preview. I went back and check, and there is nothing to indicate that I requested a preview. I was mad yesterday, but I am over it. At least what I read was good, right? I was pretty thrilled to win Little Big Love, AND the print is bigger enough for me to read too, which made me really happy.

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  10. I read I Hate Everyone But You this week, too. I liked the mixed-media format, but the characters were not very likable!

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    1. I didn't totally hate the MCs, but I just feel like you should be able to ask your best friend those awkward question. I actually was better with Ava than Gen. Gen was sort of a hypocrite and that irked me.

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  11. Sorry they canceled your procedure but thats great that your daughter is home! Enjoy your books. I have heard good things about Ghosted as well.

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    1. I am having a wonderful time with my daughter. It's very nice to have her home, even if it's only for a short time. Ghosted is great! I am such a second chance romance fan and this has all the history and baggage that makes those romances the best.

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  12. Oh I'm sorry to hear about your procedure, that must be annoying :(
    On the bright side, yay for your daughter being here and yay for all o these books you read, it's pretty amazing :) so happy you loved Together At Midnight, I loved it just as well, such a sweet book. I soooo want to read The Reader series, it sounds so great and your words here about the sequel just makes me more impatient to get to it :)
    Hope you will have a lovely week :)

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    1. I am trying not to whine about my eyes, but I had this promise of some relief dangled in front of me, and I let myself get excited about it. Together at Midnight was great! I liked the journey those two took together, and I thought the outcome was pleasing as well. I am a fan of The Sea of Ink and Gold series. Chee created a fabulous world and I was really excited about some of the things she introduced and revealed in the second book.

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  13. You had a great reading week. Glad your daughter is home for the holiday. Bummer about the procedure, hopefully it is rescheduled soon!

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    1. My daughter being home almost makes me forget all the negative things.

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  14. Glad your daughter is home, but sorry to hear about your eye procedure! that would be frustrating.

    Sightwitch looks good, bummer they only sent a preview, but that's a series I've been mulling over. and Layover is another one I've been thinking of reading, it looks kinda fun.

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    1. Well, I can tell you the preview of Sightwitch is great. I really like the series. I loved the first book, and really liked the second book (I missed the two female witches being on page together), and there is a little something Dennard put in this novella, that makes me think it can fix something terrible that happened. I holding out for that.

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  15. I'm sorry about your procedure. That must have been a huge bummer. It was not fair to you being told two hours before that it was cancelled. But, at least, you did a lot of reading this week.

    I really hate when it isn't stated that it's only a book preview - it happened to me TWICE this week.

    Happy readings & Wishes of a great week.
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

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    1. Yeah, I whined and cried a little on Wednesday when they canceled my procedure, and I was little bitter on Thursday, but what can I do. I just have no luck. I know the doctor could not anticipate a power outage, but really, why do things like this keep happening to me. So you had this preview thing happen to you too? Huh. Good to know I am not the only one, who this happened to.

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  16. Sorry it was a difficult week. I’ve never won a Goodreads giveaway, and I’ve been entering them for years. Have a great week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. I have won quite a few Goodreads giveaways. I think I won 7 this year, which is pretty awesome. I am surprised that I don't tend to win YA books. You would think the algorithm would use the type of books I read, but that does not appear to be the case.

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  17. Awe, I'm sorry about your procedure. Glad your daughter is home though. ☺. Yay for the Goodreads win. Enjoy!

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    1. It was a mix of good and bad things this past week, and I really need to try and focus not eh positive.

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  18. Sorry to hear your eye procedure was cancelled and hours before the scheduled time. I hope you feel ok and enjoy your holiday. I've been MIA on the blog because of work and holiday stuff (with parties at work and on the weekend I feel like I've been doing errands after work all month lol). I hope you enjoy the books you've selected and have a great holiday!

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    1. Holiday parties are fun! They are a good reason to be MIA. I hope you have a great holiday too.

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  19. I'm seeing all kinds of positive vibes, hope everything will work out.

    But I'm so happy you loved GHOSTED!!! I adored it! And the covers of all of you books are just too pretty to look at. Including the cover from your GR giveaway win. So far I've never won a GR giveaway. I wonder if they send books to people that have never read any books by the requested author. Because if that's the case no wonder I won't win. lol

    Have a great week and happy reading.

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    1. I have about 2 hours left in Ghosted and it's so good! Maddie is too adorbs and I think I know why Kennedy left. I have been lucky with Goodreads giveaways. I won 7 this year, though I find it odd, that I don't tend to win YA books.

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  20. I'm sorry your procedure was canceled so last minute! I'd be annoyed about that too. But yay for your daughter being home, and reading lots of great books. :)

    -lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Yes, having my wee one home is definitely making me cheerier.

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  21. It's frustrating to get a preview when you think you're getting the whole book. I hate when that happens! They should tell you clearly on NetGalley if it's a preview.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I don't know, part of me thinks better bloggers got the full version, and bloggers like me got the preview. It's the deception that bugs me more than anything.

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  22. Sorry about your procedure being cancelled! It sucks when you really need something done and the world doesn't cooperate even though it was scheduled in advance :/
    Just a question: What's the secret to winning Goodreads giveaways?! I've been entering them for the last 5 years and have yet to win even one. Could you pass along your secret? :)

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    1. I have no idea how the GR giveaway algorithm works, but I can tell you, the last two books I won, I entered at the last minute. I remember entering on the very last day and was really surprised I won. I still find it out that I mostly win adult books, when I read mostly YA, but hey, everybody loves #BookMail.

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  23. You won a GR giveaway!! Woohoo!! Tell me all your secrets because i'm dying to win one lol!! You had an awesome week. Congrats on getting those arcs, hope you love them!

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    1. I have no idea how it works, but I enter a LOT, so that can't hurt.

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