Sunday, April 1, 2018

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 Month in Review

I am happy to report, that the final week of March passed WITHOUT  a nor'easter. Can we get a round of applause, please. I know I was happy about that. I would like to wish everyone a Happy April. I am hoping spring is ready to be sprung this month, and to those of you who celebrate, Happy Easter!

At the end of the month, I like to take a look at how I read, and I was happy with my numbers. I finished 34 books, was able to keep my five books per week average (plus audiobooks), and I really enjoyed all the books I read this month. I had no DNFs and no books below 3.5 stars.




Once again, not too many surprises found in those plots. I did not finish ANY physical books (by the time of this posting, I was still reading Obsidio), and I only read ONE shelf book. About that, I may be cheating, because although I own the book, I actually listened to the audiobook, which I borrowed from the library. Does that still count as shelf love? I was surprised to see I read 3 mysteries, which is a little different for me.


My TOP READ for the month was Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett. It was just the best of everything I love in a contemporary YA book, and just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.


My Week in Review

Sorry to anyone I neglected last week. The train was late all week, and it was taking me two hours to get home. I was also spending a lot of time online trying to find apartments in Chicago for my daughter. This was not a fun task, in case you are wondering, and it's sort of like falling down the social media blackhole. I looked up, and hours had passed.

Not much to report from last week. We had Panera Salad day at work, but the best thing, was that they told us we could wear jeans for the next three weeks. Just think of all the ironing I don't have to do. 

On the Blog:
  • Monday: Nutshell Reviews - I Have Lost My Way, The Midnights, In Her Skin
  • Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - Oh, the Places You'll Go!
  • Wednesday: CWW - Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It by Kerry Winfrey
  • Thursday: Discussion - How Do You Round?
  • Friday: Blog Tour - Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (giveaway still open)
STACKING THE SHELVES



I did NOT get a ton of books this week, but I got a lot of anticipated releases. The YA book I got approved for was one of my CWW picks, and my love for Shalvis knows no bounds. I just loved the last Kelly Jamieson book I read, and cannot wait to continue the Aces Hockey series. Lots of good books for me.

Edelweiss/NetGalley
What I Read Last Week


This was a great reading week for me. I read three books in a row, which earned 4.5 stars from me. They were near perfect, and I was actually crying as I wrote my review for Love and Other Words, because it made me so happy.
  • No Filter by Orlagh Collins: I am apparently a black sheep on this one, but I loved it. I loved being in Ireland, I loved both protagonists, I loved the romance, and the ending left me a supper sappy-happy. ★★★★ 1/2
  • Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren: This was another book, that made me feel so awesome! I have to say, the authors' writing has evolved a lot, because I don't remember their older books leaving me this mushy and elated. So much to love here - male/female friendship that develops into love, second chance romance, wonderful family interactions, a stupendous hero, and a slightly broken heroine, who I couldn't help rooting for. ★★★★ 1/2
  • Sneaking Out by Chuck Vance: What a fabulous debut! This was a fun, boarding school mystery, and I have to say, Vance did a great job with all those red herrings. He kept me guessing the whole time, and I am eager to read more of the Chased books. ★★★★ 1/2
  • China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan (audiobook): Kwan treated me to even more delicious drama and the "tough" lives of the rich and entitled. I laughed loudly and often, and am eager to get the next book. ★★★★
  • Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi: I love this concept of all of us having our "person". Somebody, who it's easy with, who brings us comfort, and who will be our emergency contact, and really enjoyed Penny and Sam working out who that person was for them. They were both terribly quirky, which is my favorite kind of character, but behind all the quirks were some real deep issues, and it was wonderful to see them finally exorcising their demons. ★★★★
  • Just One Night by Lauren Layne (audiobook): Have I mentioned lately how much I love listening to Lauren Layne books? Because, I do. This one had that mix of humor, steam, and drama that I love so much in my contemporary romances. I will admit, Sam made me a little nuts, but I understood it all stemmed from the emotional damage of his upbringing, and I shed tears for him. The epilogue has me yearning for the last book, because I think Emma's story will be a doozy. ★★★★
What I Am Currently Reading


I am about 75% finished with Obsidio, and it's been a tough read. I love all the artwork and can't wait to get to the end. I am more than halfway through Steal, and this one's a really painful addition to the series, but there have been a lot of shenanigans too.
  • Obsidio by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
  • Steal by Rachel Van Dyken
What I Plan to Read


Lots of good ones lined up for next week. Jordi Perez has been getting tons of good buzz, and I am a big fan of Wolitzer's books, ergo, I am very excited for those two. I have a feeling Motion Picture will delight me, and I am really going to read Other People's Houses this week. I swear!








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

60 comments:

  1. Happy Easter, Sam! Whoa, having no books below 3.5 is THE DREAM. The picky reader in me is super jealous. And don't worry about being off social media--sometimes it actually feels great and relaxed not having the pressure of it all. ♥

    - Aimee @ Aimee, Always

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    1. I think I have gotten really good at knowing what I want to read and what I will like, and since I am not reading too far ahead, I have other people's reviews to check out before I read too.

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  2. Happy Easter! Yay for no storm for a change! Apartment hunting doesn't sound fun, but yay for jeans at work. That's always popular!

    You have me intrigued now for Sneaking Out. I may need to get that one.

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    1. Sneaking out was really great, and I love when there is a male protagonist too.

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  3. Hooray for better weather this week! Let's hope the trend continues. An average of 5 books per week... oh how I wish I could read as much and/or as fast as you. *sigh* Sweet on the 3 weeks of jeans days! We can wear jeans on Friday's but that's about it. I've never tried a LL book on audio... I need to do that. I hope you have a great week, Sam!

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    1. We always have jeans Fridays (which is why I hate taking Friday off), but they will throw in some jeans weeks here and there, and those are my favorites! Contemporary romances work the best for me on audio. The stories are easy for me to follow, and I have been happy with the voice talent for the books I have listened to. Hoopla tends to get a lot of Tantor books, and the narrators have been good. So, no complaints there.

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  4. Wow! You sure got a lot of awesome books! Happy Easter!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

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

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    1. Thanks! I am excited to read them. Happy Easter to you too.

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  5. Nice new reads! All totally new to me ones! Hope you enjoy them all!


    Here's my STS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  6. Happy Easter! Wow, you had a great reading week/month! Dress-down days at work are so nice. We don't officially have them, but when I know my boss isn't going to be there, I definitely take advantage and wear jeans.

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    1. Since our campus is so big, different departments have different rules for dressing, but we are supposed to be in "business casual", and they mean NY "business casual", which is sort of dressy. Some people on my team push the envelope, but my management team never says anything. I can't do that, because I am so afraid of being called out, but I do relish those jeans days.

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  7. I love all of your charts and graphs. I don't read very fast so I basically read around 9-10 books a month so I'm super jealous of how much you get through! My tbr is a total nightmare. lol I really need to catch up with the Illuminae books. I've only read book one but really enjoyed it.

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    1. Remember - Empty nest, long commute, too poor to go out; I have a lot of reading time. I had my copy of Illuminae for almost a full year before I read it. What a fool! SFF is not my go-to, but Kaufman and Kristoff made this series so appealing because of the humor and the mixed format and hello! They even gave me romance.

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  8. But did you see we're getting more snow this week! *cries* SO TIRED!
    I love your charts! I've been doing them for my own interest in a Google Sheets and it's so much fun to see the trends. I'm excited for Julia Whelan's books. She's such a fun person Twitter and her book sounds precious.
    Have a good week ahead!

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    1. GAAAHHHHHH! I thought that snow thing was an April Fool's joke. *crying with you* Oooh, I will have to check out Wheelman's Twitter. I was so excited when I got approved for that book, because it sounds fabulous.

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  9. Happy April & Happy Easter Sam!

    Look at all those charts! You had such a great reading month. I wish I was able to read five books per week. You need to share your secret with me. ;)

    I have been seeing Emergency Call everywhere. I don't read many contemporaries (although I'm trying to read more genres, I always end up reading lots and lots of fantasy) but that one seems to be calling my name.

    Happy readings! :)
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

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    1. No secret, just a long commute and an empty nest. I have a lot of time to fill since my career as a mom is pretty much over. I liked Emergency Contact. It was quirky, and a compelling coming of age type story. You would probably appreciate the parts where the protagonist shares her sic-fi writing project.

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  10. Yeay! To the no more snow.
    Boo! To the crappy trains.
    OMG! To the 5 books a week! That's amazing and to have liked them all?! Unheard of, lol.
    Have a great week Sam!

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    1. I don't always like them all, but I DNF and forget. I don't count them towards my reading goal, and I don't review them. I am all about sharing the love. I heard it's going to snow again tomorrow. When will this madness end!!!!

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  11. Yay for an awesome reading month!! No DNF's is amazing! I don't know what that is like :) Have a great week!

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    1. I have been reading mostly contemporaries and I know the kinds I like. My DNFs usually come from reading authors I don't know or outside my genre.

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  12. A week without a No’Eeaster! 👏🏻 Hope you get everything situated with find an apartment for your daughter, it can be stressful sometimes. The train ride for that long sounds awful. :( You did get some pretty amazing books though. Enjoy them. Hope you have a Happy Easter with your family.

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    1. With neither of us in Chicago, it's more complicated. She has to move there in 2 months though, so I hope she finds something soonish.

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  13. Happy Easter! I'm starting Starry Eyes later today and am hoping to love it as much as you did. I also can't wait to see what you think of Obsidio. Have a wonderful and hopefully warm week!

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    1. I finished Obsidio last night. I cried so much. It was great.

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  14. WOW, a lot of challenges and books! I like that you have a lot of 4 + stars this week for your reads. I found that I got turned off a bit by a lot of 3 star books. I have to find better books I think. I think it counts if you listened to the audio from the library but had the book. Why not. Happy Easter and have a great week!

    Mary my #SundayRoundup #12!

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    1. I do challenges that I only log on my spreadsheet too. I am obsessed. I love them! For me I use the didn't like, ok, good, great, amazing rating system. So, 3 stars is good for me. However, when I am looking on GR, I usually won't read a book with an overall rating below 3.5 stars, if I am on the fence.

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  15. I am eager to get my hands on The Female Persuasion.

    Happy apartment hunting for your daughter...and enjoy your week. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. I have enjoyed all of Wolitzer's books, so I jumped at the opportunity to read her new book. Apartment hunting in the worst. She sent some emails on Friday, but with the holiday, she didn't hear back. I am keeping my fingers crossed though.

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  16. Wow, 34 books?! I think I read 12 in March. I hope you enjoy Obsidio and not ironing for 3 weeks. Happy Easter! Have a great April!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. It was actually 35 (I finished Obsidio last night, but had already published). Not ironing is really the best thing in the world. I set my outfit out for tomorrow, and it only took like 10 seconds. Win!

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  17. Your numbers always amaze me. Your daughter is moving to Chicago? How far will that be from you? Exciting times. Yay for being able to wear jeans to work for 3 weeks. I am able to wear jeans and sneakers every day and that is one of the main things keeping me for looking anywhere else :) Have a good week and enjoy your new books!

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    1. I don't know what I did wrong as a mother. First, she did her undergraduate 4 hours away. Then, graduate school 8 hours away, and now her first job will be 15 hours away. *crying* Both her job offers were from companies in Chicago. I am hoping she gets the experience and can get something closer to home or somewhere I could afford to move. Living in Chicago is like living in Manhattan. Too rich for my blood. That is my dream job. I wear nice jeans and the tops I would wear with my dress pants. So, I look presentable. We do not have client's on site, so I don't get the emphasis on how we dress anyway. My dream job would be within 30 mins of my home or telecommuting and jeans every day.

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  18. I always loved when I could wear ca And yeah to no ironing!sual clothes to work. You've had a great reading month. I hope you enjoyed Obsidio. Waiting on my copy to arrive and really excited to read it.

    My Sunday Post

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    1. I loved Obsidio! I had an ARC of Gemina, and it did not have Lu's amazing artwork. That was such a treat in Obsidio, and the story was just so emotional.

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  19. I hope you had a wonderful Easter. How great that you read so many book AND your rating average stayed that high!

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    1. I don't include the books I DNF and I have rarely given a book I finish less than 3 stars. It keeps my average high.

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  20. Happy belated Easter! That's so awesome that you had a great month in reading and enjoyed everything a lot. Such a good feeling! Hope April is the same!

    Have a lovely week, Sam. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. Fingers crossed, because there are a bunch of books I was excited about on deck for this month.

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  21. Happy Easter! I really need to read Starry Eyes. It looks so good! :-) Have a great week.

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    1. I hope you get to read Starry Eyes, because it was all sorts of wonderful.

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  22. I love your graphs :) I couldn't read as many contemporaries though xD they just don't carry me far enough :D
    Everyone seems to be hauling My Oxford Year lately! I am getting curious :)
    I hope April is great for you and you enjoy your reads :)

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    1. Contemporary is my thing. I am most happy reading them. My Oxford Year looks really good, and I am always up for some good women's fiction.

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  23. You did awesome with your reading last month. I started out really strong and then faltered at the end. Hoping to do better in April. I hope you enjoyed Obsidio. I struggled to get through it too, not sure why. Be patient with Other People’s Houses. It gets really good at the end.

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    1. I liked Other People's Houses. There were parts that seems like too much filler to me, but there were some really beautiful moments shared between the characters in this story, and I liked that Waxman gave each family an ending or at least a direction at the end of the book.

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  24. 34 books, and it looks like most of them were 4-star reads! I hope April is just as productive! I read Just One Night as well, are you getting the audiobooks from Hoopla? I love Samantha Cook's performance and I can't wait for Emma's story!

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    1. I get almost all my audiobooks from Hoopla. You can't beat it. They are free and no wait. Contemporary romances work the best for me on audio, and Hoopla has a lot of good ones.

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  25. I am half way through Obsidio and am enjoying it. It took me a few minutes to catch back up from the first two books. Rainy Day Friends looks cute I hope you enjoy it!

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    1. It's been a long time since Gemina (I read it May 2016), but they did a decent recap at the beginning of Obsidio.

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  26. Sounds like you've have quite a month!

    I need to start in on Obsidio! :)

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    1. I loved Obsidio. I cried many tears, but it was a great ending.

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  27. Yay for no big snow storm. I got a little bit today but it didn't really stick, so not too bad. I think it's supposed to storm a lot tomorrow though...sigh. I really want to re-read the first two before getting to Obsidio but I need to start that soon because I'm READY. Love this series. Great job on all the books you read in March!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I am not a re-reader, but my sister likes to re-read before she reads the next book in a series too. A good author gives enough of a recap for me, and Obsidio did enough to dig up that information from Gemina and Illuminae.

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  28. Happy April!! You are doing great with your reading challenges. I love how you show the stats. Borrowing from the library definitely counts as shelf love! I've borrowed audiobooks for physical books I have. If I'm short on time an audiobook makes it easier for me than reading the book. I hope you are enjoying Obsidio. I really need to start that series soon (I am craving something different lol). I hope you have a great week!

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    1. Glad I am not the only one, who borrows the audiobook for a book they own. I also borrow ebooks for physical books I have. I know, I have problems. I am a solid fan of the Illuminae series, and I am not a big SFF reader. It has a wide appeal, if you ask me.

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  29. I'm really excited to read Obsidio...but I still need to finish Gemina! hahaha I know I'm crazy! It's on my TBR pile now!

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    1. Well, now that the series is done, you can pick a time to binge.

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  30. If we could get through the rest of spring without a nor'easter I would be so incredibly happy. I'm so sick of snow and shoveling. I just want sunshine. Searching for apartments is definitely like falling into a social media black hole! When I was searching for a place last summer, I felt like I spent an eternity shuffling through listings. I'm moving again this summer, but luckily the first place I looked at was a success. It was such a relief. And yes Starry Eyes is soooo good. Have a great week, Sam!

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    1. You were graced by the apartment gods, you lucky gal! I heard there is some snow coming my way again this weekend, but only a little. Still not happy, but not getting hysterical either.

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