Sunday, March 31, 2019

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 felt like the longest week ever! But, that's always the case when the auditors come to visit. Thank goodness the external group only comes once a year. We celebrated on Thursday with a team lunch, which was nice, and it coincided with Jeans and Jerseys to celebrate opening day. I don't own a Jersey, but I did don jeans.

It's supposed to be warm this weekend, so I am excited, because it was in the 20s almost every morning last week. I am sort of over the below freezing temps, and therefore, welcome this warmth.

Since this is the last day of March, I guess will do a little monthly wrap-up. I read 37 books, and though I had no 5-star reads, there were many that were this close. I am going to copy some of you other guys out there with this little "best of" list made up of all my 4.5 star books.



I think I need to get pie at some point this week, because I read four books in a row, where they kept singing the praises of it. I like pie already, but I only really eat it twice a year - Pi Day and Thanksgiving, but I feel like I should make some kind of exception here.

Something that made me laugh....

Something cute...


Something I'm excited about....

Let's Discuss!
On the Blog:
  • Monday: #AmReading - The Size of the Truth, The Astonishing Maybe, Focused 
  • Tuesday: TTT - My Spring TBR (Adult Edition)
  • Wednesday: Blog Tour - Dig by A.S. King
  • Thursday: Blog Tour - Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale
  • Friday: Discussion - Losing the Social Media Game
STACKING THE SHELVES

Edelweiss/NetGalley
What I Read Last Week

Overall, another good week of reading. It ended with two strong books for me. You know how much I love those grief books, and the pain and the aching I felt from these characters was palpable, which made it that much better, when they overcame some of that along the way.

I read another they-killed-the-dog-book. I saw it coming, and was surprised, each and every time, the dog lived to the next page, but it didn't make me cry any less tears. Expect to be discussing this soon.


Books
Audiobooks

What I Am Currently Reading

You all know my love for Jenn Bennett runs deep, and I am punishing myself reading this pdf ARC, but enjoying every second of it. As always, she has filled this book with interesting characters, and I am in love with most of them already.

I have owned a copy of The Boy Who.... for a really long time, so of course, I am listening to the audiobook from the library. It's always interesting reading older books, because you see things in them, that you don't see as often in newer books. That aside, I am looking forward to seeing how this protective relationship evolves.

What I Plan to Read

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

57 comments:

  1. 37 books! Wowza! And I'm so glad to hear that about Killing November since I'm starting that one next! And oh my gosh- Memento? I had NO idea that was coming. Woot!!!

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    1. Yeah! I hope you enjoy November. I liked the concept and thought the execution was great too. I have to get me that novella, because the Illuminae Files is one of my favorite series.

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  2. Blech, auditors are the worst and they always stress me out asking for stuff and the one time you need it you can't find it. Glad that's over for you. And you're weather is the oppostire, we've had some lovely sunny weather (although cold in a morning) and now it's the weekend it's gone cold again.

    I hadn't heard about Memento (this shows I am not paying enough attention to book announcements) but I am adding that to the list even if I still need to finish the series.

    I have Getting Hot With The Scot to read, glad you liked it, I might move it up the review list (or not because I am behind with reviews). You only got a pdf arc for Serious Moonlight? That's rough, I hate pdf arcs, I think the UK one is a normal kindle book (I now need to check, though) another book on the long list of arcs for April. Maybe I should get reading?

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    1. I was lucky, because of where I sit, the auditors had asked all their questions before they got to that part of the room. Scot was fun and cute. I was surprised the author extended the story as far as she did, but I liked that it gave me more time to get to know the hero and heroine. For some reason, a lot of S&S books are PDF on NG. In the past, I got them from EW, and they were always mobis, but when the publicist sent the widget, it was for NG, and BOOO! PDF. I had to keep taking breaks, because my glasses give me headaches, and the scrolling is funky with BlueFire Reader, when you hold the PDF in landscape, but I did love the book. So, I guess it was worth the struggle.

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  3. I'm glad we don't have auditors who come to our office, but we still get plenty of other "higher ups" who visit. I don't always get clued into said visitors coming and when they arrive at the door, I'm like who are you?? Lol.

    Nice new reads! I feel like one of the few people who didn't try to get an ARC of Aurora Rising! Lol. I LOVED Illuminae and am super excited for this one but I feel like it's one I want to read in my hands instead of a Netgalley copy. Plus I was also wanting to take a break from review copies just for a bit and get back to my TBR pile, but I am still super excited to read it!

    I hope you enjoy all of your awesome new reads!

    Here's my STS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. Aurora Rising was my daughter/co-blogger's idea. I wasn't going to request originally, because I have a zillion May releases to read, but I tried and they said yes, which was surprising, because RH is hit or miss for me, but I am still excited to read it.

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  4. I’m looking forward to warmth, too. It snowed last night. I’m not amused. Congrats on surviving the auditors and reading 37 books. Have a great April!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. I keep hearing about people still getting snow, and I know I would never survive in such places. I always commended my daughter on surviving four years in Syracuse.

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  5. Today is lovely! I was out varnishing the fence in the sun and enjoying it until I finished the tin. The weather here is supposed to turn though and the coming week doesn't look nice!

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    1. Your arm must be getting strong from all the painting, and good weather is such a plus when you have to do outdoor work.

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  6. I am so glad that we're finally getting warm weather though today it is fairly cloudy and rainy. I can tell you're a huge fan of Jenn if you're willing to put yourself in eyestrain to read her book. I hope it's worth it for you!

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    1. The rain hasn't reached me yet. We have sunshine right this second (but I am about 50 miles from you). I did love Serious Moonlight. I laughed a ton, and Daniel, Mona, and Birdie were all fabulous. I hold my fire sideways, so the font is a bit bigger and I wear my reading glasses (so annoying) and I took a lot of breaks. I know it took me a lot longer to read that book, but I am glad I did.

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  7. Killing November looks awesome! You should definitely celebrate with pie :)

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    1. I wish my daughter was here, because I could probably convince her to make me a pie.

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  8. Memento!!! Thanks for the heads up as I too love the Illuminae series.

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    1. Right now it's a per-order incentive, but I hope it becomes available for purchase on its own.

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  9. Just went to Goodreads to mark it and it has a purple cover!!!

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  10. Oh I'm with you, so over the cold temperatures and welcoming spring and warmth now haha.
    You've read SO much this past month, it's amazing! I'm so happy you liked Field Notes on love, I can't wait to read that one, it sounds lovely. I also enjoyed You'd Be Mine So much! :)
    Happy reading and have a fantastic week! :)

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    1. I had a good reading month, and I am excited to shed my winter coat. I even picked up a new spring jacket yesterday. Yee haw!

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  11. Really?? 37 books!! That's way beyond impressive. Awesome!! I can't go beyond a maximum of 5-6... You're an inspiration.

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    1. I read during my commute and I listen to audiobooks too. It all adds up.

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  12. So many books! That's awesome there were a lot of good ones, though sorry you didn't get any 5 star reads. Omg, that cute/angry cat face. So cute!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Nothing WOWed me beyond, but I had nine 4.5-star reads, and I think that's pretty awesome. I never get enough of the cats.

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  13. Ooooh I'm so excited to see what you think of Earth to Charlie, Sam! I can't wait for that one. Hope you have an amazing week! :)

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    1. It sounds really good and like something that would work for me. You have a great week too.

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  14. Wow, 37 books? That's amazing! I've only read 36 for the year so far, lol. I'm so happy to see that you're enjoying the Jenn Bennett book so far and that you got approved for Aurora Rising and Ellie and the Harpmaker.

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    1. Jenn Bennett is a sure bet for me. The book was an utter delight.

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  15. Oh my I need it to heat up ASAP. The cold in the AM is no fun. Looks like a goo dmonth of reading even without a 5 star read. Looks like you have some great books coming up. Hope you love them . Have a great week!

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    1. It's WTH cold outside right now. Dreading the walk to the bus stop, but it gets better later in the book. It was a good month. Nine books came really close to 5. I am super greedy with that rating too.

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  16. We only got outside audits every four years, but it was thorough. Love your jeans and jerseys day.
    Oooh, had no idea about Memento. :)

    Have a good week, Sam!

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    1. You're lucky. We are internally audited daily, and the outside audit is once a year. I hope Memento will be for sale. Right now it's a pre-order incentive only.

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  17. 4.5 reads aren't bad! But 37 books is wow, a lot! Hope you get to read just as much in April! I'm also done with cold temperatures, though the warmth means less productivity for me. Unfortunately we seem to be going up and down the thermometer and I can't tell if we're being teased by nature or nature hasn't made up its mind about Spring.

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    1. I don't spend a ton of time outdoors, but the walk to the bus stop and the wait for the train would be nicer if it were a bit warmer. I love opening the windows too.

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  18. I loved the Illuminae series and will getting me a copy of Memento. Should be fun. You sure read a lot of books in March. I know I did and now I'm curious to check and see how much it was. Here's to another great month if books and some warm weather!

    My Sunday Post

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    1. It's pre-order incentive right now with Aurora Rising, but I am hoping it goes on sale afterward.

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  19. Glad to hear you're getting some higher temps. 20 degrees in the morning when you're taking public transport is no fun.

    I'm curious about The Girl He Used to Know. I'm seeing mixed reviews. I'm looking forward to Jenn Bennett too! :)

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    1. It's up to 30 this morning. LOL. I liked The Girl He Used to Know. There is this one part at the end, that I know turned off at least one reviewer, which I thought was an extreme way to have the character "fight for love" and whatnot, but overall, I really enjoyed the story.

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  20. We have auditors coming tomorrow so I feel your pain. I love that you had so many 4.5 star books in March... that's awesome! It's great to hear that Bennett has delivered yet again with Moonlight. And I've had The Boy Who on my Kindle for years and still have not got to it. I'll be interested to see what you think.

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    1. We passed our audit (as always) and had a nice celebratory lunch. So, all is good for another year. Jenn Bennett just writes books I enjoy. I love her humor and her characters - always. The Boy Who was interesting, and I was throughly entertained. It went more melodramatic than I expected at one point, but it was OTT in that soap opera sort of way, that I am able to still enjoy. The ending was really good too. Not amazing, but good.

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  21. ARGH, not a book where the dog dies!!!!!!!!! I even explicitly state in my review policy that I do NOT want to read anything where the dog dies. WHY WHY WHY do they do that to us???????????????? Worst plot device EVER.

    37 books is AMAZING and I bow down to you!!! I'm also looking forward to the warmer temps; due to a health problem with my feet, I've had to wear flip flops lately and it has NOT been comfortable, since it's still freakin' cold here as well (unfortunately, freezing my feet off- literally- has been less painful than wearing shoes, sigh). Bring on the warm weather!

    I hope your April is fantastic!

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    1. Deaths always get to me, and I am ok if it moves the plot along, but I just feel like there are a disproportionate number of pet deaths in books. My feet are always so cold. I can only imagine how uncomfortable I would be in flip flops right now. I hope your feet are healing, though.

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  22. Now I want pie. That book Summer of a Thousand Pies certainly caught my eye. Yeah for Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. Love their stuff. Also love Jenn Bennett. Hope you have a week of warm temps and sunshine. We are supposed to get lots of rain in Portland. Boo!

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    1. The weather has been crummy, but it is what it is. --sigh-- Keep dry!

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  23. I think that the week with the auditors are just always long. That's how I remember them. I don't have to deal with that at my current job. I think that you definitely need some pie more than twice a year! Have a great week and enjoy your new books.

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    1. The problem is that I don't eat sweets at home, and when I go out to eat, I am always full by dessert. We are going out for Easter. Maybe there will be pie there.

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  24. You had an awesome month. Foodie books kill me and now I want pie! Hope this week doesn't drag!

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    1. Foodie books almost inspire me to cook. Almost. But, I don't, because I hate cooking.

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  25. So many books read Sam!!!!And that cat made me laugh so hard! Now I am so jealous about Aurora Rising!!!! Sophie @bewareofthereader

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    1. That cat's face is awesome. I think my kid used to make that face.

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  26. I hope you get that warm weather! I'm not really a pie person, tbh. Aww that poor cat that fell off the thing, haha.

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    1. I totally laughed, because that cat's reaction was so OTT.

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  27. I'm desperate for warmth! I'm so tired of cold. We got teased with some lovely weather and then it was back to freezing! *cries*

    The angry cat's face had me giggling. That's so cute.

    I'm glad the super long work week came to an end. Here's to some pie and more good books! (37 books is insane!)

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    1. That cat cracked me up, because my kid makes the same face at me. The weather report says 66F for us today, and I am like - bring it! I bought this cute spring jacket last weekend, and have not been able to wear it yet. *sad face* Hopefully next week I can.

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  28. Oh my goodness, 37 books in the month! There aren't even that many days DD: I am not sure how you do it at all but I am so impressed. Even though there were some really good books, I hope in April you'll find that one that makes it to being exactly five stars :D

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    1. That's book and audiobooks combine. I listen to audiobooks during the day as I work, which is awesome. I can usually get through 3 or so a week. I just had a 5-star read yesterday, so April is looking like a great month.

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  29. WOW, holy smokes I can't even get 30+ books done 5 months. You are like a rock star. I am hoping you are doing well as it has been a while since I have been able to check on your blog. =)

    Mary

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    1. I read a lot and audiobooks are great for getting through the TBR too.

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