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July 20, 2021 · Leave a Comment

8 Books I’ve Read So Far This Year

Books

I have made it my goal to read more this year and I have been relatively successful so far! When I was younger, I used to LOVE to read, but when I went to college, I stopped reading for fun almost all together, and for the past 5 years or so I was only reading about 2-3 books per year.

With the pandemic and everything, I have gotten so jaded by television and have finally gotten back into reading. I would love to read even more than I currently am– maybe next year I’ll make a reading goal! But I wanted to share with you guys what books I have read so far this year, in the order that I read them. Not every single one of them is a hit in my opinion, but I still finished them so that must count for something right?

Whenever I finish a book, I rate it over on my Instagram Stories, so make sure you’re following me there to keep up with what I’m reading next!

What do you think, should we create a Regular Folks book club? 😉

1. Normal People by Sally Rooney

★★★★★★★★

Just a good novel about a dysfunctional couple. I love a novel where the characters that feel so real and raw that they are borderline unlikable at times. Sally Rooney is a phenomenal writer.

2. We Were Liars by E. Lockhark

★★★★★★★

To level with y’all, this one has slight YA novel vibes, but it’s still really good, I couldn’t put it down, and the ENDING??!?!!! Holy cow.

3. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

★★★★★★★★

This book made me cry. Sweet story, I tore through this book and really recommend it.

4. The Boy From the Woods by Harlan Coben

★★★★★

Meh. There were so many plot points to this story that were irrelevant. Just felt like a bunch of different stories that were weirdly compiled together. This had potential to be SO good, but for some reason it fell kind of flat for me.

5. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

★★★★★★

First of all, this was the first Stephen King book I’ve ever read. Secondly, this was probably the longest book I’ve ever read.

Here’s my bad syopsis: a man travels back in time to save JFK because a fry-cook told him to

Pros: immersive, clearly well-researched, I just like time-travel stories

Cons: why is it 900 pages??? I was also not a fan of the ending

6. Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson

★★★★★★

I picked up this book in a little bookstore in the Outer Banks, NC because of the cover art LOL do any of y’all do that too? The synopsis of the book sounded interesting, sure, but the cover really drew me in hahaha

I just thought that this book was such an interesting concept: a psychologist is doing an experiment with 10 families who all live together for 10 years and raise their children together as a unit without revealing to the children who their biological parents are. I just thought it was such an interesting, different idea for a story, that I was very intrigued. It was a little slow in some parts and the ending was a little lack-luster in my opinion, but I still really enjoyed it.

7. Conviction by Denise Mina

★★★★★

This one was hard for me to rate, because I felt like it had a lot of potential, but it was a little bit hard for me to get into in the beginning, the middle had me gripped, and the ending was just kind of…. weird? I still finished it so that counts for something, right?

8. Recursion by Blake Crouch

★★★★★★★★★

One of the best books I have read in a while. The author, Blake Crouch, also wrote Dark Matter which is one of my favorite books ever, so I was super excited to finally read another one of his books.

Gripping and a super interesting concept, you HAVE to read this if you enjoy a little bit of sci-fi 🙂

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Hey there!

I’m Sara Ann and am a big fan of fresh flowers, traveling, and eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in one sitting. I share my life, loves, ideas, and everything in between with the hope to inspire and help make the lives of regular folks (maybe like you!) simpler, happier, and healthier.

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saraannsutton

let’s create a suburban fairytale 📚🧚🌷
lifestyle, motherhood, DIY, & a dash of whimsy ✨
💌 saraann@theregularfolks.com

What I Eat in a Day: 23 weeks pregnant and attempt What I Eat in a Day: 23 weeks pregnant and attempting to be carb-conscious (my doctors have asked me to be carb-conscious because of my history of gestational diabetes!) PSA: I’m not including vegetables (unless they are starchy) in this carb count bc my dietician said I don’t need to count them 😌

Breakfast: sweet potato hash with @jonesdairyfarm chicken sausage, egg, and feta cheese + coffee with sugar-free @coffeemate 

Snack: @costco protein bar

Lunch: 1 slice of Ezekiel bread with pimento cheese and tomato + apple

Snack 2: low-carb yogurt with @sevensundayscereal granola and strawberries

Dinner: @chickfila Cobb salad (s/o to their app designer bc their nutrition facts makes it so easy when you’re counting carbs!!)

Snack: @barebells.usa protein bar (@sheetz has a great protein bar selection!!)

Bedtime snack: @fairlife chocolate milk 🥛🍫❤️

#gestationaldiabetes #carbconscious #pregnancy #healthymealideas
What I ate in a day at 22 weeks pregnant with a hi What I ate in a day at 22 weeks pregnant with a history of gestational diabetes (my doctors have asked me to be carb-conscious because of my history!) PSA: I’m not including vegetables (unless they are starchy) in this carb count bc my dietician said I don’t need to count them 😌

Breakfast: breakfast burrito with egg, @jonesdairyfarm chicken sausage, tomato, and avocado (I know I should switch to a lower carb tortilla but just let me have this one indulgence lol) + sugar-free @coffeemate in my coffee

Snack: @costco brand protein bar

Lunch: Cannellini bean salad (about 1/2 cup beans in this serving) with tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt/pepper + 2 mini naan bites

Dinner: crispy chicken cutlet topped with Caesar salad (love the @chosenfoods dressing) + side of strawberries 

Bedtime snack: @fairlife chocolate milk 🥛❤️🍫

#pregnancy #gestationaldiabetes #whatieatinadayrealistic
And it’s not even officially fall yet 🙂🍁🍂 #fallact And it’s not even officially fall yet 🙂🍁🍂 #fallactivities #toddlermom #parentinghumor #marriagehumor
When I had my first child, I underestimated the po When I had my first child, I underestimated the power of a peaceful bedroom to recover postpartum and exist in the newborn bubble. It might sound kind of silly, but I want to create a peaceful haven in my bedroom for postpartum because the newborn trenches are tough! 

I’m going for neutral in here, but more layered, earthy, textured and elevated (without feeling formal). Next up is styling my bed, giving my nightstands and dressers and makeover, and lots more decor and styling! #homediy #pregnancy #bedroommakeover #bedroomdecor
#SecretDeoPartner On days when I don’t initially f #SecretDeoPartner On days when I don’t initially feel my best, I try to be intentional about doing simple acts to turn that feeling around: putting on a cute outfit just to wear around the house; decorating for fall (arguably) a little early; or wearing an amazing scent. The Secret Cocoa Butter Invisible Solid is my FAVORITE, and its all day freshness gives me a boost of confidence throughout the day. #RomanticizingLife #ToddlerMom @secretdeodorant
Here’s some simple things to do to make this week Here’s some simple things to do to make this week a little more whimsical, magical, and fun ❤️✨ do it for yourself, do it for your kids, do it for both! #whimsy #whimsicalchildhood #toddlermom
My doctor asked me to be carb conscious because of My doctor asked me to be carb conscious because of my history of gestational diabetes, so here is what I ate in a day at 21 weeks pregnant!

1st breakfast: savory breakfast muffins made with @kodiakcakes pancake mix + coffee with sugar-free @coffeemate 

2nd breakfast: thin slice of sourdough with smashed avocado and egg

Lunch: sourdough with pimento cheese and tomato + blueberries + @lesserevilsnacks popcorn

Snack: boiled peanuts

Dinner: ground beef burrito bowl with brown rice and black beans

Bedtime snack: @ghostlifestyle protein cereal with low carb milk

#gestationaldiabetes #diabetes #mealideas #pregnancy
These simple days with my sweet family are the day These simple days with my sweet family are the days I always dreamed about and now that I’m living them, I won’t take them for granted ❤️✨ 

#whimsicalchildhood #toddlermom #slowlifestyle #simplelife
What I ate in a day at 20 weeks pregnant with a hi What I ate in a day at 20 weeks pregnant with a history of gestational diabetes! I am trying my best to follow the diet I followed with my 1st pregnancy. Fingers crossed I don’t have GD this time around though (being tested at 24 weeks 🫩) 

Breakfast: viral spring roll “bagel” filled with sausage, egg, and cheese + matcha latte with @fairlife milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup from @torani 

Supplements: prenatal and probiotic from @gardenoflife choline from @naturemadevitamins, and vitamin D

Lunch: chicken&pork gyoza, soy sauce + apple

Snack: PB protein cereal from @ghostlifestyle and @fairlife milk

Dinner: viral sheet pan beef “kebabs” with low-carb wrap from Ole, roasted zucchini, tomato, feta, tzatziki, and hummus

Bedtime snack: low-carb vanilla Greek yogurt and @sevensundayscereal granola

#gestationaldiabetes #pregnancy #2ndtrimester
Sometimes, boys have childhoods that are centered Sometimes, boys have childhoods that are centered around traditionally boy-ish things like trucks and sports, and while my son LOVES those things, I think boys don’t always get all the whimsy that girls get. Whimsy is for girls AND boys!! Every childhood deserves to be whimsical 🥰 #toddlermom #toddleractivities #whimsy #whimsicalhome
Every month, my toddler and I shop for our local c Every month, my toddler and I shop for our local community blessing box ❤️ I use this as an opportunity to teach him about taking care of others in our community in big and little ways. This is everything we got for August! #blessingbox #foodpantry #toddlermom
What I ate in a day at 19 weeks pregnant with a hi What I ate in a day at 19 weeks pregnant with a history of gestational diabetes! I am trying my best to follow the diet I followed with my 1st pregnancy. Fingers crossed I don’t have GD this time around though 😅

Breakfast: refried beans, fried egg, guac, salsa, chicken sausage from @jonesdairyfarm , and obviously @cholulahotsauce + matcha latte feat sugar-free syrup from @torani 

Supplements: prenatal and probiotic from @gardenoflife, choline from @naturemadevitamins, and vitamin D

Lunch: low-carb wrap from Ole, lightly breaded chicken nuggets from @justbarechicken tzatziki, avocado, lettuce + and apple

Snack: everything @thesolacompany bagel with jalapeño cream cheese

Dinner: turkey burger bowls with roasted sweet sweet potato, lettuce, avocado, salsa, and spicy ranch

Bedtime snack: @fairlife chocolate milk (THE BEST!!!)

#gestationaldiabetes #pregnancy #2ndtrimester
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