Noel's Cozy New Years Coffee Chat | A cozy bookish post

 Happy New Year lovelies!!

How has 2026 come faster than any other year?

 2025 was gone so quickly it feels like, maybe because I was chasing a toddler and was so busy stepping into my role as a first time stay at home mom that I just didn't notice? I feel like I blinked but I was trying to be so in the moment with my family that I don't know how the year is already over...

Is it like that for any other moms or parents?

All The Cozy Things

We have a cold front right now that is so wonderful, I love the cold weather & getting to do all the cozy warm things when it comes ☕️🕯️ 

My mother-in-law made me some homemade candles that I have lit at our little kitchen table, I've got one warm sweater pulled out (the rest are packed cause of the moving and remodeling), & I sit on the little couch in the evenings with my pug in my lap and either my computer or a book in hand. 

The little couch in our room is right next to Little Coffee Bean's crib, so I'm able to be next to her while reading or anything and I absolutely love it 💗 It's like my little corner amidst all the chaos, even if I only get it in the evenings most times!

Even better is when I can have one of the cozy ambience videos going in the background 😍 *sigh* I love those so much whether reading or writing!

If you like them too, which ones are your favorite??

For me it varies on what I'm doing! Even if I'm writing, it depends on which project I'm working on haha

Thankfully, my hubby got off work earlier today (New Year's Eve) and is playing with Little Coffee Bean so I can have some time and type this up!

All The Bookish Things

I unfortunately didn't finish my 2025 reading goal of 50 books 😔 I was only 5 books behind, but... everything this season has been so beyond hectic for us that I just couldn't force myself. Instead I chose to be kind to myself and celebrate the number I did read! All the 5 stars, all the new favorites, all the new authors I get to support and fangirl over, and all the series I can't wait to read more of in this new year!!

I'm learning the hard way to have grace towards myself, to not beat myself up about everything I didn't do right, couldn't do, or failed in. Especially because, as my mother has told me when I asked her for advice: these are goals that you set for yourself that are usually at a pace you can't do. And she's absolutely right, so I'm trying to listen to her advice more this new year.

Any plans or goals I make I'll set where I can be flexible if need be with life things, change them to fit instead of driving myself sick to meet unrealistic expectations that only I set for myself.

So for reading my goal for 2026 is to read 28 books! 

I would love to try and set it for higher, but my life's season of chaotic has not changed yet and our second baby will be coming in July... I'm not sure what recovery will look like or life with a toddler and newborn yet. I'll endlessly rejoice for it all though!!

I hope to support more of the authors I've discovered this past year, finish some of the series I started, and find more reads to absolutely love and share about.

From the holidays, family, & the best bookish friends ever I have several new reads I am so so excited to dive into and finish in January as soon as I can!!

Walking on Water by Madeleine L'engle is one of my top ones that I've already started in the mornings when I can after Bible study, it was gifted from my grandma and is an essay on reflections on Faith and Art so I'm very eager to read it for this new year!

I have several indie authors and series that I hope to read more of &/or finish as well:

From These Dark Depths & With These Last Breaths by Vanessa Rasanen are the last two books in her pirate romantasy trilogy that I have desperately been wanting to finish (she has several other books out as well, I highly suggest checking out) and she surprise gifted them to me from my book wishlist!!

Bound to the Fae King by Megan Van Dyke (book 2 in her standalone fae romantasy series) Love love love this woman's books!! I originally discovered her last year with her newest release at that time but I've been making my way through her previous books since then!!

There are so many more I hope to read in January, but these are the top 4 that I'm hopeful to finish!! 

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Writing wise I'm praying and taking my time with. My family comes first, but I'm working towards re-publishing my YA sci-fi dystopian books (the first one is set to get re-published as it needed more edits and revisions and book 2 will get released at the same time for the first time Lord allowing).

I would love for this to happen in 2026 but we'll see where the Lord leads me, all good things come in His time after all.

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    What about you lovelies??

I'd love to hear about your New Years!! Plans, goals, reading or writing updates and hopes! 

Wishing you all a wonderful season & a happy new year!!

Lots of love!

NoelW

Weekend Reading Check-in | Trying to finish my 2025 Reading Goal in 3 days

  
Thursday, December 18th | Before the said weekend

Morning lovelies!! *coffee slurps*

It has been a very long time since I've done a post on the blog, but it's now my de-stress-fun-hobby once a week I'm making sure I get back to.     

My toddler has decided she's a toddleraserous-rex and with our next one on the way I'm enjoying all the reading time I can get right now when morning sickness isn't striking at least...

Holidays are upon us, Christmas and the winter season are my favorites usually, but this year... we've had to move again and we're remodeling at the same time this time... add in pregnancy sickness and it's... a tad stressful this season.

So this weekend I'm trying to finish my reading goal for this year! I'm at 42 books out of 50, so just 8 more books to read!!

There's no end to my 'TBR Mountain' so it's not hard to grab a book to read, but my mood reading is striking so my list to try and get through this weekend is all over the place genre and book-vibes wise haha!!

Some of my hopeful TBR reads for this weekend!!

A Bargain with the Fae King by Megan Van Dyke has been one of my top want-to-reads of this year-- I love all the books she has put out, and this is the first in her romantasy series of stand-a-lones set in the same world!!

My Favorite Holidate, All Snowed Gin, and It Happened One Christmas are the Christmas-season-reads I have on my kindle and hope to get to before Christmas!!

Binding 13 is one that was recommended to me a few months ago, I started, and was so excited for...but then I got in another reading slump and... still have not finished it...

Same with Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling, except it was gifted to me by a dear bookstagram friend and I desperately need to finish it so I can chat with her about it!

That's six out of eight that I need to read, I haven't settled on what to read for the last two books... so I figured I'd see what I was in the mood to read as the final book of the year when it's time!

Friday evening, December 19th | First part of the said weekend plans 

I had a very successful reading day today, I managed to finish My Favorite Holidate by Lauren Blakely and have officially read my first holiday read of the season!! 

Fake-dating romcom with an office kink, billionaire boss, and a Christmas competition!

I'm curling up now to try and read as much as I can of A Bargain with the Fae King, toddler and hubby are asleep so now is my best chance haha!

Saturday evening, December 20th | Second part of the said weekend plans

I stayed up as late as I could Friday night to finish A Bargain with the Fae King, and I managed! 

I did finish it! My eyes were drooping so badly and I fell asleep several times, but eventually startled back awake and finished it before morning lol 😅

Definitely a favorite read of the year, I do love Megan's most recent books the most but highly recommend this one too!!

I'm currently curled up in bed with my pug half on my lap while little coffee bean is sleeping in her crib and hubby is playing a video game. I'm trying to read two books currently, bouncing between the two: Binding 13 and Fear the Flames! These were both ones I had started a bit ago and have been wanting to make sure I finish, so they're kinda higher on my list to finish this weekend!

So far, 2/8 books finished!! Currently at 44 books read out of my goal for 50!

Sunday evening, December 21st | Final part of the chaotic bookish weekend of a tired mother that's kinda regretting her decisions now...

Today was so busy and hectic, I finally at 10pm am sitting in bed and about to try and read as much as I can before I pass out. I'm really hopeful to finish what I can tonight. And even though I definitely won't finish as many reads as I had hoped this weekend, I'm very pleased with what I did get done!

I found a couple minutes earlier today to read the ebook for The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer for a little bit, and it's been keeping me very enthralled so I'm excited to try and finish it tonight. I hope to read more of my other two currents too but this one is really calling to me right now. 

It's the mood reader curse... I'll have two current reads I'm excited about but another one will stick out to me and it never fails that's the one I finish first! 

Monday morning | December 22nd

I stayed up until just after 1am and finished The House Saphir (absolutely loved it!!) and... then promptly passed out. And then my toddler woke up at 3am so sleep was short-lived!

So total for the weekend I read 3 books out of the 7 I had planned, and am currently sitting at 45 books read for 2025~ 

My reading goal is 50, so maybe I can squeeze in five more books before New Years??

It was definitely too ambitious to read eight books in a weekend for me nowadays, back in the day I easily could, but not now lol!

Well wrapping up and then to wrap up Christmas gifts for loved ones!

Questions for you lovelies:

Do you have a reading goal for the year, if so what is it? And how's your progress?

Do you think I should do another one of these attempts or just call it quits and take a long nap instead??

Have you read any of these reads or have thoughts on them? I'd love to hear your thoughts or even if they're on your TBR!!

Merry Christmas lovelies!! <3

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday and a beautiful new year if I don't get to talk to any of you again before then!!

Lots of love, Noel