As I’m staring down the clock and willing this year to end, I thought I would pop on with only a couple hours to go and do a little reflection and reset.

2025…was the worst year I’ve had in a while. I spent much of the year very ill (kicked off with a hospital stay at the end of January and unfortunately didn’t really start to improve until the last couple months). I’ve dealt with chronic illness for 15+ years but this year really went beyond what I’ve ever experienced. Lots of things got set aside such as my reading, this blog, gaming, etc. For much of the year all I had the energy for was my job. It was rough and tested me to the extreme.

Needless to say I’m ready to put it behind me. So, let’s look forward to what I want to do in 2026.

For one, I’d like to get back to being consistent with posting here, which also means getting my reading back on track. I’ve certainly done better the last few months so I feel like it’s something I can do. I do have some specific things I’m trying to accomplish, such as getting my Netgalley current, my percentage is good but I definitely have catching up to do. I’m also sorely behind on my re-reading of Nancy Drew and would like to also re-read a number of books from my younger years (such as re-reading L.J. Smith’s books or picking up old school Point Horror).

I’d like to be more consistent with my posting on Instagram too (@de.the.wordsmith) with more book content. Not necessarily less Calypso content, just more book content.

Beyond that? I certainly have other things I want to accomplish, but I don’t want to overwhelm myself by putting too much of it into writing. At the end of the day I just want to read and write more and maintain my health. 2026 has got to be better, right?

Happy new year, everyone!