T10T: Things That Get Me in a Cozy Reading Mood (featuring cute kitties & tasty GIFs)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s theme is 10 books that give off autumn vibes! Unfortunately, I was having a hard time getting into this week’s topic and decided to leave it to those who are better at compiling “vibe” books than I am. ? But autumn makes me think of coziness, and I like having the chance to talk about non-bookish things, too, so here are a few things that get me in a cozy reading mood!

1. a hot cup of tea

Who doesn’t love getting cozy with a hot cuppa? I’m fond of lots of different types, but my 3 favorites are:
– black tea with milk & sugar
– black tea with spearmint
– a chamomile/green tea blend with mint

(I’m also equally fond of coffee!)

2. sitting out on my porch with a blanket

Nothing beats reading out on the porch on a cold, breezy autumn day with a blanket. I could sit and watch the leaves fall for hours.

3. cuddling a pet

Naturally, I wouldn’t be any sort of cat-adoring book dragon if I didn’t include a vital step to cozy reading: cuddling a pet, or more likely for me, a soft, sleepy kitty (purr purr purr). As evidence, I present Cilantro, the newest addition to our family. We adopted him a few months back and he’s a bit of a menace at times, but he never says no to a good cuddle with his hooman (me. I’m his hooman ♥).

Also, how phenomenal is this photo my spouse got of the little furball?

4. grey, overcast days with the windows open

If there’s one type of weather that I think is the most perfect for reading, it’s a cold, gloomy, grey, overcast day in late fall. I love opening the windows, especially if it’s drizzling and I can listen to that. Let me sprawl out on the bed with a good book, and I’m set.

5. soft instrumental music

For the life of me, I can’t listen to music with lyrics while I read (even if they’re in a language I don’t understand!), but I love putting on something soft and instrumental. One of my favorite challenges is finding the perfect instrumental soundtrack to fit my current read. When I read An Enchantment of Ravens a couple of autumns ago, for some reason I really remember listening to Antoine Dufour’s rendition of Imogen Heap’s ‘Hide and Seek’ and feeling like it was perfectly fitting for a soft, whimsical fantasy tale like that. ♥

6. a warm sweater

And when I say sweater, know that I really mean cardigan, because ya girl can live in a good, comfy cardigan, especially if it has pockets — even better if it has a hood! I just want to find somewhere to live where I can bundle up in cardigans 365 days a year and never be uncomfortable. There’s something ridiculously cozy about them.

(Just doing my best to live a life that would make Mr. Rogers proud.)

7. soft lighting

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some night-seeing superhero who can read by the light of a single match or something, but you gotta love some soft mood lighting, right?

8. a crackling fire

In case you hadn’t noticed, my ideal reading setting is basically just a cold as hell day in an under-heated house. ?‍♀️ But seriously! Crackling fires are one of the best soundtracks for any given book, regardless of genre. I don’t make the rules.

9. a sweet treat

To be fair, I almost didn’t include this one because I’m not big on eating while reading physical books — I’m way too worried about getting food on the pages! That said, audiobooks and ebooks exist (and I utilize them just as often as print copies), and I love a good, rich treat of something sweet and tasty while reading. Mm, I’m getting hungry…

10. family snuggles

And, of course, the best of all: snuggling my sweet family. If you haven’t noticed, my spouse and our little bear are my life (I can’t ever seem to shut up about them!). While the kiddo is 3 and isn’t actually in the mood for cuddles too often these days, sometimes I can convince him to take a nap on me and then I read on my kindle app and, well, that counts, doesn’t it? ???

What makes YOU feel cozy?

— destiny ♥

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