"What does this word mean?" says Mary out of the blue. We're quietly reading with our separate books.

"What word?" I say. At the same time, trying not to let the interruption bother me.

"This word, look?
I show her how highlighting the word brings up Kindle's dictionary. The word she is after is 'portmanteau.' The dictionary tells us that a portmanteau is a combination of two words creating a new word combining the concepts of the two words.

"I still don't get it," said Mary.

"Like hungry mashed with angry, equals hangry," I say

We are lucky. Our reading environment is warm, safe, and comfortable. Many in the world are not so privileged. I read sitting encapsulated in a thirty-year-old Ekornes Stressless Recliner made in Norway. Mary, my sweetheart, sits absorbed in reading her book, sitting a few feet away on my chair's twin. When reading, these are the quiet, restful moments of the day that we don't put enough emphasis on and take for granted. These are the moments that make up a well-lived life. I prefer digital books because my eyesight is failing, and Mary is partial to reading books on her iPad. She can prop it up in her lap and make the text big enough to read while she slightly reclines.

Slow, steady incremental reading gets the book read. Some longer scheduled reading time will boost the rocket into a new orbit. But generally, it is better to be a turtle than a hare in the book reading contest.