(Did you know you could play video games in the morning before work? I certainly didn’t. But you can.) I still struggle with instinct, the motivation to do the most, the feeling that I’m not a good reader if I’m not cycling through new books every few days. I want to keep slowing down, and keep giving words the time they deserve.

Even as I grew out of midday naps, I had to find creative ways to stay up reading past my bedtime. ​ As a young bookworm, almost nothing could stop me from reading when I was supposed to be doing anything else, sleeping included.