In athletic sports, there exists the concept of deliberate practice, to distinguish mindful and useful practice from the act of simply going through the motions without caring about how effective it is. Recreational reading, while not usually a competitive or even taxing activity, could benefit from that concept.

Calling for discipline in a recreational activity sounds strange, especially for something like reading, which is presumably done for pleasure and at a leisurely place. But consider what the ultimate goal of the reader is. A serious reader must have a goal, almost by definition. We can ignore the casual readers who pick up a book the same way one picks up their phone to check social media. Is the goal to read as many books as possible, or to get the most out of the ones you read? For most people, the answer will probably lie between the two.

Here’s the second question: if an objective does exist, should this activity even be considered purely recreational? The affirmative answer to this question may be based on its common perception as a pleasurable activity. When we picture someone reading a book, we imagine they find it enjoyable. They must be having fun, otherwise why bother? However, this idyllic notion deserves to be challenged. Precious few writers have the talent to totally engross their readers in a world of words. Fewer still are given the opportunity to reach a sizeable audience. In their authored works, we catch rare glimpses of completely inexplicable genius and find texts that become lifelong companions. Most books do not belong to that category. A reader conscious about his/her objective (a deliberate reader, as in the sports analogy) should look to extract some value from a reading exercise and consider pleasure of secondary importance.

Such disciplined reading is needed mainly for non-narrative writings, because competently written stories are usually easy to follow, given that it arouses the interest of the reader. The non-narrative style can certainly be done well by a skilled writer, but to be effective it often requires the reader to be fully invested in the subject matter. Thus, at least part of the reader’s “enjoyment” comes from the fulfillment of the clearly defined objective, rather than the mysterious ways in which the human mind experiences pleasure.