OP is going to get slaughtered in the comments.

But it’s a valid point. It’s the whole reason they teach literature in university. People make a profession out of studying literature. This is because there is a richness to the written language that cannot fully be appreciated without knowing the art of its construction.

Anyone can learn to read a piece of text. But there is an art to being able to fully appreciate the nuance and what the writer intended to communicate through how they chose to construct the text.

Poetry may be the clearest example of this as poets will make very specific semantic, lexical, and structural choices that completely change the meaning of a poem if you don’t understand why the poet chose to construct the poem the way they did.

There is an art behind the structure of the written language. Authors will use a certain style of prose to add meaning to their writing. Some authors write in an almost lyrical way, some are more straight forward in their writing. These are all intentional, artistic, choices and absolutely it helps if you have mastered the “art” of reading to be able to appreciate these stylistic choices fully.

It’s the same as appreciating art. Anyone can go to a museum and enjoy art. But I will bet that if you study art and you understand why a painter chose a certain colour palette or lighting for their piece it will change the way you see that piece of art.

You can “master the art of reading.” Just like you can “master the art of conversation.” After all, art is just a skill that someone because extremely well versed in and masters its application.

Roast away. But it’s not an entirely invalid point.

Lincoln in the Bardo

‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ by George Saunders tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s grief-stricken visit to the crypt of his young son, Willie, who has recently died. Set in a graveyard that is populated by spirits stuck in the “bardo,” the book explores themes of love, loss, and the search for redemption.

I’ll tell you. It was one of the most enjoyable, yet truly weird beyond reads I’ve ever experienced. 10/10 would recommend. Incredible though provoking and not in a way that you would ever expect.

The Fionavar Tapestry is IMO as epic as any of the great fantasy trilogies.

I have a hard time recommending it to people though due to one particular piece of its subject matter. But that being said, I even think the way he handles that particular, controversial, plot point is epic as well.

I dog ears books (only the ones that I own) on pages that had passages that really moved me.

I do this with the intention that I may want to go back and relive those passages. OR that when I pass the book on for someone else to read they will notice the dog ear and think that something on that page resonated with me and that will push them to search for a deeper meaning in the text.