So I find this topic quite shady, maybe it's because I write to bookish people and people that are on the knowledge quest.
I should give you a break, right?
Alright, take it.
Well, the truth is you might not find every book interesting, there are books you'd have to read whether you're interested in the subject or not especially because the information is important.
Some people don't like numbers but they'll have to do numbers if they want to be in business.
The thing is... to avoid wasting your time simply because the text is not on your favorite list, you should rather maximize the efforts of flipping through those pages.
If you need the information, you'll have to be intentional. You might not be needing this while reading your favorite texts probably because there's interest already.
Understanding the difference between active reading and passive reading will help you read your books better including your favorite books.
Active reading vs Passive reading
In active reading, you preview text before reading by skimming through headings, topics or chapters, and keywords while during passive reading, you just get started without doing a preview.
In active reading, you take notice of the purpose of reading before you begin while in passive reading you read without examining the purpose of reading.
In active reading, you read with questions in mind but during passive reading, you read without questions in mind.
In active reading, you take notes and highlight and mark important ideas. In passive reading, you just read, you don't annotate.
In active reading, you pause to monitor your understanding by visualizing and connecting to experience while in passive reading you don't stop to think.
In active reading, you make time to reflect and evaluate what you read. In passive reading, you don't reflect or evaluate.
So you see, active reading is more about intention. When there's the intention with supporting actions, you can handle any text.