Different Types of Reading

Reading for Language -- I read with a writer's mentality here: When I notice grammatical structures that "work" I write them down in a notebook I keep next to me. If I find some that clearly do not "work", I'll try to correct them on the spot. When I see a word I don't know, I'll look up in the online  dictionary, and search for more uses to get a better feel for the word. Then I'll check synonyms, and I'll find more words I don't know, and then different uses for that word.  (Note: I just started doing this while reading The Brothers Karamazov).

Reading for Contemplation -- This includes fiction, non-fiction, philosophy, self-help, and interviews, among others. While reading with a notebook by my side, I'll actively make connections to my everyday life or other things I've read. Whether the work presents a non-fiction theory or a character I can identify with, most of the works I read should make me contemplate and challenge pre-existing notions.

Reading for Information -- This is when I read much faster since I am merely trying to suck the information -- the main points -- from the work. This is typically news and technical books.

These types of reading overlap. The Brothers Karamazov I read for language and contemplation, and therefore read it very slowly. I'm reading Emile more for contemplation and information, and thus I'm reading it much faster (though not speed-reading), since I'm less focused on appreciating and absorbing the language and more focused on absorbing -- and writing down -- the information it presents.