Thanks for the reply. Most of your reading consists of content for entertainment in the language, which is the most laudable and enjoyable thing for language learners. Your ideas of interweaving reading activities with other tasks to improve attention span are also innovative and helpful.

I usually do a "background check" on the books to read via either Wiki or Goodreads. Some of the readings are needed to basis, and others are a must-know for natives, the latter of which I consider as common knowledge. For example, a native English speaker from the States would have read or heard the speeches I Have a Dream and Gettysburg Address at some point in their life, and commonly known honorifics in Chinese are just too practical to be ignored.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2016-06/16/c_129068022.htm

In addition to pursuing the classics guided by personal interest, there are other underlying reasons for me to choose classic works as mediums for specific ends. One of them is exploring and learning the essence of the culture through the language, such as commonly quoted allusions and historical contexts. While I am still in my "training mode" to cultivate my appreciation of literature, I want to acquire the basic skills of reading between the lines and picking up underlying hidden cues from the context. How do you deal with more literary terms or allusions commonly used in writing, as they affect the reading flowing and impede your enjoyment of the text to some extent?

Reading has always been fun for me. :-) Adler's approach is more suitable for academic works, treatises on a particular subject such as philosophy, or classics worth rereading multiple times. Adler's techniques are one indispensable tool but disposable in their usage per the reader's purpose and the nature of the contents. Reading for enjoyment has almost always been my goal in Chinese.

I should have done more note-taking too! I always admire the elegant style or succinct words employed by the writers to the desired and profound effects on the readers. Writing competently and formulating my writing style are good motivations for learning languages.

@TofuMeow

Sorry that I had been so engrossed in writing the reply to your post that I forgot to give thanks. I am much obliged for your valuable suggestions, especially on how you have managed to keep the reading task tidy on Notion, the routine work you shared, and note-taking. I appreciate it.

Thank you. These are sound ideas that I can explore to my advantage. Sticking to the same writer on a specific topic is a good thing to do too. In addition, do we have to read a particular writer's works in a specific order to have good continuity, which enhances the comprehension and overall reading experience? For example, the Harry Potter series and Mary Karr's memoirs.

Thanks again for recommending Mortimer Adler's book, which I have read halfway. I already feel more empowered in my keenness to learn and apply these techniques to the reading. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to strip the novel down to the bare bone by being over-analytical and having minuscule details to contend with. What's the fine line to tread in between?

It's good to focus on spending time and enjoying the process. Currently, I am reading three fiction and three nonfiction books in English. Light reading tends to go smoother, and some other works may necessitate more time to ponder between the lines. I want a more satisfactory and enriching reading experience by discovering what people do when reading multiple books.