It's all a matter of personal taste and the purpose of reading a piece. Think of it as being like food, or some other sensual pleasure you enjoy. If you could

It's all a matter of personal taste and the purpose of reading a piece. Think of it as being like food, or some other sensual pleasure you enjoy. If you could condense all meals into a pill and just swallow it would you? Probably not, because sometimes you want to just 'get the sustenance' and sometimes you want to enjoy the experience, to revel in the presentation, flavour, texture and company you're with. Books are exactly the same. There are times when the we want the key pieces. But sometimes, fiction and otherwise, it's worth enjoying the writing itself, the mental images that are created, the use of language, rhytmn and flow to make both major points and to explore subtleties.