> a Reader object that has many methods supporting various configuration options (setSkipRows(..), setNaFilter(...), etc), perhaps using a fluent style I don't

> a Reader object that has many methods supporting various configuration options (setSkipRows(..), setNaFilter(...), etc), perhaps using a fluent style I don't understand what that would bring as opposed to the current situation you mention, where you just call read_csv and name each parameter you want with the value you want. If anything, I'd say the builder pattern is a crutch for languages that don't have named parameters.