Do I read strictly for enjoyment? No.
I really wish I did. I love reading. More importantly, I love reading books I want to read. But there have been many times over the years when that wasn’t possible.
School was a big reason. I don’t want to count the times I was forced to read a book I hated. Okay, forced may be a strong word; I could have chosen not to read the book I guess. But I read them all in high school, and all but one in University (I was sick and didn’t end up reading one book from the assigned reading list). I even managed to make it through the 500 page monstrosity that is The Golden Notebook in one week (that was a super tough read to get through, and wow was that a painful class – I was one of two people plus the prof who had read the book; no one else had anything to say about it during the entire discussion).
Once school finished, I thought I would be in the clear to go back to reading just the books I wanted to read. But that hasn’t always happened. I’ve read many books for strategic reasons, like choosing ones to review for work. Or reading books that my brother has lent to me that I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen to read on my own (like The Alchemist).
So no, I do not read strictly for enjoyment. But that’s okay. If you read just for enjoyment, you may not push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Sure, you might read some books you really don’t like. But you’ll also find some amazing books you might not have picked up on your own.
An Acquaintance with Letters 