Agreed, for many books. I'd also add the book digests (especially for Management books), and then diagrams and charts, which can convey so much more.
But on top of that, I think the framework/lens you have when you're reading makes a big difference too. Biggest advantage of a Cliff Notes-style is to add an opening paragraph saying: this author was writing in a time of social change X or common belief Y, and most of this book addresses their concerns related to that (many of which were unfounded).. or something.
On your last point: I think reading as leisure is a wholly worthwhile pursuit in its own right - tacitly feeling the experience of the world through another perspective - though I'm not sure I'd need to read more than a book a month for this
It would be great if each book came with a hierarchy of summaries. A 1000-page book would have a 100 page summary, a 10 page summary, a 1 page summary, and a single paragraph summary. Whatever the right factor is: 3, 5, 8, or 10. If you like any given part, you can go down that branch and read the details.
But on top of that, I think the framework/lens you have when you're reading makes a big difference too. Biggest advantage of a Cliff Notes-style is to add an opening paragraph saying: this author was writing in a time of social change X or common belief Y, and most of this book addresses their concerns related to that (many of which were unfounded).. or something.
On your last point: I think reading as leisure is a wholly worthwhile pursuit in its own right - tacitly feeling the experience of the world through another perspective - though I'm not sure I'd need to read more than a book a month for this