very interesting to see people say "read more books to become a better writer" and same applies to art, film etc. but at the same time. there is certainly a different type of lens to reading as a writer vs. as a consumer.

sure the consumer might see the surface level symbolism in a book but learning from that text to benefit your writing entails analyzing every single damn sentence, every word, and the very specific choices authors make to evoke those initial impulses and reactions you may have