No rules about reading for pleasure (vs school or work). You like something or you don’t, you give the former as much time as you can and set the latter aside.

Tried to like him but couldn’t for the reasons others have noted, essentially shallowness. He reminded me of Richard Bach of Jonathan Livingston Seagull fame.

A good friend is a non-reader. The real reason is dyslexia, which he never acknowledges. His reading and writing skills are about those of a 10 y.o. He was able to eek out a career; now in retirement he is going deaf and his already small world is shrinking further. Don’t judge.

Everyone who confuses correlation and causation dies.

Non-fiction you can approach like an academic subject if you wish but certainly fiction should be seen as entertainment with no need to remember details.

You rate the writing not the subject. A great writer can make any subject interesting and a poor one makes reading about the most fascinating thing unbearable.

I also first read and loved it in HS, have owned copies ever since. I (old guy) have read literally thousands of books and it is still one of my favourites.

Probably pointless/impossible to return the books themselves so make a general amends with a donation to an adult literacy program or similar.