Dailure-Book Groups

I have been involved with a book group (not the same one) for the last 20-some years and I find that if I have a book, to read, and it's 'due' at a specific time and I know I'm going to have to talk about it I read 'better'. That is to say I am a lazy reader and if I'm just reading for the fun of it (I do read for pleasure) my concentration is better if I have a goal, to read intelligently. I must say it's hard to remember sometimes; I forget characters names, dates, and good quotes, but I'm trying to read with a different perspective. I'm trying to read to pull out the main idea(s) and how characters play into that. Maybe it's age but maybe it's just that there is so much to be read that I can't stop to worry about those kinds of details anymore. And I have found that when I stop 'worrying' about not being able to remember those things I get a lot more from a book!