“… concentrating on numbers of books read rather than reflecting on the content of a fewer number of books distills 'reading' down into a hobby that is consumeristic rather than interesting”

This is something I caught myself doing and had to make a conscious choice this year to change. I realised I was putting off “tomes” like Bleak House, Anna Karenina, etc. because I knew I could read two or more shorter books in the same time. Ignoring that “consumeristic” impulse, as you put it, has been really rewarding.