What’s so special about college reading? Don’t you just pick up the book, start on the first page, and keep going as you have ever since you met The Cat in the Hat? Reading from beginning to end works especially well when you are eager to find out what happens next, as in a thriller, or what to do next, as in a cookbook. On the other hand, much of your college reading is complicated. Dense, challenging material often requires closer, slower reading and deeper thinking — in short, a process for reading critically.