When I was younger, I’d read slowly, trying to visualize the setting, keep track of character preferences, look up words I don’t know, etc. I’d remember a book well enough to talk about it even a year or so after.
These days, I just skim over descriptions and read as fast as I could while still getting the main plot. I get attached to characters only if the book is really good and savor them during rereads.
I started reading progression fantasy on Royal Road earlier this year (a site for posting web serials). Here’s my current follow list (excluding stories that are on hiatus):