I don't think so. Reading is just consumption. You don't have to do any critical thinking, just have an imagination. Though even that's optional.
Critical thinking comes from problem solving, something a book certainly lacks.
Critical thinking comes from problem solving, something a book certainly lacks.
Yes, one can read without doing any critical thinking. But scientific and technical literature invite it. And indeed, require it for real comprehension. Good fiction, too.
If that were true, you would believe anything and everything you read. I doubt that, barring Trump tweets, I will read a more ignorant statement all week.