As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”
What I'm trying to say is that when we read a book for knowledge I think we must trust our subconscious to do the heavy lifting. I am a believer that our brains incorporate lessons read and experienced into decision making, even if we're not consciously calling on it or thinking about it directly.