The difference between reading a book for pleasure and reading one for meaning is that when reading a book for pleasure we focus on plot details and not necessarily the meaning behind those details. These books can also be nonfiction where there may not be a plot. In this case the information gathered is part of reading for pleasure. When reading a book for meaning, we look beyond the story and see the hidden meaning that is between the lines.
The similarities between the two are that in both, the reader knows both the beginning and the end of the story. A book that I read for pleasure was Arguing With Idiots and a book that I read for meaning was Life of Pi. One book that has both is To Kill a Mockingbird.
