I find that they have a core theme that could be explained in a few pages, but somehow they try to fill 200+ pages with the concept with examples, anecodotes and such.
Is it usually worth reading through the entire book or is there a 'life hack' to reading them faster?
We don't owe any book our time. I am very selective about what I choose to expose myself to, and I gravitate toward only novel information. I'll slow down when I don't understand something, and speed up 5x or entirely skip the fluff/fodder or non-new info.
Is there a vast conspiracy to ensure that "good writing" fits a common format that's easy to speed read? :O
Or more likely, it's just a good way to format paragraphs, and speed reading tips just follow the convention.
Sometimes those examples can hit close to home with a certain situation that you have seen in the past or may encounter in the future. I do skim them if they don't really connect to me, but it's worth at least reading the first few sentences of each.