When you’re reading a book and you can’t seem to focus, your mind tends to wander. It wanders on to random things–things that aren’t pertinent to the story, but keeps it active: the last movie you saw, the last thing you purchased, etc. A wandering mind is an escape from the book. In fact, it deters you from making any progress in it.
A wandering mind doesn’t happen for no reason at all. It’s a sign that the book didn’t hold your interest–didn’t keep you engaged in the story or characters. There comes a point when your brain is struggling to maintain focus while you read, and when it lets go, the mind wanders without you realizing it. Even though it might seem like you’re reading when it happens, you’re actually just reading the words on the pages, but not the meaning behind them.
It’s like reading a sequence of random numbers, thinking that there is some sense to it when there isn’t. To get back on track in the story, you have to start from where you last remembered (or left off). Even though you lost time, it was merely a delay. Besides, the book isn’t going to wander anywhere.
Fallton Havenstonne 