[mufasachan]

To be honest, OP seems to be at the beginning of its reading journey. His method is laborious. This "chain of summaries" seems to be hardly effective. I think the fractal method is close to be atomic - so a good one IMO.

I would suggest to read the book multiple times. The books mentioned here are not literature masterpieces, they are philosophical or they are essays. So the point is to extract information. So it's ok to read the book multiple times. If you understand 60% on the first read, then 80% on the second and 95% on the third, it's alright (Figures are illustrative). By the way, at 95% of understanding of a book, you are already a "specialist" of the book.

Next, take notes when you feel it's important about some concepts. Taking notes is an experience things. The best way to boost this learning would be to learn the semantic of the book before reading, actually it's the role of the first reading. I would not advise to take notes on the whole book structure before the second reading.

Finally, use Zettelkasten-like method to link your notes together. It will reduce redundancy, labour and keep all relevant information.