I think it comes down to awareness, too. If I wasn't a writer, I would still be aware of "Twilight" and I would have read it. But I was finished with that series after the first book, and I think it would be that way whether I was a writer or not.
There are plenty of other books that I wouldn't have known about if I wasn't working in this business. I do make a point to read books that I might not have picked up otherwise, but it's not because I think it's going to be a chore, it's simply that I make the effort to get them. For example, I've read several Blueboarders books simply because I found out about them and wanted to know what my peers were doing.
One book I read ONLY because I was a writer and felt I needed to have SOME knowledge of, even though I had ZERO interest in it, was Gossip Girls. I hated it, and I won't read another, but I felt like I should expose myself to at least one. I also recently read The Secret Garden, for the first time. I didn't really care, but it's a classic, and my friends talked about it, and it just seemed like a hole in my overall literary background. (There are plenty of holes, of course, but this one seemed easy enough to fill
)
I doubt I would have picked up Will Hobbs on my own, but when my kids were reading him in school, I decided to give him a shot although if I was selling insurance by day I probably would have skipped it.
Years ago, I set out to read most, if not all, of the Newberrys, and that was strictly because I wanted the history. If I wasn't doing this seriously, I could have lived quite happily without reading Miss Hickory (is that what it was called?) or Miracles on Maple Hill.
Interestingly, this year I picked up the Graveyard Book before I knew a single thing about it (except it was Neil Gaiman) and then it went on to win.
Hmmm, I could go on, but those of you who have read this far are probably already bored of my ramblings... so I'll stop.