The phrase "a brief reading of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a short examination or interpretation of a text or document.
Example: "After a brief reading of the report, I found several key points that need to be addressed."
Alternatives: "a quick review of" or "a short analysis of".
But even a brief reading of Despommier's essays reveals a few trifling problems.
From a brief reading of the national coverage of Paul's campaign, you might be driven to the conclusion that his support is largely made up of racists, gun freaks, isolationists, homeschoolers, and Friedrich Hayek enthusiasts.
What even a brief reading of Theresa May's biography renders apparent is that she is boring.
After a brief reading of the motions, he allowed them to proceed by declaring a date for oral arguments: January 29.
In contrast, any programme dealing with a book or play is able to give only a hint – through a brief reading or dramatisation – of the material being featured.
The DVD release of "Blue Harvest" on January 15 , 2008 contained an easter egg of a brief read through of bits from "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side", as well as a teaser trailer for the episode as another easter egg.
His own performance, limited to a brief reading, he dismissed with a wave of his cigarette.
In July 1944, Orson Welles wrapped up one of his wartime radio broadcasts with a brief, emotional reading of one of America's favorite authors, John Steinbeck.
Even the briefest reading of the press cuttings produces some choice quotations.
Books I've been trying to read Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time but it's hard to find the time to make myself concentrate properly.
As a group of former members of Congress argued in an amicus brief, a "straightforward reading" of the Fair Housing Act both as it was passed in 1968 and as it was amended in 1988—makes clear that disparate-impact claims were intended.
