The phrase "a simple reading of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when you want to indicate that an interpretation or understanding of something is straightforward or uncomplicated.
Example: "A simple reading of the text reveals the author's main argument clearly."
Alternatives: "an easy interpretation of" or "a straightforward analysis of".
One cannot, on a simple reading of the Koran, learn how to pray.
Sales efforts cannot be directed through a simple reading of organizational charts; the selling company must identify the powerful buying-center members.
A simple reading of these two events separated by 50 years would be a) a new nation celebrates, and b) an old nation mourns.
It is not merely dangerous but fundamentally erroneous to generalize about what Muslims must and must not do based on a simple reading of the Koran.
A simple reading of the Koran does not suffice: not only is the study of Koranic science a necessity, but knowledge of segments of the prophetic tradition is essential.
Even a simple reading of a mercury thermometer inevitably depends on a theoretically-charged concept of temperature.
A simple read of her watch reminds us that we haven't known what time it is on the show in a very long time.
As with most first rehearsals, usually spent on a simple read-through of the script, the mood was one of nervous expectation.
An assumption underlying the present study is that this process of mapping the time of a verb onto spatial formats is influenced by motor imagery activated by simple reading of a verb describing an action.
This serves to emphasise the importance of recruiting those with the appropriate interpersonal skills and investing in adequate training to go beyond the simple reading of questions from a questionnaire and superficial probing.
For example, the trait 'abscisic acid content/sugar content in ear leaf 2 weeks after the last irrigation' is difficult to understand by simple reading of the trait name (this name was given to a QTL-based drought-tolerant maize trait).
