The phrase "a simpler reading" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to an interpretation or understanding of a text that is easier to comprehend.
Example: "For those new to the subject, I recommend a simpler reading of the material to grasp the main concepts."
Alternatives: "an easier interpretation" or "a more straightforward explanation."
Billy Idol also apparently felt he needed to give more than a simple reading from his recent memoir, Dancing With Myself.
A simple reading of these two events separated by 50 years would be a) a new nation celebrates, and b) an old nation mourns.
Sales efforts cannot be directed through a simple reading of organizational charts; the selling company must identify the powerful buying-center members.
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 machine which I can carry or move around, attach to any old electric light plug and read hundred-thousand-word novels in 10 minutes if I want to, and I want to".
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.
Two members of Rhys's family read from St Matthew ("Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"), 11 of his well-scrubbed friends from Broad Square primary school lit candles in his memory, and Everton player Alan Stubbs gave a simple reading ("Be gentle as you walk with grief").
So the job here was to push the story in the direction of "more mystery" (i.e., make it less reducible to a simple reading), which (it turned out, after all those years of work) meant: make Eva's decision more problematic.
Even a simple reading of a mercury thermometer inevitably depends on a theoretically-charged concept of temperature.
