Hmm, the real 'meaning' - like the answer to the life, the Universe, and Everything?
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It does not have to have a 'meaning' at all, the books are entertaining, and that's sufficient.
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Why should we give any less credit to a book if we just find it enjoyable and not a source of divine wisdom? Can't entertainment itself be a 'meaning' of a novel? I'm not sure how people understand this 'Meaning' vs. 'meaning' thing. I think we all have to answer the question, what is the meaning of LotR, before we can start looking where to find it. Surely LotR doesn't tell how to solve food crisis or prevent WWIII (World War, not Werewolf) but if I want to find a 'meaning' from LotR, I usually find it through its entertainingness. The 'meaning' of LotR may change as you get older and get new experiences, though.
To me an entertaining book means a story that provokes different emotions. Feeling for the characters, for example, can make you more compassionate and dicover a new perpective to some small mundane things. It makes you think and feel, and that's the key.
Reading a really impresive book may make you grow as a person - or then it is a nice way to spend time. I think both options are equally fine.
My answer to the poll would be a mixture of "the Reader's collaboration with both the Author's intent and the opinions of others" and "it does not have to have a 'meaning' at all, the books are entertaining, and that's sufficient".