I agree that it's important to read widely in your genre. You need to understand the possibilities (for example, there isn't just one kind of magic; there are as many different magic systems as there are stories), the expectations (no, you don't have to explain every little thing that's different; fantasy readers are good at figuring things out from context), and what's been over-done - it's too easy for someone unfamiliar with fantasy to come up with something they think is wildly original and unheard-of, when it's actually at the top of most readers' Cliches I Hate Most list. (My impression is that this is where many literary writers slumming as fantasy writers go wrong.)
As for the concern that what you read will influence what you write, the more widely you read, the more diluted any one influence will be, and the more influences you'll have to combine and make into your own style.
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