Aside from a shared love of books, no two readers are alike. Some people stick to one genre while others spread the love; a lot of people are faithful to physical books but there are some who love e-readers; there are those who skim the books and others who underline their favorite quotes. The bottom line is, there are certain types of readers everyone knows.
Go to the bookstore, visit a library, or just look around your own book club and you'll see readers of every kind. From the bookworms who are trying to stay on top of recent bestsellers to those who are loyal to a small group of authors, each one has their own preferences, habits and quirks. If you're trying to decide what kind of reader someone is, ask them about they're currently reading, and you'll be able to figure it out in no time.
If they refer to Infinite Jest right off the bat, you can probably count on them being a literary snob, or total fakers trying to impress you. When someone asks you who you liked more, Peeta or Gale, chances are they're YA lovers through and through. And if someone starts rattling off their TBR list, which includes everything from bestselling fiction to translated essays? Yeah, they're probably just love any and all genres.
Readers come in all different shapes, sizes, and literary preferences, but here are the 13 kinds of readers that everybody know. Which one are you?
1. Series Junkies
There are those readers who can't bear the idea of standalone novels, because they can only really get into reading when they have an entire series to dive into. They love binge reading, and their favorite bookish hobby is waiting at midnight release parties. When their favorite series ends, they're more likely to reread it then they are to pick up a book without at least one sequel.
2. Literary Snobs
Everyone knows that person who only reads "high brow literature." They'd rather pour over Proust translations than pick up a romantic paperback, or worse, a young adult novel — gasp. They're above that kind of reading.
3. The Polygamist Reader
You might have trouble keeping track of more than one story at once, but there is a certain type of reader who loves to juggle multiple books at once. Their nightstand is like your television queue — full of things you're part of the way through covering every kind of genre. They like to keep things interesting, and multitasking is their most beloved trait.
4. The Habitual Book Clubber
Book clubs are a great way to find friends and great books all at once, but for some readers, they are a complete way of life. From picking out the books to discussing them to coming up with themed food to serve with them, these readers love everything about book clubs. Chances are, they're members of more than once group, and they're always trying to convince their friends, family members, and coworkers to start another group of their own.
5. The Partial Reader
Try as they might, there are just some readers who are incapable of finishing what they started. No matter how invested they are in the beginning, they eventually lose interest, get distracted, or simply move on to the next book. The problem is,they never get to the end of a book. Needless to say, it isn't the best strategy for school reading.
6. The Re-Readers
While some people are thrilled at the prospect of a new book, for others, nothing could be worse than leaving their reading comfort zone for the unknown. These are the re-readers, the people who like what they know and would rather re-read Harry Potter for the umpteenth time than dare visit the "New Releases" section of Amazon. And the idea of trying out a new author? Forget it.
7. The Physical Book Loyalists
Many types of readers say they prefer physical books over e-books and audio books, but there's a group of readers who live and die by printed and bound books, refusing to even call a book in any other form by the word "book." Call them old-fashioned, but for them, there's just something about the feeling of cloth and the smell of paper that make reading a "real" book that much better.
8. The Spoiler Lover
Just like Billy Crystal's character in When Harry Met Sally , there is an entire legion of spoiler addicted readers who always flip to the end of the book before diving into the beginning. These readers don't like surprises, and they make sure that they know exactly what's going to come at the end.
9. Nonfiction Lovers
All readers love getting lost in a good book, but some people prefer the stories grounded in facts. They love reading something that will teach them something, whether it be a historical book, a biography, or a collection of essays. They know that real life is more interesting than fiction.
10. Fiction Fanatics
On the other side of the aisle are the fiction fans, the readers who are in it for the imagination, make believe, and fictional characters. They didn't know why people read nonfiction, because to them, the real stories are the ones invented in the minds of great fiction authors.
11. Adult YA Addicts
Haters are gonna hate, but adults who like young adult books are going to read YA books no matter what people think. They don't care if young adult isn't "for them." They enjoy the stories, and that is all that matters to them.
12. The Movie Adaptation Lover
Most readers will say that book are always better than their adaptations, but there are some readers who like seeing the movie before reading the original book. Whether they like picturing the actors when they read or just prefer watching surprises unfold over reading about them, movie watchers make their reading lists based on film releases, not the other way around like other readers do.
13. The Emotional Reader
Most readers experience a stirring of emotions when they read, but some of them truly feel all the feels. They get giddy when characters fall in love, and it isn't beneath them to fall into a funk when a favorite character dies. They're emotional readers, meaning they feel everything, so before asking them to hang out, check what they just finished reading. You don't want to spend an entire Friday night wiping their tears over a fallen fictional character... or do you?
Images: twirlingpages/Instagram; Giphy (7)
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