Maybe you will recognise yourself as one of the stereotype readers below, or maybe you will discover that you are a combination of more than one stereotype in this lighthearted look at different types of readers. If you love reading, consider yourself invited to my Christmas Binge Reading Retreat.
I realise that I am probably preaching to the converted, but reading is a great way to cope with life transitions (helping people through life transitions is my life purpose.) It is an excellent exercise in mindfulness, it can help you relax and focus on one thing at a time, and so reduce your stress levels.
The Series OCD Reader
You are a binge reader. You prefer to read series, in order and when you start, you do not stop until you have read every book in the series. You eagerly await new publications in the same series, marking your calendar with release dates. You are every author’s dream reader.
The Anti-eBook Reader
You do not “do” ebooks. You love the feel of a book in your hands. You love slowly turning the pages, deeply inhaling that typically printed paper smell. You have several books on your nightstand, and dream of having a library with a reading nook in your house.
The Oblivious Reader
You lose yourself in your book. All hell might break loose around you, you won’t notice. Reading, for you, is the ultimate form of escapism, a finely-honed coping strategy. When you finish a book and have to come back to reality, you feel bereft. You walk around in a daze, reliving the characters’ adventures, until you find another even thicker book, to immerse yourself in.
The eBook Addict
Your phone, tablet or laptop is a repository for hundreds (literally) of ebooks, some read, some waiting to be read. This last group is always growing, it is so easy to add another with the touch of a button. You are often an impatient reader, moving on to the next book if the current one does not hold your attention
The Book Reviewer
You read books to review them. You may have a book review blog and specialise in certain genres, but this is by no means essential. You review every book you write, in detail, and before you buy a book, you read (nearly) all the reviews. You are on GoodReads, have been there for years and share your likes and dislikes with your substantial following.
The till-death-us-parts Committed Reader
When you start a book, you always finish it. You were bought up that way. No matter how mind-numbingly boring a book is, you will not put it down until you have finished it and you would never start another book before you have finished this one.
The Promiscuous Reader
You are the exact opposite of the committed reader. You are always reading more than one book at any one time, often of different genres and you often have at least one non-fiction book on the go as well. The promiscuous reader is often a voracious reader, and gets through a large number of books a year, although not all of those books are read from beginning to end.
The Literary Snob
You ONLY read classics. You would never be caught dead reading something as inferior as a chick-lit novel. You love nothing better than to share your extensive knowledge of the classic with some poor unsuspecting fellow guest at a cocktail party. Your monologues on the strengths and weaknesses of great literary works are (in)famous, and not easily avoided.
The Reluctant Reader
You would most likely never have picked up a book if your friend hadn’t dragged you kicking-and-screaming to her book club. Now you read at least a book a month, or at least the summary of a book a month, and you attend the book club meetings faithfully, especially those at Sandra’s house, her spread afterwards is always scrumptious.
The Audio Book Aficionado
You don’t read books, you listen to them: in the car while driving to work, while you are washing up the dishes, when your other half is holding forth, when you take the dog for a walk. As far as you are concerned, audiobooks are just about the next best thing to sliced bread. Since the advent of audiobooks, the number of books you read a year has quadrupled. You are also seriously into podcasts, especially book review podcasts, and interviews-with-authors podcasts.
The Reverse Reader
You saw the film, loved it (ex. Lord of the Rings) and have heard that Tolkien’s original version is even better than the film. You cannot see how this can be possible, so you read the book. You discover that the book is indeed better than the film. Now you wonder if this might also be true of other films you have seen, so you hit the library to read the original version of several other films you saw.
The Reflective Reader
You read, and then stop to think about what you read, read some more and stop again. It takes you forever to get through a book, especially if you are also a promiscuous reader. You may be a writer, moved beyond measure by a perfect turn of phrase, or you may be overwhelmed by the unexpected emotion evoked by a skillful author.
The Annotating Reader
You may have picked up this habit in school or college, you are always underlining meaningful sentences, and no book that went through your hands ends up without copious remarks in the margin. If it is a borrowed book, your annotations might respectfully be moved onto sticky notes. Or if you read ebooks, you have an app on your phone to help you comment. When you give a book as a present, you obliterate the title page with good wishes and useful advice.
To make sure you get the most from my Christmas Reading Retreat, or from any other retreat you want to attend, you can subscribe to my Retreat Mailing List right now download my 25-page free ebook Make the Most of your Next Retreat. Also for sale on Amazon.
Dr Margaretha Montagu 