Which Book Reader Species Are You?

CLASSIFICATION OF Book Lo vers & Other Readers This graphic depicts the Linnaean hierarchy of Readers. It is not meant to be comprehensive but does show most major groups. Which book species are you? (And yes, you may very well be a cross-bred reader mutt.) CLASS FICATI ON CHART DOMAIN CLASS FAMILY GENUS SPECIES Book Cherisher COMPULSIVE Book Abuser Book Lovers SITUATIONAL Social FREE-RANGE PRESTIGE Other Readers CONFLICTED HATERS SEE BELOW COMPULSIVE BOOKS AS LOVE OBJECTS CHERISHED THE BOOK PRESERVER Like books to look as though THE BOOK WORSHIPPER THE HOARDER Love books so much that you collect them by the dozens. You seldom have time to read all of the books that you collect. And now it's worse THE OCD READER Treat books like trophies, displaying them proudly on shelves to admire for years, showcasing your beautiful collection of literature. You never loan books because they're untouched by human they may not be returned in exactly the condition they were loaned. Or may not be returned at all (horrors). hand. No bending back pages or breaking spines. Book damage often results in a fresh copy being bought. with ebooks. THE CHRONOLOGICAL READER COMPULSIVE THE IMMERSIVE READER THE LIBRARY LOVER Always get books out from the library to read. Scour Library Journal and Kirkus every month for advance word on new releases. BOOK BUYER Obsessively believe in one- sitting-reading. Anything not Go through each book methodically, no skipping ahead; always finish. Feel compelled to read every book in the series. Feel strong desire to visit bookstores or Amazon life-or-death must wait until nearly every day. And do so. you find out what happens in the book. BOOKS AS LOVE OBJECTS ABUSED THE UNDERLINER & SCRIBBLER THE BOOK-BUSTER You dog-ear book pages and take books out into the sun. Love to annotate and THE RE-READER THE BOOK RESCUER underscore, and believe the margins were invented for scribbling notes in. Know what you like, so read the same books over and over. Have 24 book boxes in the garage filled with wonderful books rescued from other Eat over them, too. The more beaten up the book, the more beloved. Have multiple copies of a book ready for when an old favorite falls apart. garages and used book stores. THE PROMISCUOUS THE MULTITASKER Might start the day out with a few pages from one novelist, READER THE BOOK BORROWER A book cheater. Can't help abandoning the current beloved book in pursuit of the then read something entirely next latest and greatest new book to hit the charts. Rarely return to a previous book. Hate choosing your own books so borrow them from THE BOOK THIEF Love books so much that you just don't give them back. different on the subway, and another at home. friends & family. Promise to return them, and unlike The Book Thief, usually do. SITUATIONAL THE OMNIREADER APP HAPPY THE SPOILER THE COMFORT THE BOOK SWAGGER You'll read anything you can get your hands on. Back of boxes, instructions, terms of service, whatever Have to know what's crumb of time, or just going to happen, so will Have a small collection skim-read a book, before going back and reading carefully. Whenever there's Love getting your hands on books before anybody else- especially if they're free. READER if you're bored, will download or read of absolute favorite books that you return to time and again when in-between new books, or in times of strife when in need of familiar old friends. whatever's next up in your ebook queue. is around. THE AUDIOBOOK LISTENER THE KINDLE THE TRAVELLING THE SLEEPY BEDTIME THE BATHROOM CONVERT READER READER READER You say you still love the smell and feel Preferred reading venues are airports, train stations, bus depots, subways. Would rather read than Cannot keep your eyes open and end up waking up with a book on your face and your light still on at 3 a.m. Car owners and marathon runners. A person, often a man, who will stay in the bathroom for hours of paper books but are totally addicted to the convenience of finishing a book. gaze out the window, and bookmarks are ALWAYS tickets. digital reading. The Emd SOCIAL THE (Sometimes Way Too Dogmatic) THE SHARER SCREAMER You love to share your recent reading experience-loudly. Might release books into the wild by leaving them on park benches and in fitness club changing rooms. THE EASILY EVANGELIST THE BOOK CLUBBER INFLUENCED READER Favorite social event is Love a book so much you buy other people copies of it, and keep asking "Have you started reading that amazing book I told you about Listen to everyone, from your mom to Oprah to the members of your book club to Michiko the monthly book club get together. Look forward to more than just discussions of books. Kakutani, and believe them all. yet?!" THE ALL-THE-TIMER THE ECLECTIC Doesn't matter what the book is, really, so long as there are pages with words on them, or an e-reader with words on it. You read Haruki Murakami and Michael Connelly. Have a great time with the Swedes and are especially fond of a South African author who is just breaking through. (You're reading one right now, aren't you?) FREE R ANGE THE CROSS-UNDER THE "IT'S COMPLICATED" READER A grown-up who reads Y.A. or kids books, or a kid who reads adult books. You are a combination of many of these things and yet completely different, too. You refuse to be defined or categorized. Beg, borrow, steal, devour. And do it all again. PRESTIGE THE BOOK SNOB THE CRITIC THE SHOW OFF THE ANACHRONIST Pretend to have read Remembrance of Things Past (all seven volumes) when in fact know only the bit about the cookie. Which you More often hate than You never stoop to read something sold in a discount department store or as a free love books, but when you love, you love deeply and in the most eloquent of fashions. Actively or subconsciously reject modern technology and modern life. Love abstract concepts ebook. Only read award-winning Like to discuss books but find book clubs too "mainstream." from past ancient civilizations. hardcovers. will talk about. READER THE OBSCURE Reads books you've never heard of. THE SELF-CONSCIOUS THE CONSCIENTIOUS THE PROFESSIONAL THE CAREER READER READER READER READER Say you read for pleasure but really only read books that will Say you read things like Woolf and Hemingway but secretly hanker to get home and read about ripped bodices or time travelers. Only read nonfiction with a purpose. The purpose = learning something, otherwise you'll read it on the Internet not in a book. Read because need to write an article for an academic journal or benefit your own (writing) because need to finish a chapter of a dissertation. career. DELAYED ONSET READER THE SLOW-STARTER HATERS Buy one or many books but months may go by before starting them. When you do you are amazed that you waited so long. Takes you 6 months to read the first half of a book, and 6 hours to read the second half. THE CENSORSHIP READER Borrow books only to go through them with a permanent marker and cross out all the “naughty" words. CONFLICTED THE "I LOVE TO HATE IT" READER THE ANTI-READER Never read books, because they are too damn long. Blogs are too long, too. Prefer golf. May close the cover and toss a volume THE RELUCTANT READER NO-TIME-TO-READ READER across the room, but will do it with a great, Find quite suddenly, after a number years of enforced reading, that there is a beauty and a joy in the written word. Between kids, work, and fatigue simply can no longer find the time secret frisson of satisfaction because it feels so good. to read. Sources This classification chart is adapted from the writings of Rick Morton at Mamamia.com ("7 Types of Book Lovers" http://bit.ly/12xiWbg), Jen Doll at TheAtlanticWire.com ("The Atlantic Diagnostic Guide to Types of Book Readers" http://bit.ly/16IKM4V), and Mark O'Connell at the New Yorker's Page-Turner blog (“Promiscuous Reader" http://nyr.kr/19N02zi). Please visit their sites to read their original funny essays and the enthusiastic reader commentary that followed. I created this infographic because l'm a reading mutt who loves to read, and thought this would be a fun way to pay homage to all the readers out there. After noting that there are doubtless more than 50 species of readers, I no longer fear that we're a dying breed! LAURA Laura @ Laura-e-Kelly.com KELLY EADERS