Let’s Get to Know Each Other As Readers

What are your top three reading traits?

Sometimes people tell me I should read a certain book, or ask what book I’d recommend for them, and my first thought is “But wait, I barely know you as a reader!” While I’m happy to take their suggestion or start recommending away myself, what we really should be doing first is getting to know each other’s tastes first — so we can see how we’re compatible and where we overlap. Only then can we get down to the business of telling each other what to read.

I’ve been thinking about what I’d say the next time this happens and have decided I’ll start by telling them my top three traits as a reader and asking them for theirs. Here’s what I’ve boiled mine down to…

Winston Porter

I mostly enjoy books that leave me distraught. I know people love romance novels and certain kinds of YA because they’re uplifting and ultimately have happy endings. And while I have nothing against that, and even enjoy it at times, my preference is to read books that are so deeply sad they put me through the wringer. Hearts must be broken. Major characters must die. The emotional toll must be great. 

My favorite author is Jhumpa Lahiri. She can be a tough sell because the primary descriptor I’d use to sum up her novels is “melancholy.” Even when she’s writing about a character walking down the street, there’s a sadness to the scene. And that’s the kind of stuff I eat up! It’s not that I need all my books to be heavy. But I do find that my favorite novels are the ones that have me reaching for the tissue box.

Just give me a book that rips out my heart, stomps on it, and leaves me curled up in despair! When I read Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, I was crying so hard in some parts, my husband was seriously worried for me. All I can say is, that was an amazing experience! What this indicates about my psychological state, I’m not sure, but now you can put it into your calculus on whether you should be taking book recommendations from me.

I judge books by their cover all the time. I’m currently reading a memoir for book club that has, in my opinion, a terrible cover. It looks like a textbook from the 1970s. As it turns out, the story is very well written and poignant, but the cover prevented me from picking it up for a long time, which is a shame.

I like to stare deep into the soul of a cover. Before I start to read, I’ll study it for clues of the book’s contents. After I’ve finished the book, I’ll pore over it again to catch glimpses of the theme. When I’m choosing a book at the store or library that I’ve never heard of before, the cover will often influence my choice. 

Also, if a cover depicts the movie adaptation of a book, I am instantly turned off. It looks too commercial, plus I don’t want the actors’ faces seared into my mind. When I read, I don’t really picture the faces of any characters. They exist as complex living, breathing people in my mind, yet at the same time they are amorphous blobs. If I see Kristen Stewart or Leonardo DiCaprio on the cover, then I can’t help but picture them when I read, which is annoying. Leave me with my amorphous blobs! 

I don’t love the classics. I work in the editorial world, and it leads to certain assumptions being made about my tastes. People expect me to be well-versed in novels that are classics and have opinions about National Book Award winners. (Also: They expect me to have perfect spelling when I write emails and texts, but that’s a separate pet peeve.) 

Well, here’s the truth: My favorite books from childhood are The Baby-Sitters Club series. When I was teenager, I devoured the likes of V.C. Andrews and Dean Koontz. I did eventually expand my repertoire and today I read a pretty broad range of books, but I always feel the pressure to be more high brow in my tastes. I’m constantly suffering from impostor syndrome.

At the same time, I feel strongly about staying true to the reader that I am. And who’s to say that my tastes won’t keep changing and expanding as I continue to age and grow? Lately I’ve been surprised to find myself appreciating books I didn’t enjoy previously … so there may come a day when I join the Brontë sisters fan club. 

And now that you know more about me, what about you? How would you describe yourself as a reader?