What type of reader are you? After all, one man’s thriller is another man’s bedtime story. Two people can read the same book and one will end up loving it, and the other one loathing it.

This got me thinking about the types of readers that exist and I set out collecting data from both my fellow students and the larger reading community on Instagram. I did this in an effort to find out what people, specifically students, read and why. Once you’ve answered this question and know what kind of reader you are, it is easier to find books that you enjoy.

So, what type of reader are you?

I did a few surveys on my Instagram (@carmens_book_nook) asking my fellow students about their favourite genres to read. The results showed that the most popular genres were historical fiction and thriller/mystery novels. Because these two are also my own personal favourites, I have plenty of recommendations. 

Another one of my surveys asked readers to describe their tastes and reading styles in three words. Based on the most frequent words in the responses, there emerged two distinct types of readers: the “fast, intense, cannot-put-the-book-down, reads-three-books-at-a-time” type of reader, and the “slow, relaxed, mood-based, one-book-at-a-time” reader.

For the “slow, relaxed, mood-based, one-book-at-a-time” reader, here are some highly recommended books that will captivate and enchant your senses:

Historical Fiction

‘The Dress’ by Kate Kerrigan

Joy is beautiful, but she has a secret fear. Although she is the toast of 1950s New York society, with everything money can buy, she is afraid that one day her beauty will fade and she will lose the love of her successful and charismatic husband.

Honor is a young Irish seamstress, who has been working her fingers to the bone with little reward but her luck is about to change. For her 30^th birthday, Joy commissions Honor to create the most unforgettable and glamorous dress ever seen.

Lily has always loved vintage clothes. One day she stumbles upon an article about a legendary evening dress created in the 1950s but now lost to history. As Lily attempts to recreate this fames dress, she uncovers a story of glamour, friendship, love and betrayal all wrapped up in a story of two women, one ruthless man and one sublime dress.

Kate Kerrigan’s enthralling novel interweaves the glamour of 1950s New York with a wonderfully rich and dramatic story, filled with realistic and characters whom you cannot help but root for and love.

Historical Fiction/Mystery Thriller

’31 Bond Street’ by Ellen Horan

New York, 1857. In his lower Manhattan town house at 31 Bond Street, the body of Dr Harvey Burdell, a well-known and popular dentist, is found. He has been brutally stabbed and nearly decapitated.

“Who killed Dr. Burdell?” was a question that gripped the nation. 31 Bond Street, a debut novel by Ellen Horan, interweaves fiction with actual events in a clever historical narrative that blends romance, politics, greed and sexual intrigue in a suspenseful drama. The evidence points to his elegant and mysterious lodger and housekeeper, Emma Cunningham, who is arrested and charged with murder. A conviction will catapult flamboyant district attorney Abraham Oakley Hall into the mayor’s seat. But a formidable obstacle stands in his way in the shape of defence attorney Henry Clinton, a man willing to risk his whole career to prove a vulnerable woman’s innocence …

This is a wonderfully atmospheric novel with mystery, intrigue and an in-depth exploration of a trial that defined a century.

Then, not forgetting the “fast, intense, cannot-put-the-book-down, reads-three-books-at-a-time” reader, here are some books to add to your reading pile:

Mystery/Crime Thriller

‘Blue Monday’ by Nicci French

The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. When a picture of his face is splashed across the pages of the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is left troubled: one of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A child he can describe in perfect detail, and this child is the spitting image of Matthew.

Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson doesn’t take Frieda’s concerns seriously until a link emerges with an unsolved child abduction 20 years before. He summons Frieda to interview the victim’s sister, hoping she can stir hidden memories. Before long, Frieda is at the centre of the race to track the kidnapper.

But her race isn’t physical. She must chase down the darkest paths of a psychopath’s mind to find the answers to Matthew Farraday’s whereabouts. And sometimes the mind is the deadliest place to lose yourself …

This is twisted and intense mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

Thriller/Horror/Science Fiction

‘Bird Box’ by Josh Malerman

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it’s time to go but the journey ahead will be terrifying: 20 miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unravelled that will have you racing to the final page.

There is also a great movie adaptation available on Netflix starring Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson.

When it comes to reading, just as with life in general, we all have our likes and dislikes, our different desires, and fears. These differences also have an effect on our reading preferences. Once you know what kind of reader you are, the horizons of your book world will open up!