What kind of reader are you?

I’ve been thinking about reading habits and whether you can you make judgements about a person based on the way they behave around books. I think the answer is probably 'Hell, yes!'
Take this quiz and find out whether you are a biblio-star or a biblio-slut.


Answer this question. ‘I keep my books...’
a) ‘Alphabetically arranged or by author. It’s important that my shelves are neat.’
b) ‘Not in any particular order but I usually know where things are.’
c) ‘I have to negotiate my way round the teetering piles in order to locate the washbasket and find my clean pants.’

You ask to borrow a novel from a friend. What best sums up his/her inner reaction?
a) ‘Oh, it’s always a pleasure lending a book to you. You always look after them so well.’
b) ‘No problem. I know I’ll get it back some time.’
c) ‘Oh God, maybe I can change the subject and distract her. Hmm...maybe I will lend it but insist she keeps it in a plastic bag. I’ve seen the inside of her handbag and no book of mine is going in there without protection.’

When you’re reading a book do you:
a) Take care not to open the pages too much, so you can ensure the spine remains unbroken.
b) Stay pretty relaxed about it, but prefer to keep your books in good condition.
c) Like to get comfy when you’re reading. Your idea of bliss is to have a book flat on the table so you can read and eat at the same time. You can always get the ketchup off if you’re quick enough.

You’re reading something you’re not enjoying that much. Do you:
a) Soldier on. Once you’ve started something, you will see it through to the end.
b) Force yourself to read 100 pages before you make a decision. If you’re still not enjoying it, you’ll put it to one side.
c) Think ‘bugger this for a game of soldiers, life’s too short’. The book’s going in the Oxfam pile if it hasn’t grabbed you by page 30.

Where do you read?
a) In bed at night. Your current book is on my bedside table [this also holds some tissues in a chrome case and one of those nice blue bottles of spring water].
b) On the way to work and in bed mainly.
c) Everywhere. Bus queues, bank queues, on the toilet, in the bath. In bed. The bath is your favourite place, even though you often drop your reading material and have to dry it on a radiator afterwards.


Mostly As
To say you’re anally retentive would be an understatement. You probably have a special duster for your books and take more pleasure in keeping them nice than you do in reading them. Live dangerously...go and put something back in the wrong place just to see if you can bear it.

Mostly Bs
Congratulations. You’re a very normal, balanced person. Award yourself a Biblio Star. Just don’t bore yourself to death first.

Mostly Cs
Face it – you’re a Biblio Slut. You’re probably the kind of person who bends pages back or uses old bus tickets as bookmarks. Hey, you know when you ask to borrow a book from a friend and they say, ‘Oh I think I’ve just given that to someone else? Here’s a newsflash...they’re lying. Your punishment is to go and live with the Mostly A person for a week until one of you murders the other.

[*Sadly this example comes from real life.]