When my book club last met, we talked about the ‘Read Your Color‘ test which assigns you a ‘reading type’. The idea is to look for recommendations based off your reading motivations rather than sticking within specific genres. We took the test and all got very different results (as expected!). I thought it might be fun to put my reading type to the test. So here were my results:

Blue was the winner, but purple took a close second, so I thought I would have a look at both. After a wee bit of further research, I found this diagram, which maps the different reader types on their preferences for intellectual versus emotional reading. Both blue and purple sit in that quadrant where what you’re primarily looking for in a book is imaginative ideas and something that really makes me think and try to figure things out.

So what is a blue reader? Typically, it means you’re looking for something introspective and reflective, narratives that explore the deep complexities of life. These readers find clarity and peace from discovering more about themselves and the world through reading. It actually ties in a lot with my guess that I read so much about people because I’m trying to learn how to exist in this world as an autist.

I think when I’m reading, I am looking for a mental challenge and psychological depth. Things that aren’t necessarily straightforward so I have to think about it aside from when I’m reading. That said, I do need that complexity to be backed up with either a strong emotional journey or a reasonable amount of plot. There are occasionally times when I’m drawn to a book conceptually but it ends up being beautifully empty and I feel like it was a wee wanky waste of time.

The test offers some book recommendations (though it seems like that is limited to classics and non fiction unless you pay) and I was pleased to see some books I loved on that list. Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore, Steinbeck’s East of Eden and Educated by Tara Westover. Here are some of the books new to me that I’m adding to my extensive tbr list:

But let’s not limit it to one type. What is a purple reader? This is a reader who loves to explore books that feel new and experimental – whether that’s in the form or idea. In form, it could be an unusual structure, like using footnotes to tell a different story, or every chapter takes on a different genre or format of writing, mixing prose and poetry. In idea, the purple reader is looking for a unique concept that stretches their imagination and feels really creative. They want to be surprised, challenged and occasionally disoriented.

There were some overlaps in the recommendations of Never Let Me Go and Kafka on the Shore but I have also read and enjoyed Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Here are some of their purple book recommendations that I’d like to read some day:

I enjoyed doing the test, and it was fun to discuss the types with my friends. I do think it’s a little frustrating that some other recommendations are hidden behind a paywall, but luckily there’s such a huge resource over on BookTok, so I’ve found some more recs over there:

So in theory, I think I agree with my assigned types, but I guess only time will tell if those other recommendations will hit for me. I’ve kicked off by starting a mammoth 36-hour audiobook of Middlemarch, so I will eventually be able to report back.