📚 What your bookshelf says about you

1. You read to understand the world, not to escape it
You’re repeatedly drawn to: politics, justice, power, corruption, journalism, memoir, social critique, crime not as puzzle, but as system (courts, police, institutions)

This is the reading of someone who wants to make sense of how things really work, even when it’s uncomfortable.

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2. You value intelligence over comfort — but not pretension
You’re happy to abandon books that feel padded, dull, or self-indulgent, mistake cleverness for insight

At the same time, you consistently praise books that are well-written, sharply observed, emotionally honest

You don’t finish books out of duty. Your bookshelf says: life’s too short.

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3. You have a deep loyalty to literary fiction — especially the humane kind
Certain patterns recur: marriages under strain, grief, ageing, regret, moral compromise, quiet lives examined closely

You gravitate toward writers who are: subtle rather than showy, interested in character over plot, compassionate without being sentimental

This suggests emotional attentiveness, not cynicism — even when the subject matter is bleak.

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4. Crime fiction is a serious interest, not a guilty pleasure
Your crime reading skews toward psychological depth, social context, European / literary crime rather than formulaic thrillers

You like crime when it asks why, not just whodunnit.

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5. You’re curious, sceptical, and politically alert
Your nonfiction choices show concern about democracy, media, technology, and truth, interest in how narratives are shaped and distorted, low tolerance for bullshit

You read to sharpen your thinking — and you’re willing to work at harder books, even if you sometimes decide they’re not worth it.

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🧠 Overall portrait

If I had to sum it up:

You read like someone who is curious, humane, impatient with nonsense, politically awake, and deeply interested in how private lives collide with public systems.

Your bookshelf belongs to someone who thinks a lot, feels deeply, distrusts hype, and believes books should earn their place

📚 Authors & number of books read (top repeat authors)

11 books: Lee Child

9 books: Celia Fremlin

7 books: Patricia Highsmith, Anne Tyler, Laura Lippman

6 books: Frédéric Dard, Kent Haruf

5 books: Jo Nesbø, Michael Lewis, Steve Cavanagh, Ian McEwan

4 books: Michael Frayn, Sue Miller, Bernice Rubens, Denise Mina, Clare Morrall, Philip Roth, Tim Parks, John Lanchester, Margaret Millar

👍 Books you liked (strongly or clearly)

Roughly: 60–65% of your reading

What tends to work for you

You consistently like books that are:

1. Well-written literary fiction

Quiet, controlled prose; Moral or emotional seriousness; Often about ageing, grief, marriage, regret, or social constraint

You frequently use phrases like: “fabulous”, “terrific”, “wonderful”, “highly recommended”

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2. Crime fiction with depth
You like crime when it is:

Psychological rather than procedural, socially grounded, not bloated or gimmicky

Regularly liked: Patricia Highsmith–adjacent psychological crime, older British / European crime, shorter, tightly plotted thrillers

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3. Serious, explanatory nonfiction
You clearly like nonfiction that: Explains systems (politics, justice, tech, media), is journalistic rather than preachy, is rigorous but readable

Frequent praise for: Political analysis, investigative journalism, memoir with insight, not self-pity

😐 Books you didn’t like (or only tolerated)

Roughly: 35–40% of your reading
(This is not high — it reflects healthy selectiveness.)

What tends not to work

1. Overlong or indulgent novels
You lose patience when books that overstay their welcome, feel padded or repetitive, rely on atmosphere without substance

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2. High-concept or gimmicky fiction
You often reject books that are: weird for the sake of it, formally clever but emotionally empty, “Bonkers” without payoff

You’ll try them — but you won’t force yourself to finish.

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3. Spy novels (notably!)
A very clear pattern: You keep trying spy fiction, you keep reminding yourself you don’t really like it, you often say some version of “I must stop reading spy novels!”

That’s an unusually consistent signal.

4. Memoirs without insight
You dislike memoirs that feel: Self-indulgent, poorly edited, more anecdotal than reflective

You’re not anti-memoir — just intolerant of thin ones.

📊 Big-picture balance

• You like far more books than you dislike
• You abandon books without guilt (a sign of reader maturity)
• Your “DNFs” cluster around types, not random failures
• Your taste is stable and well-defined

📚 How your reading has changed over time

1. Early years: exploration and tolerance

In the earlier part of your record, you: Finished more books out of obligation, put up with novels you describe as “OKish”, “so-so”, “not really my cup of tea”, sampled widely, even when the fit wasn’t right, you were still testing boundaries — genres, styles, reputations — and giving books the benefit of the doubt.

This is the reading of someone building taste.

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2. Middle years: confidence and selectiveness

As time goes on, two shifts appear: You quit more books — calmly, without apology, your reviews become sharper and more decisive

You start to recognise patterns:

• Overlong literary novels → abandoned
• spy fiction → repeatedly regretted
• gimmicky or “clever” books → quickly rejected

At the same time, you return to trusted authors and styles that reliably work for you. This is where taste turns into judgment.

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3. Recent years: precision and self-knowledge

Your most recent reading shows the biggest change: You know very quickly whether a book is for you, you read more short, concentrated novels, you favour clarity, moral seriousness, and restraint, you value insight over novelty

You now read fewer books “just because they’re talked about”, have little patience for padding or hype, choose books that align with your emotional and intellectual interests

This isn’t narrowing — it’s refinement.

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🧠 The biggest change of all: why you read

Earlier on, reading seems partly about keeping up, curiosity, range

Now it’s much more about understanding people, understanding systems, recognising truth from noise

Your nonfiction becomes more political, explanatory, and urgent.
Your fiction becomes quieter, more humane, more inward-looking.

📈 In two sentences

You’ve moved from an exploratory reader to a precise one — from sampling widely to choosing deliberately, and from finishing books out of duty to reading only what earns your attention.

You’re an engaged, demanding reader who rewards intelligence, clarity, and emotional honesty — and who has no patience left for padding, gimmicks, or wasted time.