What’s Your Bookish DNA? Decoding Your Reader Personality

We’ve all been there: staring at a bookshelf overflowing with unread stories, yet feeling like there’s nothing to read. Or perhaps you’re the type who has their entire reading calendar mapped out until 2027.

Understanding your Reader Type isn’t just a fun label it’s the secret to curing a reading slump and actually enjoying your hobby. So, which category do you fall into? Let’s break down the three most common profiles.

1. The Mood Reader 🌊

The Vibe: I don't choose the book; the book chooses me.

You don't care about schedules or hyped releases. You care about how you feel right now. If it’s raining, you want a gothic mystery. If you just finished a heavy literary drama, you might pivot immediately to a palate cleanser rom-com.

• The Struggle: You often have five half-finished books because your mood shifted mid-chapter.

• The Superpower: You rarely feel like reading is a chore because you’re always following your heart.

2. The TBR To-Be-Read Strategist 📋

The Vibe: The list is sacred.

You have a spreadsheet, a dedicated Goodreads shelf, or a physical stack of books that dictates your life. You likely participate in reading challenges like the 52 Books in a Year quest and feel a deep sense of dopamine when you check a title off the list.

• The Struggle: You might force yourself through a DNF candidate just because it’s next on the list.

• The Superpower: You are incredibly well-read and disciplined. You actually finish what you start.

3. The Seasonal Reader 🍂

The Vibe: Fantasy in winter, thrillers in summer.

Your reading habits are intrinsically tied to the world outside your window. October is strictly for horror and witches; July is for breezy beach reads and contemporary fiction. You treat books like a seasonal wardrobe.

• The Struggle: If a book doesn't fit the aesthetic of the current month, it stays on the shelf for another year.

• The Superpower: Your reading experience is immersive. You’ve mastered the art of atmosphere.

The Quick Quiz: Which One Are You?

Answer these three questions to find your match:

1. You’re at a bookstore. How do you pick your next purchase?

   • A) Whatever cover speaks to my soul in this exact moment.

   • B) I have a pre-written list of 10 titles I’m allowed to buy.

   • C) Whatever looks like it would be perfect to read by a fireplace/at the pool.

2. How do you feel about DNF-ing a book?

   • A) If I'm not feeling it after ten pages, I'm out.

   • B) I hate it. It feels like failing a mission.

   • C) I’ll put it down, but I might pick it back up when the weather changes.

3. Your friend asks what you’re reading next month. You say:

   • A) "No idea. Ask me in a month."

   • B) "The third book in my historical fiction sequence."

   • C) "It’s spring, so obviously something with flowers on the cover."

Results:

• Mostly As: You’re a Mood Reader. Embrace the chaos!

• Mostly Bs: You’re a TBR Strategist. Your organization is enviable.

• Mostly Cs: You’re a Seasonal Reader. Enjoy the vibes.

The Golden Rule: There is no wrong way to read. Whether you read one book a year based on the moon phases or sixty books a year based on a rigid checklist, the goal is the same: to get lost in a good story.

Which reader type are you, or do you find yourself being a hybrid of two?

Hello, all!

We finally received our approval for the Assumed Business Name for our sole proprietorship from the Cook County Clerk's office! It's in the mail, but I got the approval email.

Thank you all so much for helping us get this far--next stop is the registering of the LLC!

Something I'd like to post more of on our bookstore social media accounts are recommendation videos for our favorite (insert trope or genre). Is that something you'd all like to see?

For instance, a starter one would be "Ryn's Favorite Indigenous Horror" and it would be (let's be real) books like Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones with White Horse by Erika T. Wurth thrown in as well!

Help out by filling out the poll on this post!

Hello loves! Today I want to share a "guest" post that felt really meaningful from our dear friend, Marines with MAREAS here on Bindery. Like many of us, Mari found herself in high emotion watching the space exploration news this week and her perspective of that experience touched me.

MAREAS is also releasing an incredible book this spring, Our Sister's Keeper. In this post, she shares some updates on that title and why this release is so meaningful. I thought you'd appreciate it as much as I did. Be sure to give Mari a follow and check out her Bindery, as well!

Love to you all!

xx, Meg

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Hi friends,

Last night, while cuddled up on my couch in my messy apartment, I cried watching a livestream.

The crying part is not super unusual for me, to be honest. I cry at commercials, at the endings of books, at strangers' reunion videos that the algorithm decides I need to see. I cry when I'm happy or sad or mad or frustrated or otherwise processing big emotions.

But anyway, the point is that last night, I was watching the Artemis II livestream, and I completely lost it the moment they came back around from the dark side of the moon and reestablished contact with Mission Control.

If you haven't been following along, there are human beings in space right now, and they have traveled further from Earth than any humans have ever been before. That's emotional enough, but they also keep saying things from up there about Earth and about humanity and about what it looks like to see this whole messy planet from that distance, and it's wrecking me.

You are special, in all this emptiness. This is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe. You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together.

There is something about watching humans do the audacious, watching them be collaborative and hopeful in the middle of everything that's happening down here. Call them the light and dark sides of the moon: what we are capable of when we try, and what we are capable of doing to each other when we decide some people don't deserve the oasis. The cost of all of that, too—who gets to explore, who funds it, and whether that is money well spent while other things burn. (That last argument always gets complicated when you look at what else the money is being spent on, but I digress.)

The last time I cried, before the astronauts, it was about Our Sister's Keeper by Jasmine Holmes, which just so happens to have some of these same themes.

Our Sister's Keeper is set in East Cobb, Mississippi, a wealthy all-Black free town, meant to be untouched by white oppression. Thea Elliot and her husband Kid arrive with big dreams and find something that looks, at first glance, like everything they could have hoped for. But the town is haunted by ghoulish, walking nightmares that only the women can see.

Marah is a carrier: a woman with the ability to pull traumatic memories directly from men. East Cobb has flourished because women like her make it possible for men to live free of their pain.

It is, I think, one of the most precise and devastating explorations of what community costs (and who pays) that I have ever read. It is also a love letter to sisterhood. It is about audacity and collaboration. Jasmine writes with such tenderness, even in the horror. Especially in the horror, actually.

And while its final pages did indeed make me cry, the last time I cried about OSK, it was because it became real that people would have it in their hands soon.

See, the thing about acquiring a book is that you fall in love with it mostly alone, and then you spend months holding it while you wait for the rest of the world to catch up.

Which brings me to the news: Our Sister's Keeper has been chosen for Aardvark's April box, which means you don't have to wait until the June 9th pub date. You can have it right now. And not just early; This is an exclusive hardcover edition, the only way to get this book in hardback.

Aardvark is a monthly subscription box. They do a genuinely fantastic job of curating a diverse list and are a blast to follow on social media. And if you are new to Aardvark, you can use my code MAREAS to get Our Sister's Keeper for $4 (in the US). It's an unmatched deal, truly, and I hope you take advantage of it!

Meanwhile, pictures are flooding in of people receiving their copies, and every single one makes me cry a little. (See above re: my whole thing with crying.)

If you've already gotten yours, I want to see it. Tag me. Show me where you're reading it—on your couch, on your commute, in a patch of sunlight on the floor. Show me the oasis you made for it.

And if you haven't yet: the code is MAREAS, the deal is $4, and the book is waiting for you.

Finally, if you see me around and I'm weepy, it's either about the astronauts or about this lovely reading community.

Thank you, always.

♥️

Marines

Friends, the goodies are here!

Our preorder campaign kicks off now!

I selected What Feeds Below as our first book because it’s unlike anything I’ve ever read.

Once you pick this book up, it’s almost impossible to put down. We’ve already hit over 200 reviews on Netgalley and still have a 5⭐️ rating, which is no easy feat! A recent review said WFB is like “a dark Indiana Jones!” If you’ve read it early on Netgalley and reviewed, thank you! Each and every one of you are responsible for this book’s success! Your support has meant everything!

There are well over 2,000 of you here now! 2,000 of you who support this imprint, our mission to publish diverse and underrepresented voices, our authors. If each and every one of you pre-ordered What Feeds Below right now, not only would you unlock ALL of the goodies (and Tatiana would get her pen!) but this book could get media attention (hype can lead to TV or Movie deals, video games!) , this book could hit a bestseller list! (And it deserves to!) Imagine, a book that was passed on by trad, hitting the list because readers banded together and were responsible for an indie published book hitting a bestseller list!

I know that asking people to spend money right now is a big ask, but if you can afford the $16, your early support could change the entire trajectory of this book, and in turn Tatiana’s career. I haven’t met anyone(outside of me lol) who hustles harder than Tatiana, and early support could impact her financial future.

Pre-ordering books is another way to be a good literary citizen.

Our short term goal is 1,000 preorders. We have a long way to go. Let’s work together to make What Feeds Below a huge success!

My bookshop link is support ling Quiet Quail Books this month, an Indigenous owned bookstore.

Every few months, a new conservative book influencer circulates the claim that romance novels, especially the “spicy” ones, are to blame for unrealistic expectations, dissatisfaction, and even the slow erosion of real relationships.

It sounds convincing. They pull information for a study here and a doctor there. They show a book in their post that looks like a valuable resource. But … it also falls apart under scrutiny.

There is no strong body of empirical research showing that reading erotic or sexually explicit romance harms relationships, and there is no strong body of evidence to show that pornography is an actual addiction. What does exist tells a different story, one grounded in therapy, sexual health research, and decades of work in bibliotherapy.

The panic says one thing, but the evidence says another.

There Is No Evidence That Romance Novels Damage Relationships

If erotic romance were actively harmful, you would expect to see consistent, peer-reviewed findings linking it to decreased relationship satisfaction or dysfunction.

That research does NOT exist.

Instead, what we have are cultural assumptions. Critics often rely on anecdotal claims or borrow concerns from adjacent research on pornography. Even in those areas, findings are mixed and shaped by context, communication, and individual biases.

Romance novels, specifically, remain largely unstudied in terms of harm. That absence matters. In research, lack of evidence is not proof of harm. It signals that a claim has not been demonstrated.

What the Research Actually Shows About Reading and Sexual Health

When researchers have studied reading in the context of sexual functioning, the results point in a different direction.

Bibliotherapy, the use of reading as a therapeutic tool, is already an established intervention in psychology. It is low-cost, accessible, and often used in sexual health treatment.

In a controlled study published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy, researchers compared erotic fiction to sexual self-help reading for women experiencing low desire. Both groups showed measurable improvement.

Participants experienced “statistically significant gains” in desire, arousal, satisfaction, orgasm, and overall sexual functioning.

The findings weren't short-lived. Follow-up data showed that improvements were maintained over time, including increases in satisfaction and reductions in pain. 

Another study on bibliotherapy found that women who engaged in structured reading interventions showed “greater gains over time” in sexual desire, arousal, and satisfaction compared to control groups. 

This isn't fringe research. It reflects a growing body of work showing that reading, including erotic material, can function as a legitimate intervention for sexual concerns.

Erotic Fiction Is Already Used in Clinical Practice

Therapists have been using erotic material for decades as part of treatment. I’ve been using it since I started private practice.

In fact, clinical literature notes that when addressing low sexual desire, “a significant number of clinicians include exercises designed to stimulate the erotic imagination,” often through reading. And in real therapy spaces, I have on occasion recommended a round or two of solo or partnered sex to my clients as “homework”.

That detail matters, not the homework, the other parts.

Erotic romance is not an outlier behavior that needs to be corrected. It's a tool already embedded in evidence-based approaches to sexual health.

Why This Works, From a Therapy Lens

When you look at this through a clinical framework, the benefits make sense.

Reading erotic romance creates space for exploration without pressure. It allows you to engage with desire privately, at your own pace, without performance anxiety.

It also gives language to something many people were never taught how to articulate.

Sexual script theory explains that people learn what sex is supposed to look like through narratives. For many, those narratives are limited, shame-based, or nonexistent. Erotic romance expands that range.

It introduces variation. It models communication. It normalizes desire.

For clients who struggle with shame, this matters. Shame reduction is strongly linked to improved sexual satisfaction and relational connection.

Reading also supports what therapists call arousal literacy. It helps people recognize what they respond to, what they enjoy, and what they want to communicate to a partner.

That kind of clarity strengthens relationships. It doesn’t weaken them.

The Relationship Impact Is Often Positive

The idea that erotic romance replaces real connection misinterprets how desire works.

Desire isn’t diminished by imagination. It’s often activated by it.

Research shows that sexual well-being is tied to overall relationship satisfaction. When desire, communication, and comfort increase, relationships tend to improve alongside them. 

Erotic reading supports that process in practical ways:

It gives couples something to talk about. It provides a shared reference point for fantasies and preferences. It reduces avoidance around sexual topics. It encourages curiosity rather than routine.

These are all markers of healthier relational dynamics, not signs of damage.

So, Why Does the Panic Persist?

The backlash against romance, especially romance written for and consumed by women, is not new.

Media that centers female desire often gets framed as excessive, unrealistic, or dangerous. The same concerns rarely appear with male-centered sexual media in the same way.

There’s also discomfort with the distinction between fantasy and expectation. Reading about something doesn’t mean demanding it in real life. People engage with fiction across genres without assuming it sets a standard for their lived experience. I mean, we aren’t jacking off minotaurs in real life, nor do any of us actually want to.

No one argues that crime novels create criminals. Romance, however, is treated differently.

That difference isn't rooted in evidence. It’s rooted in misogyny, patriarchy, and white supremacy.

What Actually Harms Relationships?

In therapy, the drivers of relationship strain are consistent.

• Communication breakdown.

• Unresolved conflict.

• Avoidance.

• Shame.

• Trauma.

Reading habits rarely show up on that list.

More often, reading becomes a resource. It helps clients reconnect with desire, understand themselves, and approach conversations with more clarity.

Erotic romance is not a threat to relationships. It is a tool. Like any tool, its impact depends on how it is used.

When approached with reflection, curiosity, and communication, it supports self-exploration and relational growth.

The research doesn't support the claim that it causes harm.

It does suggest that, for many people, it does the opposite.

Sickos, my request for the new deluxe hardcover edition of Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman just came through in the mail, which means I now have an extra copy to giveaway to y'all! This is a top notch standalone historical fantasy horror genre mash-up that I've hyped up dozens of times, so I'm thrilled to be able to get a copy to one of you lucky weirdos.

All of these have been US only lately (for unfortunate and obvious reasons) but I'm gonna throw Canada in the mix this time and just eat the shipping if somebody from there wins. Don't be thrown off by the "skill-testing" question, it's an oddball Canadian requirement and is just going to be a super basic math question.

To enter the giveaway, be a "Kist Reads" Follower, Sicko, Mega Sicko or Sicko Society tier in the US or Canada and leave a comment on this post (it can be a single emoji or whatever, it's just so we can make the winner selection & shipping as quick as possible). I'll throw all the terms & conditions* at the bottom. Here's what it looks like:

I'll randomly draw the winner on 4/12 and reach out via email if you've won. Good luck!

DELUXE EDITION―a beautiful hardcover edition featuring black sprayed edges, designed endpapers, and a brand new foreword from New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill.

The unmissable BookTok sensation! Enter a darker age with USA Today bestselling author Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires, a medieval horror adventure unlike anything on the shelf.

And Lucifer said: “Let us rise against Him now in all our numbers, and pull the walls of Heaven down…”

The year is 1348.

Thomas, a disgraced knight, has found a young girl alone in a dead Norman village. An orphan of the Black Death, and an almost unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that plague is only part of a larger cataclysm―that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven, and that the world of men has become their battleground. Is it delirium or is it faith?

Now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission: to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and give him―blood-stained and wretched as he is―a chance at redemption he long thought lost.

As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.

*No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the United States and Canada, 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited by law.

How to enter:
Open to all “Kist Reads” Bindery members – any tier (including free “Follower” members). Comment to enter (limit 1 entry per person).

Prize Value: $29.99

Timing: Runs 4/8/26 – 4/11/26

Winner Selection & Notification:
Winner will be selected at random and notified via email within 3 days of the giveaway’s end. The winner must respond within 3 days to claim their prize.

Canadian Requirement:
If the selected winner is a Canadian resident, they must correctly answer a time-limited skill-testing question to claim the prize.

Other Details:
By entering, you agree to these rules and all applicable federal, state/provincial, and local laws. No cash substitute. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries or for delivery issues. Any applicable taxes, duties, or customs fees are the responsibility of the winner.

Sponsor:
Kist Reads, Sun City Center, FL
Kistreadsbooks@gmail.com

Help me choose which book I feature next for my Director’s Cut Review

Hi friends! It's time to begin populating our monthly newsletter with all the creative joy. This month's theme is: Around the Table.

Spring seems to pair beautifully with "gathering". The weather is nice, so we all begin the slow, careful tiptoe toward the outdoors. Festivals abound, grill out invitations arrive. I even like to move my reading to a local park or a friends backyard.

That's why this month I wanted to feature all the different ways we gather, whether it be virtually or in person, and why it feels so meaningful.

If you'd like to add something to our newsletter this month, here's a list of what I'd love to include:

• A recipe that feels meaningful and the story behind it.

• Anything that reflects what “gathering” looks like in your life right now, in big or small ways.

• A book, show, or piece of writing you’ve “shared at the table” with others, or that feels connective to you.

• A photo of a meal, table setting, kitchen moment, or anything that shows how you gather.

• A moment of generosity or care, like something you made, shared, or offered to someone else recently.

Ready to submit? CLICK HERE to send in your piece by April 29th and I'll do my best to include it.

I can't wait to see how you gather!
Meg

Our April 2026 Book Club Pick is The Perfect Neighbors by Jordan Cannon!

I've heard great things about this book circulating around BookTok, so I'm excited to dive into my first-ever indie thriller read!

P.S. It's available on Kindle Unlimited, in case you need even more of a reason to join 😊 Weekly reading updates and discussion questions to come soon!