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Reading Styles Differing Between Types?

A

Anew Leaf

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So I have a dream of being a writer and because I am a P, I spend a lot more time thinking about the idea and the act of writing, and not much time actually writing.

A discussion I had with a member on here a long time ago sparked this idea that I am using to create this thread, and I thought I would finally bring it out as a topic of discussion.

Do you think that your type affects what kinds of books you enjoy reading? For instance I adore the idea of time travel and non-linear storytelling and getting the whole picture in bits that are disjointed like a puzzle I get to smash together in my head. The person I was talking to thought that time travel was "the vice of Si" being that they are Ni and don't see the point in caring about the past.

(And I don't want this to sound like a stereotypical type thread where obvious answers are obvious... like ISTPs clearly don't read anything except the names on the boxes of car parts, or INFPs only read books about pudding and unicorns. I think I am more curious as to whether the INTJ's hypothesis is correct and that there is something to the functions and preference to particular themes of reading.)
 
G

garbage

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I wonder if there's a difference in who might like two types of detective stories -- "whodunit" and "howcatchem." The former involves following a sleuth along as he unfolds the story behind a crime, the latter from an omniscient viewpoint where we track how the sleuth arrives at the answer.

Also, fiction versus nonfiction; direct message versus indirect message; and so on.
 

rav3n

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Ni perceives no timeline and will leap back, forth or current, so the INTJ in question doesn't understand Ni.

As far as reading styles, as a general correlation but not all, intuitives appear to enjoy sci-fi and fantasy more than sensory types.
 
A

Anew Leaf

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I wonder if there's a difference in who might like two types of detective stories -- "whodunit" and "howcatchem." The former involves following a sleuth along as he unfolds the story behind a crime, the latter from an omniscient viewpoint where we track how the sleuth arrives at the answer.

Also, fiction versus nonfiction; direct message versus indirect message; and so on.

I never read mysteries so I was not aware of these two differences... I am going to have to check this out and see which I prefer... thank you for your reply!

I am not a personal fan of nonfiction for the most part. It sort of depends on the subject... If I am studying something it is one thing, but reading nonfiction for the sake of reading it... Ew.
 
A

Anew Leaf

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Ni perceives no timeline and will leap back, forth or current, so the INTJ in question doesn't understand Ni.

As far as reading styles, as a general correlation but not all, intuitives appear to enjoy sci-fi and fantasy more than sensory types.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading? (My current book idea is a fantasy one.)
 

rav3n

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What kind of books do you enjoy reading? (My current book idea is a fantasy one.)
When it comes to fiction, primarily fantasy and sci-fi, although psych thrillers with murder and mayhem are also attractive. Non-fiction choices surround my interests of the moment.
 
A

Anew Leaf

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When it comes to fiction, primarily fantasy and sci-fi, although psych thrillers with murder and mayhem are also attractive. Non-fiction choices surround my interests of the moment.

Do you like it if the story is disjointed like a puzzle? What appeals to you the most in a good book? (Characters, plot, interesting vision of the future, etc.)
 

Randomnity

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Type might affect it, but I don't have any theories about how.

My strong preference (>95% of what I read) is fantasy and sci fi, with a small bit of nonfiction (usually science or biography) or regular fiction thrown in. I like some psych thrillers/suspense novels if well-written, but most of them are trash. I've read countless hundreds of scifi/fantasy books in my lifetime, and probably under a hundred books of all other genres, if you don't count books I read as a child/teenager. I've liked some "classic" fiction novels, and disliked many more. I have nearly zero interest in poetry. I've liked some graphic novels, but haven't gotten into them that much. I read more online than actual books these days - a lot of opinion pieces, news stories, discussion, etc.

I loathe mysteries/detective stories. I'm not sure why. They're just very boring to me. Nearly painfully so.
 

rav3n

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Do you like it if the story is disjointed like a puzzle?
Sure. Juggling timelines, a twisted and twisting plot and a cast of a thousand following different timelines, if well done, are the most appealing.

What appeals to you the most in a good book? (Characters, plot, interesting vision of the future, etc.)
Refer to above but with the added caveat that protagonists must be appealing to me, where what's appealing to me doesn't necessarily align with convention.
 
A

Anew Leaf

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Sure. Juggling timelines, a twisted and twisting plot and a cast of a thousand following different timelines, if well done, are the most appealing.

Refer to above but with the added caveat that protagonists must be appealing to me, where what's appealing to me doesn't necessarily align with convention.

What about if the protagonists don't align with your own values or opinions of life or whatever?
 

rav3n

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What about if the protagonists don't align with your own values or opinions of life or whatever?
Depends on how compelling the plot and what person perspective the novel is written in. First person narratives don't often appeal and worse yet, the first person narrative of someone who's either brain dead or fully embraces one of my pet hates. As an example, the first person narrative of a pedophile.
 

Showbread

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I LOVE historical fiction. I also enjoy futuristic/dystopian type stories as long as they aren't too heavy on the Sci/Fi. I went through a fantasy phase in Middle School, but that definitely seems to have passed. My first book loves were mysteries though. As a child I blew through Nancy Drew books like nobodies business.
 

prplchknz

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fantasy,sci-fi,mysteries,horror are my favorite in fiction
Personal Historical in non fiction
 

hjgbujhghg

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I really enjoy mystery and drama stories. I like it when the author opens some theme at the beginning and come back to the theme in the end, or latter in the book, or when in the beginning there's some spoiler about the future story and latter when you read the book through you start to understand what is really going on. I guess it's some kind of a puzzle, I like when the story encourages you to think and analyze as you read, but I don't really enjoy no story line. It all can get too messy. Even though I like mistery, I don't like when it's completly plucked out from reality.
 

Dr Mobius

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Do you think that your type affects what kinds of books you enjoy reading?

I have no idea whether my taste in books is affected by type, well apart from P types probably having a preference for fantasy and escapism. I enjoy fantasy books because of the character and world development and it’s probably the closest thing to actually standing in someone else’s brain which is pretty interesting. I enjoy sci fi writers who meld conceptual science and storytelling together (Stephen Baxter, Alastair Reynolds.), which must be extremely hard because few can do it.

[/B]For instance I adore the idea of time travel and non-linear storytelling and getting the whole picture in bits that are disjointed like a puzzle I get to smash together in my head. The person I was talking to thought that time travel was "the vice of Si" being that they are Ni and don't see the point in caring about the past.

I admit I have preference for alternative timeline books; the problem is that the genre is at pulp fiction level quality. Honestly there almost always about World War 2 and they remake the historical characters so they act the way they want them to. Actually Stephen Baxter did a series called times tapestry; I had high hopes because he is extremely meticulous. It started off with the second roman invasion of Britain…………. four books later and the change to history was an extremely minute one. :dont:

(And I don't want this to sound like a stereotypical type thread where obvious answers are obvious... like ISTPs clearly don't read anything except the names on the boxes of car parts, or INFPs only read books about pudding and unicorns. I think I am more curious as to whether the INTJ's hypothesis is correct and that there is something to the functions and preference to particular themes of reading.)

You enjoy reading books on how to turn unicorns into pudding:shock:? No wonder no one ever sees them there terrified of being turned into pudding! :horror:
 

Galena

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Nonfiction makes the bulk of it. I value literature as well, but am choosy as shit because I am highly sensitive to what I dive into. To read something is to commit to vicariously experiencing it all day, so it had better be worth my while. Quality comedy of both types is a love.
 
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011235813

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The Huffington Post ran an article related to this topic about a month ago.

Here Is The One Perfect Book For Every Single Myers-Briggs Type

I think The Gunslinger was a good choice for ISTPs, given [MENTION=15886]superunknown[/MENTION]'s enthusiasm for the book (data point of 1, hahaha). I hated the book the suggested for INFJs. I think I'd enjoy everything they suggested for the FPs, though I haven't actually read any of them.
 

Lady_X

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i actually almost exclusively read non fiction.
 

Ponyboy

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I usually prefer non-fiction in the history/biography realm but:
One of my favorite "new" authors is Erik Larson, he writes (well-researched)non-fiction and presents in a way that seems more like he is just telling a well thought out fictional story.
My all-time favorite author is Stephen King. I absolutely love the way he develops his characters so I feel like I know them before the real story even begins. He does it in a way that I can empathize with the hero, the villain, and everybody in between.
 

SubtleFighter

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FWIW, I hate it when books tell stories in a non-linear way. And it's probably type-related. Ni doesn't really know what to do with random facts unless it's put into a context or a bigger picture. So jumping around in the plot interrupts my process of trying to figure out the context of the little pieces, and I get frustrated. A good example of this for me is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Looking at it as a whole, it's a good story with a good setting and interesting characters. But while I was reading it, I was ready to throw it across the room. The actual setting of the story and the very relevant background of the characters wasn't even explained until about 3/4 of the way through the book--and I wouldn't have read that far if I hadn't had to read it for a class.

On the other hand, I do like it when books take me on a journey that's unexpected. Since I'm always trying to predict what will happen next anyway, it's nice when I'm completely shocked (and it has to still make sense in the story too).

As for genre and what not, I really can't pinpoint anything too particular since I read so many different things. I don't really think about genres when I go to read something--it's more about intangible things that grab my attention. Although some genres that I tend to read more of are fantasy and 1800s British lit. I also like non-fiction about several different subjects.

My all-time favorite author is Stephen King. I absolutely love the way he develops his characters so I feel like I know them before the real story even begins. He does it in a way that I can empathize with the hero, the villain, and everybody in between.

This is interesting :). And this is one of the reasons why I think King is actually an Fi-type instead of a Thinker like so many people say. That's totally fine that you like his style, and I get what you mean about how he does this. But for me, that drives me crazy. I like a few of his books, but I like the plot to begin sooner than he normally does. For instance, I'm trying hard to get through It right now since it has such a good premise, but it's boring to me to read hundreds of pages where nothing but exploration into character happens. I guess it's what I was saying before about needing a bigger picture with Ni to process the details. I respect that you like him--I'm just exploring how that might show a difference between types.
 
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