By Laura McCarthy.
I’m sure some of you will admit to completing personality quizzes in magazines as a child or possibly an online Myers-Briggs questionnaire as an adult. Maybe you enjoy learning what your star sign says about you. Yes, there’s certainly something appealing about the idea of discovering secrets of our inner most selves, perhaps even experiencing an ethereal connection to the universe. Or it’s just fun. So I hope you enjoy seeing which fictional books I have matched to different personalities – do any fit you? Regardless, you might find a book you’d like to read along the way.
The Theatrical One: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Theatrical, dominating, confident, self obsessed, and passionate. Could these histrionic traits any more obviously correlate with those of both Heathcliff and Catherine? This well loved classic follows their intense and excessive romance. The heightened, almost absurd, vision of Brontë’s world may not be for everyone, but there’s nothing quite like it (as can be true of the more dramatic people in our lives!).
The Athletic One: Sooley by John Grisham
In Grisham’s powerful novel, we meet Samuel Sooleyman from Sudan: a talented basketball player who gets a rare shot at stardom in the USA. This brilliant and heartbreaking book shows us everything we love and everything we hate about sport. All at once, this is truly engaging but it also takes some grit to get through the challenges of the journey, making it reminiscent of those sporty individuals we all know.
The Nerdy One: Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer
Full of fun and showcasing extreme enthusiasm for fantasy, history, and technology, the essence of Myer’s Magic 2.0 series perfectly matches nerdy personalities. In the first of the series, the protagonist discovers a mysterious computer file which allows him to alter life itself; one ridiculous event leads to another, and he finds himself training to be a wizard in King Arthur’s court.
The Mysterious One: The 39 Steps by John Buchan
Perhaps you consider yourself to be enigmatic, elusive, and secretive, as well as plenty brave. Perhaps you think that no one knows the true you. These characteristics certainly reflect the tone of this mysterious spy thriller about resourceful protagonist, Richard Hannay, who gets caught in a web of conspiracy.
The Tranquil One: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Charming, calming, and peaceful. Bradbury writes about the simple joys of summer in a small, American town; even the title is a metaphor for the distillation of the season’s vibrancy. It is an intoxicating, idyllic concoction of childhood memories. Rational but optimistic, it represents those who can be relied on for their calming presence.
The Adventurous One: Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
For those always on the hunt for excitement in life, this book is a match for your personality. Written in the early 1920s, this tale may be a product of its time but it is bursting with revolution, rebellion, and (best of all) piracy. The titular Blood gets wrapped up in a wild series of events during which he must make many a daring decision to get out alive. Yet, all the while, his biting wit and energy keeps him afloat, as well as the reader.
The Weirdo: We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
This is a great, quick read that is an enticing mix of black comedy, lyrical passages, and sinister thoughts. It is written in the voice of eighteen-year-old Merricat, one part of an unusual family unit who have been through a tragedy. They are the source of multitudinous rumours and are avoided by the locals. If you identify with Allison in The Breakfast Club, this book might just be a little bit like you. It is also a personal favourite of mine so I’ll let you decide what that says about me…
The Joker: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I know I’m not the only one who considers this to be the funniest fiction book of all time, especially if you consume it in audiobook form, where it is delivered with warmth and considered comic timing by national treasure Stephen Fry. If you somehow haven’t come across it, it is a silly science fiction in which we follow Englishman, Arthur Dent, on his adventures through space after Earth is destroyed. He is accompanied by an array of absurd characters, including a depressed robot and the eccentric Galactic President. Like any good class clown, it will have you laughing audibly (even when you shouldn’t!).
The Dedicated One: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
If you can be described as a devoted hard worker, who can be resilient and push through difficulties for the purpose of self improvement, you are comparable to this famous classic. It is notoriously lengthy and full of hardship for the characters but, ultimately, is a really valuable read. On completion, you will definitely be proud of the accomplishment, as if you’d climbed a mountain. Tolstoy delivers five interlocked narratives where characters live through the French invasion of Russian during the early 1800s. A powerful and challenging read for the ambitious devotees.
The Logical One: The Martian by Andy Weir
Andy Weir uses real science as a key component of his work and has received great praise from readers for implementing this into his writing. His more recent novel, Project Hail Mary, has been featured on practically every booktuber’s 2021 “best books” list. I’ve briefly referenced The Martian before and wanted to more thoroughly discuss it now as it suitably reflects those who are highly logical, as it follows the problem solving process of astronaut Mark Watney during his fight for survival. Watney gets left behind on Mars when his team get caught in a dust storm; they think he’s dead… but he’s not. Seeing this journey of survival unravel is all the more enjoyable when you get to learn how science could benefit someone in such a dire situation. The logical nature of his methods make us root for Watney – he’s no fool – and you’ll find yourself completely invested.
The Creative One: To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
When it comes to innovation and creativity, no one does it like Virginia Woolf did it. To The Lighthouse is a modernist work about a family postponing a visit to the lighthouse near their Scottish summer home, told using the method of multiple focalisation, mostly written as thoughts rather than direct dialogue. Those who like to do things in imaginative, different ways will connect with Woolf’s inventive style.
The Perfectionist: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
English butler, Stevens, has devoted his life to his work: a detail-conscious perfectionist. In this regard, many of us may relate to Stevens, particularly as this is told through his self-critical first-person viewpoint. In The Remains of the Day, Stevens takes a rare holiday and has the opportunity to think, to reminisce on his life; the mistakes he made; how things could have been different.
The Whimsical Daydreamer: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Ever dreamt about escaping your regular life? How about running away to open a coffee shop? Or a bookshop for that matter? Baldree’s series, consisting of Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust, is one for the daydreamers. The first book is about an orc called Viv who has had enough of being a bounty hunter and retires from the bloody career in favour of a slower paced profession, living out her dream to open a coffee shop. Heartwarming and joyous, it is a must read for when life feels too heavy.
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