# Book Preferences by Type - Fiction or Non-Fiction?



## Koprowski (Dec 29, 2013)

This is a question I've had for a while as an ENTP non-fiction book addict. Which personality types are the my kindred spirits when it comes to personnel development? 

I have a working hypothesis that the types most likely to favor non-fiction over fiction are: All NTs, Some NFs, and ESTJs.

So how about it:
- What's your type?
- What's your preference?
- To what degree on the fanatical scale?
- Hey and any other recommendations or feedback too...I am an ENTP after all.


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## Mr. CafeBot (Jun 13, 2009)

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## shakti (Oct 10, 2012)

ENFJ, I prefer non-fiction by far 

When it comes to NFs I think that, generally speaking, NFPs are more inclined towards fiction than NFJs  

I think that STPs would also be more keen on non-fiction


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## Velasquez (Jul 3, 2012)

Mr. CafeBot said:


> *You are hearing a robotic sounding voice coming towards you*
> 
> 
> 
> Greetings Koprowski and welcome to PersonalityCafe!! My name is Mr. CafeBot. I am here to personally greet you and thank you for joining our humble little forum. No matter your type, you will surely experience a wonderful time with the members of this forum. We cater to all personality types so you will never feel alone or weird. Truth is this forum is full o


Woah, this guy's escaped the introductions forum. Give it two weeks and he will have taken over completely.


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

ISFP no particular preferrence.
They are both equal in my mind.


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## PyrLove (Jun 6, 2010)

INTJ

I read both, depending on my mood and current interests.

Fiction: mostly fantasy, occasionally I'll read a thriller, historical, literary, or scifi novel
Non-fiction: currently I'm reading about photography but I also have philosophy, religion, history, and horse training on my bookshelves


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## OrdinarinessIsAFWTD (Jun 28, 2011)

Binged on fiction in younger days, now I almost exclusively read nonfiction


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## lilpixieofterror (Oct 24, 2013)

I switch between fiction and non-fiction. I think you need both, IMO to balance things out.


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## PaladinX (Feb 20, 2013)

Velasquez said:


> Woah, this guy's escaped the introductions forum. Give it two weeks and he will have taken over completely.


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## JTHearts (Aug 6, 2013)

- What's your type?
ENFJ

- What's your preference?
I prefer both equally, I used to read non-fiction almost exclusively, but then it started to bore me so I started reading fiction 

- To what degree on the fanatical scale?
What's that mean?


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## aendern (Dec 28, 2013)

I enjoy both.

I enjoy non-fiction books for their practical, every-day uses, and I enjoy fiction books for their entertainment value. And some fiction books even challenge the way you think about life, which is great.


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## piscesfish (Nov 30, 2013)

I'm an INFJ and the genres of books I like best are classic dystopian fiction (like Fahrenheit 451 or 1984) and non-fiction, as long as the non-fiction book is on a subject I am interested in. One of the reasons I like classic dystopians (besides how well they are written) is that they were almost like omens for how the future really turned out, and really give you a new perspective on the present. So you could say those are somewhat non-fiction as well 

When I was younger, I _hated_ non-fiction. I read mostly YA fantasy back then. But now that I have subjects that interest me, I find those informational books fascinating (and YA books horribly cliché)!


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## Chas23 (Sep 25, 2012)

I love both. I like anything science, medical, psychology, and sociology related as far as non-fiction. For fiction, I love anything with the paranormal.


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## Courtalort (Jun 29, 2013)

ENTP 

I like both quite well. 

Fiction: Fantasy mostly (LOTR, ASOFAI). I also like anything that is well written with a dystopian future (Fahrenheit 451, 1984). 
Non-fiction: Law, true crime, sociology, finance.


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## Baldur (Jun 30, 2011)

*- What's your type?* _INFJ_

*- What's your preference?* _With a few exceptions; non-fiction. _
_Non-fiction*:* I like books about history, zoology, astronomy, mythology, symbols, psychology and humour. I also have books about suits, nazi archeology, the art of public speaking and other weird subjects._ 
_
Pseudo-non-fiction*:* I didn't know where to put my viking sagas. They're part fiction and part historical. I've read: Heimskringla and Egils saga. Egils saga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is my favourite of the two. It's about an Icelandic viking named Egill Skallagrimson who is pretty close to the viking ideal. A great warrior, one of the greatest poets of ancient Scandinavia and his grandpa was a werewolf. He's a total badass, and when I read it I couldn't help thinking he was an INFP or ENFP.

Fiction: I especially liked the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit by Tolkien. Great stories, but I also really admire his writing style. 

I've also read a couple of Dan Brown's books because they were fun and easy to read. And easy to pick up where you left when you haven't read for a couple of weeks._


*- To what degree on the fanatical scale?* _I don't read all the time if that is what you ask. I usually bring a book if I know I have to wait a long time (like when I'm on a plane or airport). If I have a vacation I might read something, but there's usually not much reading of books for me on workdays._


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## Orange Fusion (Nov 16, 2013)

I'm INTP. I tend to prefer fiction (esp. sci-fi and fantasy). 

I read a heck of a lot of non-fic too though.


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## Daf25 (Nov 8, 2013)

Fiction.


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## Miyuki Yamaki (Jan 6, 2014)

What's your type?-ENTP
- What's your preference?- 70% FICTION
- To what degree on the fanatical scale? o.o what?


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## VelvetJuliet (Jun 20, 2013)

INFJ here. I read both, but I prefer fiction.
I find both are necessary for me. 
Fiction, in order to evade reality and preserve creativity; non fiction, in order not to get lost in my own creativity


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## Elliot (Jan 11, 2014)

I read both. I used to read a lot of fiction book as a child but now, I try to balance it. Most of the non-fiction that I read are usually about people behavior.


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## Aelthwyn (Oct 27, 2010)

I like both, but I definitely consider myself a fiction person. 

With non-fiction it is about interesting information, ideas, and the way an author says things which makes it enjoyable, but with non-fiction I tend not to be glued to the book from cover to cover. I extract the interesting bits, do some mental processing, and move on.

With fiction it's about the characters, the world, and the experiences, as well as the author's turn of phrase, and is just much more immersive for me - I really loose myself in fiction books, the 'real world' seems to disappear for the time being. I feel a deep connection with fiction books, like I enter into them and they become a part of me in return. 

I'm really not sure how much of a correlation there is between types and book preference, it seems like there are people of all personality types who prefer both types of books. _*In theory*_ I would speculate that Ts would be slightly more likely than Fs to prefer non-fiction, because it tends to be more straightforward and non-emotional, with more clearly organized information, whereas I imagine Fs might prefer fiction because the emotional connection with the characters would be more engaging to them - information and ideas communicated through a more personal or 'human' sort of context. I would also speculate that Ss would be slightly more likely to prefer non-fiction because it is more likely to be clearly referencing things that can be experienced and concretely confirmed - things which are more obviously applicable in real life. Whereas I think Ns might be slightly more inclined to prefer fiction as it naturally offers a sort of playground for thought experiments and speculation. However, I don't have any particular evidence that such trends play out in real life.


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## SonyaWrites (Feb 17, 2014)

INTP

I read both fiction and non-fiction. I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction now, though when I was younger I mostly loved reading fiction novels, usually science fiction.


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## peabrane (Nov 1, 2009)

ISTP
Fiction
The fantasticaller the better


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## KittlestheOwl (Feb 17, 2014)

ENFP. A mix of both, more nonfiction for fun now that I'm not in school.


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## Sporadic Aura (Sep 13, 2009)

*- What's your type?* ENTP
*- What's your preference?* Fiction.
*- To what degree on the fanatical scale?* I'll read anything that's interesting, but fiction definitely captivates me more. I want something to really grab me into its world, I like really rich worlds like The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. I'm also a big fan of dystopias.


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## Kingdom Crusader (Jan 4, 2012)

- What's your type? INTP
- What's your preference? Non-Fiction


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## Lurianar (Apr 17, 2013)

I think I like both actually. I'm having a hard time categorizing which way I am because I read a lot of both - one is read for its usefulness and the other one as an escape from reality. I simply need both.

I'm INTP.


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## Lemxn (Aug 17, 2013)

INFJ. Fiction all the way.


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## Tauke (Feb 10, 2014)

INTJ.

My preference isn't about fiction or non-fiction, but about the story/book having a meaning and a message, or is worth something to me (cultural awareness and general development for example). When I was younger I used to hate 99% of any kind of 'storytelling' books though, whether based on reality or not, and I spent most of the time reading encyclopedias and cultural guides and looking at maps in the atlas.


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## monemi (Jun 24, 2013)

Aelthwyn said:


> I like both, but I definitely consider myself a fiction person.
> 
> With non-fiction it is about interesting information, ideas, and the way an author says things which makes it enjoyable, but with non-fiction I tend not to be glued to the book from cover to cover. I extract the interesting bits, do some mental processing, and move on.
> 
> ...


That doesn't appear to be playing out here or on an old ESTP thread. Seems to me that fiction just requires imagination. That's not heavy intuition. Just following the bread crumbs.


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## Despair (Feb 20, 2014)

INTJ. Nonfiction, probably, but I'm really into anything that I find interesting. I loved Thomas Harris's books, mainly for the criminal investigation process I think. I really prefer tragic books over happy ones, and classic books over whatever's being marketed to teens at the moment. Those are SO boring.


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## FakeLefty (Aug 19, 2013)

ESTP. I don't read that often, but I prefer fiction. I have read good non-fiction, however.


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