What is a “Reader”? Booking Through Thursday

Published on by Margaret

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This week’s Booking Through Thursday’s question is:

What, in your opinion, is the definition of a ‘œreader.’ A person who indiscriminately reads everything in sight? A person who reads BOOKS? A person who reads, period, no matter what it is?  ‘¦ Or, more specific? Like the specific person who’™s reading something you wrote?

The word “reader” can have several definitions, including:

  • a person who reads a publication and that can be of any type or format
  • a person who recites “reads out loud” to an audience
  • a textbook
  • a person who reads the lesson in a church service
  • something you use with the computer – a card reader for example
  • a feed reader like Google Reader or Bloglines

But for me it’s simple – a “reader” is someone who reads books; such as the person Charlotte Bronte addresses in Jane Eyre: “Reader, I married him.”

11 thoughts on “What is a “Reader”? Booking Through Thursday”

  1. Someone who reads books is a good way to define a reader. They are the ones most passionate about reading. I defined a reader as someone who reads for pleasure and not just for knowledge.

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  6. I think reading for pleasure that defines a reader, but I don’t think only someone who reads books is a reader. I used to lament that my boys weren’t readers because they rarely read books, until I realized my oldest reads much more than I do on the Internet. He is constantly sharing interesting tidbits he finds. That kind of reading gives him pleasure: he’s not so much into stories.

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  10. An interesting question! I’ve heard the view that reading online or the newspaper or whatever makes one a reader – for me, ‘reader’ and ‘book’ are inextricable.

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  11. Yes, I too agree that a “reader” is a term that denotes more than someone who simply can comprehend the written word. For me it is definitely someone who reads books – and enjoys the experience!

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