Every character in every novel is different. They're people, composed of different traits and personality quirks to make them real and authentic. We have smart boys, athletic gals, tech geniuses, sports fans... the list of character traits goes on and on.
Something I haven't noticed much of, though, is bibliophiles.
bibliophile (n): a lover of books; a collector of books.
Oh, you'll have the aspiring journalist/novelist/writer-in-general. And maybe the character will even come with a little description saying "he/she loved to read." And yet the actual books, the role that reading plays in the character's life, will have little to do with the actual story.
There is the worry that mentioning any titles will date your book right off the bat. The potential is high that mentioning any middle-grade book that's popular nowadays will decrease the longevity of your own book. I mean, if a reader picks up your novel a few years from now, chances are low they'll know exactly which book you're talking about, seeing how quickly times change.
...Unless you're talking classics like Harry Potter, of course. See page 336 (paperback) of Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief: "He was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. I wasn't much into fantasy, but the book must've been good, because the guard took a while to look up."
Okay, so we don't want to date our books. Let's focus on the ways in which reading affects your character, shall we?
So write it out. If your character is literate, show it to us. Make it part of your character's growth, or part of your character's past. Show how your character curls up with a new book on a rainy (or sunny) day, or turns to a well-worn title for a surefire pick-me-up when they need one.
Because if your character is literate... then I want to know. Because it means that I might just like them that much more. :)
--Yahong
