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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a reader in possession of a bundle of books is at a loss when trying to explain what they enjoy reading. Books diversifying their genres is partly a reason for this, but more importantly, reading can be abstract. Even if you have a certain type of book that you enjoy, it becomes difficult to categorize them all. To solve this issue, BookToker Steven James Reese (@stevenjreese) has come up with the ‘Read Your Color’ test.
It may remind many of the Korean personal color analysis trend, which helps people find their best fashion and makeup shades based on their skin undertones. The ‘Read Your Color’ test is a literary version of it that helps you uncover your reading palette. It focuses not only on the type of genres you read but also on what you seek from a book. The free test asks you to express your reading choices, based on which it categorizes your pacing preference and the key emotions that tug you, to sort you into 6 reading types.
However, is this viral sensation—with 21L+ views on TikTok, 1.9M views on Instagram, and several mentions across BookTok as of April 2025—worth the hype? Can it truly help answer what a reader enjoys specifically? As an avid reader and someone who struggles to answer ‘what type of books I enjoy’: I took the quiz myself to see if it could truly decode my reading taste! Read ahead to find out more about the quiz and Korean novels that may match your reading tastes based on it.
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What is the Viral ‘Read Your Color’ Test?
In a way, the ‘Read Your Color’ test is your personal literary aura or a reader's MBTI. Finding it is a short and simple process but will require certain opinions about what you like and dislike. The quiz presents 24 hypothetical book summaries, and you must choose how likely you are to pick it up. The questions describe the book's key characters, events, how it is written, and what purpose it serves.
Steven James Reese
Once you have browsed through the options, it sorts you into six vibrant reader types—Blue, Green, Purple, Orange, Yellow, and Red. Along with them, it describes what you seek from a book, such as adventure with descriptive world-building or emotionally charged pieces that push your empathy. You can even purchase a personalized “Color Guide” filled with reading recommendations and psychological analysis of your reading style.
Due to this thoroughness, it’s no surprise that the trend is catching fire. Just like personal color analysis in Korea helped people choose makeup and clothes, this test allows readers to select books. It goes deeper than popularity or tropes and helps push your boundaries so you can keep growing. Excited to find out what your reader type is? Here's a summary of each ones and the best Korean books for them.