Picture this. You spot someone across the cafe. A half-forgotten coffee sits on the table in front of them. They are distracted, too engrossed in their book to notice the world outside. But you’ve noticed them.
Last year, a survey by Date Psychology confirmed what we were all thinking: that reading is one of the most attractive hobbies out there. Aside from making you more empathetic and knowledgeable about other lives and cultures, reading is just, well, inexplicably hot. With merely a paperback, you can signal it all – emotional intelligence, understated cool and undeniable literary taste. Without a word, you can say: I’m available, but not too much so. I’m intellectual, and yet not unapproachable.
What you’re reading might be the first thing someone notices about you, so why not employ trusty print for one of its most time-tested uses – to attract the right kind of attention. So, what are all the hottest people reading? We’ll tell you...
For The Poets...
Where Everything Is Music by Rumi
Surely anyone taking the time to pour through a poetry collection is thoughtful, emotionally intelligent and perceptive, all qualities that draw an admirer in. With the release of Penguin’s 900year anniversary collection – 90 iconic paperbacks from more 90 years of publishing, and those fonts! – comes a Rumi collection in pocket size, perfect to throw in your bag on the way to the park or cafe for a spot of performative reading. These are some of the most ancient love poems in the world, and yet their longing and passion transcend centuries, so you get bonus old soul points. Reading Rumi implies that you journal daily and own a really nice notebook for this express purpose. Pretty hot.
For The Literary Aficionado...
Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones
If you whip out that Klein-blue Fitzcarraldo Editions cover in public, everyone around you will immediately assume three things: that you have excellent taste, you know all the best galleries and wine bars and are probably having a lot of great sex. There’s just something about the minimal design and maximal content that hints at effortless allure and quiet intellect. Simply any Fitzcarraldo would do (extra credit for the latest). But, if we had to pick, it would be Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones: a tension-filled and darkly brooding love story between two men, Colin and Ray, set in the 1970s. It’s a slim, intimate novella to delve into while you wait for your date, who will certainly be impressed on their arrival.
For The Romantics...
Madonna In A Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali, translated by Alexander Dawe
Originally published in the 1940s, this one had a huge moment on BookTok recently – and with good reason. It’s poetic, devastating and a frankly unforgettable love story, following a man who leaves rural Turkey for Berlin, where he meets a woman who will haunt him for decades. Think Cabaret, but without the singing and dancing – just yearning and the smoky mystery of what could have been. It’s the kind of book that will make you want to start conversations with strangers, but it’s also perfect for getting completely absorbed in at a table for one, looking unreachable. Fur coat optional.
For Understated Cool...
The White Album by Joan Didion
Anything by Joan Didion, the undisputed queen of the cultural essay, radiates understated chic. Read any of her work to signal that you’re perceptive, stylish, and just the right amount of aloof. Shout out to The White Album, which examines American culture in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s full of glamour, disillusionment, and brims with Didion’s own detachment yet deep empathy for the world around her. It’s the original cool-girl book. Pairs well with huge sunglasses, through which you can thoughtfully stare into the middle distance.
For The Culturally Informed...
Heartlamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi
Reading the latest International Booker Prize winner says: culturally aware, intellectually curious and tuned into the global zeitgeist. (You care about translated fiction and literary prizes? Somebody get me a fan...) In these 12 gorgeous stories, Mushtaq observes Muslim women living in southern India, drawing on both the hard moments and humour in the everyday. Not to judge a book by its cover, but let’s be honest, these pleasingly minimal, monochrome ones by publisher And Other Stories have become a visual signifier of taste. It’s a brilliant translated collection and implies that you take notice of the literary world – and as a result, people won’t be able to help but take notice of you.
