Image description
A Twitter screenshot which shows a quote-retweet and a reply to said QRT.
The quoted tweet from Alex & Books (@AlexAndBooks_) on November 5, 2025 reads,
Books men like to read vs. Books women like to read:
and has an image of a graph titled "Goodreads reviewers by genre and sex (Thelwall M., 2017)"; the data seems to be from the 2017 paper "Reader and author gender and genre in Goodreads" by Mike Thelwall. The graph has a list of Goodreads genres on the Y-axis and percentage of readers on the X-axis, with bars for "Males" and "Females" (representing the gender proportion of reviewers in a sample of books within each genre), and the list of genres sorted from highest male readership to lowest male readership. The most striking thing about the graph is that females overwhelmingly dominate in nearly all genres, with only four genres having more male than female readers (and only relatively small margins even then). The genre with the highest male-to-female ratio (roughly 59% to 39%) is philosophy.
I have provided tabular editions of this data below in two versions: an abbreviated version with only the genres and percentages, as in the graph, as well as a full version with all the data from the paper plus the percentages (since the percentages were not in the original paper, only raw numbers).
The QRT from august (@regularagust) on November 8 reads,
This becomes way funnier to look at if you know what the philosophy section in the average bookstore looks like.
The reply from 滿帖子乖謬之言觀汝似有瘋症 (@remmettmaxwell) on November 8 reads,
what we imagine: "phenomenology of the being and cognition" by j. j. r. von Grosseschleichen (1889)
what they mean: "locking in: 12 lessons on the meaning of life i learned from being with the operators in the coast guard auxiliary"
Data (abbreviated, percentages only)
| Genre^[The symbol > indicates that the category on the right has been classified by Goodreads as being a subcategory of the category on the left.] | Male % | Female % |
|---|---|---|
| philosophy | 59.1% | 40.9% |
| sequential-art>comics | 57.8% | 42.2% |
| politics | 56.4% | 43.6% |
| sequential-art>graphic-novels | 54.9% | 45.1% |
| science-fiction | 49.8% | 50.2% |
| history | 46.9% | 53.1% |
| religion | 42.0% | 58.0% |
| science | 41.4% | 58.6% |
| literature | 40.9% | 59.1% |
| horror | 40.8% | 59.2% |
| classics | 36.5% | 63.5% |
| non-fiction | 35.8% | 64.2% |
| reference | 35.0% | 65.0% |
| novels | 34.6% | 65.4% |
| biography | 34.2% | 65.8% |
| adventure | 33.9% | 66.1% |
| psychology | 33.7% | 66.3% |
| short-stories | 32.7% | 67.3% |
| thriller | 32.2% | 67.8% |
| travel | 30.9% | 69.1% |
| mystery>crime | 30.4% | 69.6% |
| poetry | 29.8% | 70.2% |
| art | 29.4% | 70.6% |
| fantasy | 27.8% | 72.2% |
| autobiography>memoir | 24.9% | 75.1% |
| christian | 24.4% | 75.6% |
| fiction | 23.9% | 76.1% |
| humor | 23.1% | 76.9% |
| thriller>mystery-thriller | 22.9% | 77.1% |
| mystery | 21.8% | 78.2% |
| sequential-art>manga | 21.1% | 78.9% |
| suspense | 21.1% | 78.9% |
| historical | 17.8% | 82.2% |
| historical-fiction | 16.9% | 83.1% |
| fantasy>magic | 16.8% | 83.2% |
| romance>m-m-romance | 15.8% | 84.2% |
| young-adult | 15.0% | 85.0% |
| childrens | 13.1% | 86.9% |
| food-and-drink>cookbooks | 13.1% | 86.9% |
| animals | 12.6% | 87.4% |
| adult | 12.3% | 87.7% |
| fantasy>paranormal | 11.7% | 88.3% |
| contemporary | 10.4% | 89.6% |
| childrens>picture-books | 9.8% | 90.2% |
| adult-fiction>erotica | 6.3% | 93.7% |
| romance | 5.4% | 94.6% |
| romance>paranormal-romance | 4.0% | 96.0% |
| womens-fiction>chick-lit | 3.6% | 96.4% |
| romance>contemporary-romance | 2.7% | 97.3% |
| romance>historical-romance | 2.5% | 97.5% |
Data (full)
| Genre* | Books | Ratings | Male reviewers | Female reviewers | Male % | Female % | Reviews for RQ5^[Review Question 5: Are there differences in the types of things that male and female reviewers write about male and female authored books in specific genres?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| philosophy | 5131 | 95606 | 11234 | 7772 | 59.1% | 40.9% | 857 |
| sequential-art>comics | 8567 | 166331 | 13334 | 9749 | 57.8% | 42.2% | 1263 |
| politics | 3894 | 34030 | 12657 | 9790 | 56.4% | 43.6% | 490 |
| sequential-art>graphic-novels | 6961 | 169828 | 13204 | 10828 | 54.9% | 45.1% | 878 |
| science-fiction | 9967 | 261253 | 22221 | 22363 | 49.8% | 50.2% | 1614 |
| history | 16315 | 199503 | 33017 | 37310 | 46.9% | 53.1% | 4033 |
| religion | 5056 | 54552 | 11505 | 15890 | 42.0% | 58.0% | 676 |
| science | 4463 | 71467 | 9908 | 14006 | 41.4% | 58.6% | 938 |
| literature | 3697 | 77384 | 9679 | 13979 | 40.9% | 59.1% | 92 |
| horror | 5545 | 161636 | 9923 | 14398 | 40.8% | 59.2% | 914 |
| classics | 5187 | 664000 | 10818 | 18831 | 36.5% | 63.5% | 556 |
| non-fiction | 40208 | 507491 | 69899 | 125264 | 35.8% | 64.2% | 8215 |
| reference | 6039 | 27524 | 8862 | 16453 | 35.0% | 65.0% | 580 |
| novels | 4564 | 52933 | 11389 | 21551 | 34.6% | 65.4% | 76 |
| biography | 7925 | 103156 | 18571 | 35705 | 34.2% | 65.8% | 1627 |
| adventure | 4822 | 83352 | 13506 | 26298 | 33.9% | 66.1% | 180 |
| psychology | 3259 | 49520 | 6378 | 12558 | 33.7% | 66.3% | 617 |
| short-stories | 7834 | 96615 | 8555 | 17644 | 32.7% | 67.3% | 758 |
| thriller | 5003 | 86473 | 12521 | 26326 | 32.2% | 67.8% | 453 |
| travel | 2941 | 31811 | 4369 | 9781 | 30.9% | 69.1% | 654 |
| mystery>crime | 4786 | 72899 | 11691 | 26793 | 30.4% | 69.6% | 272 |
| poetry | 7011 | 111621 | 5686 | 13389 | 29.8% | 70.2% | 1943 |
| art | 4469 | 30879 | 4043 | 9718 | 29.4% | 70.6% | 876 |
| fantasy | 19909 | 1057426 | 26409 | 68596 | 27.8% | 72.2% | 2758 |
| autobiography>memoir | 3673 | 67055 | 8576 | 25807 | 24.9% | 75.1% | 480 |
| christian | 4356 | 45478 | 7915 | 24530 | 24.4% | 75.6% | 796 |
| fiction | 41475 | 1218673 | 69470 | 220826 | 23.9% | 76.1% | 5187 |
| humor | 6409 | 87725 | 10417 | 34633 | 23.1% | 76.9% | 516 |
| thriller>mystery-thriller | 3167 | 26621 | 7562 | 25407 | 22.9% | 77.1% | 30 |
| mystery | 13093 | 389375 | 20210 | 72440 | 21.8% | 78.2% | 3645 |
| sequential-art>manga | 6623 | 285353 | 349 | 1306 | 21.1% | 78.9% | 162 |
| suspense | 3829 | 41560 | 6874 | 25647 | 21.1% | 78.9% | 79 |
| historical | 8654 | 137803 | 12514 | 57776 | 17.8% | 82.2% | 260 |
| historical-fiction | 9243 | 309406 | 12213 | 60237 | 16.9% | 83.1% | 1909 |
| fantasy>magic | 3028 | 60821 | 3188 | 15762 | 16.8% | 83.2% | 70 |
| romance>m-m-romance | 5729 | 125520 | 1100 | 5847 | 15.8% | 84.2% | 525 |
| young-adult | 11286 | 621919 | 10739 | 60915 | 15.0% | 85.0% | 1943 |
| childrens | 14147 | 163267 | 11264 | 74404 | 13.1% | 86.9% | 1989 |
| food-and-drink>cookbooks | 3642 | 36381 | 1183 | 7833 | 13.1% | 86.9% | 899 |
| animals | 3280 | 29674 | 3501 | 24264 | 12.6% | 87.4% | 294 |
| adult | 7043 | 72240 | 7151 | 50876 | 12.3% | 87.7% | 101 |
| fantasy>paranormal | 9094 | 261909 | 4556 | 34374 | 11.7% | 88.3% | 599 |
| contemporary | 13853 | 204599 | 8471 | 72730 | 10.4% | 89.6% | 227 |
| childrens>picture-books | 7410 | 131850 | 4754 | 43752 | 9.8% | 90.2% | 2945 |
| adult-fiction>erotica | 6981 | 78255 | 906 | 13487 | 6.3% | 93.7% | 427 |
| romance | 29205 | 676026 | 6805 | 119519 | 5.4% | 94.6% | 3342 |
| romance>paranormal-romance | 4239 | 110105 | 706 | 17100 | 4.0% | 96.0% | 288 |
| womens-fiction>chick-lit | 4072 | 91559 | 1318 | 35144 | 3.6% | 96.4% | 481 |
| romance>contemporary-romance | 7403 | 91478 | 868 | 30965 | 2.7% | 97.3% | 212 |
| romance>historical-romance | 3767 | 103730 | 555 | 21370 | 2.5% | 97.5% | 872 |
Marketing is divided by gender. This list is entirely a marketing problem, there is almost no romance written for or targeted at men.
Also Romance is on this list like 8 times yet not other genre is split up like that.
Also women are the primary readers of almost every fucking genre listed because there's just more women actually reviewing books on Good Reads. There's literally only 4 genres there with more male reviewers.
Also it really shouldn't be any surprise that the two things that are historically the most patriarchal, Philosophy and Politics, have more men?
Comics = Marvel slop too
Graphic Novels = Marvel slop and Judge Dredd
Oh I need to point out that Erotica and Adult writing is garbage data too because much of the genre is usually posted by hobbiests online for free in kink communities or adapted into text-based games that are basically digital versions of choose your own adventure. Some of those make the breakout into VNs, are we counting those or have I muddied the line between books and videogames too hard now? It's a pretty blurry line with that content. With that said most of that online is male spaces, so they're just not being marketed to offline and find it in niche spaces online because western marketers haven't realised there's money to be made.
I bet this data looks different in some cultures where the marketing segments are treated differently, willing to be it's different in Japan for example.