It’s the end of the year, which means every media outlet and talkative friend has been regaling you with a fascinating list of their own personal favorite books of 2011. Now, we love lists as much as the next guy, but we also like to think a little bit about what these highly subjective choices might say about the listmaker. After all, you wouldn’t take reading advice from just anybody, now would you? Or even if you would, you should at least know what essential qualities their picks point to. Click through to read our (decidedly tongue-in-cheek) breakdown of what your favorite book of the year says about you, and in case you were wondering, our pick is on here too, and hey, we can cop to it.
The Art of Fielding, Chad Harbach Guys who are really just waiting for the next Franzen novel.
Swamplandia!, Karen Russell Manic pixie dream girls…and their moms.
It Chooses You, Miranda July Future hoarders and aspiring cat ladies.
The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides English majors who secretly want to be the Next Great American Novelist.
The Pale King, David Foster Wallace English majors who have told you forty times that they want to be the Next Great American Novelist.
House of Holes, Nicholson Baker Articulate pervs.
Leaving the Atocha Station, Ben Lerner Dudes who troll independent bookstores on the weekdays.
Zone One, Colson Whitehead Video game addicts whose girlfriends keep nagging them to read something.
The Magician King, Lev Grossman People who were weirdly attracted to Harry Potter characters.
The Last Werewolf, Glen Duncan Heavily chastised ex-Twilight junkies who need just. One. More. Hit.
Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan Intellectuals who like The Real World.
1Q84, Haruki Murakami Girls who desperately want a certain kind of surreal magic to exist in the world.
The Psychopath Test, Jon Ronson People who wonder if they’re psychopaths.
420 Characters, Lou Beach Art-world hipsters with short attention spans.
The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson Die-hard Wes Anderson fans.
The Tragedy of Arthur, Arthur Phillips That one girl who is always relating things to Shakespeare and then looking around and judging everyone who didn’t get it.
11/22/63, Stephen King Dads who used to be cooler than you.
And So It Goes. Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, Charles J. Shields Dads who are still cooler than you.
The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Girls who really, really loved 500 Days of Summer. Like, really loved.
Long, Last, Happy: New and Collected Stories, Barry Hannah Writers.
The Angel Esmeralda, Don DeLillo Purists.
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, Stephen Greenblatt Sensitive history buffs.
A Dance With Dragons, George R.R. Martin Hard-core fantasy nerds, and the fastest readers on the subway.
Bossypants, Tina Fey Hilarious ladies and the ladies who want to be them.
Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson Guys who use the phrase “PC Weenies.”
The Tiger’s Wife, Téa Obreht Slaves to fashion.
Woolgathering, Patti Smith People who would really rather be dreaming than having this conversation right now.
Blue Nights, Joan Didion The same people who think it’s healthy to go see Greek tragedies in the winter.
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern People who live to hear about the Next Big Thing before anyone else.
Parallel Stories, Peter Nádas Show-offs.