In Persona 4, reading books will help boost the stat associated with the book. Besides boosting stats, reading can help you get the Reader King accessory after reading all the books in Persona 4 Golden. Reading 32 books in P4 Golden is also needed to unlock the Compulsive Reader achievement if you are going for 100% completion and achievement hunting.
We have prepared this Persona 4 Golden books guide to cover all the details about reading books, what stats a particular book will increase and all the locations where you can find these books in P4.
How to get books
There are different ways of getting books in Persona 4, but the most common and easiest one is buying them from the Yomenaido Bookstore in the Shopping District. However, you could earn a book through either quest of events if you’re skilled enough.
There are some books hidden behind Strength requirements and some have a limited window for you to get them like the ones from the summer festival.
And remember you need to complete all chapters of the book to get your stat increase.
How to read books
After you’ve earned the book you’ve been looking for, it is time to read them. Inside your room, you will find a sofa near the coffee table that you can sit on and read your book of choice.
However, it is to be noted that you cannot read an entire book in one sitting since your character can only read one chapter at a time at the start. If you want to finish your books at twice the speed, you must complete reading the book Hyperspeed Reading. Hyperspeed Reading can be bought in August and will take 4 days to finish.
Additionally, reading different books will boost different stats, benefitting the players differently. This is an excellent way of targeting a stat that you think you’re lagging on or are struggling to keep up with.
Added to that, if you want a boost in the stat that you’ve gained, try reading while it is raining. Reading during rainy days doubles your stat increase.
All Persona 4 Golden books
Below is a table with all the books in P4 Golden and the places where you can find them. We have also given details of some unique books that can only be acquired through certain actions in Persona 4.
| Title | Available on | Boosted Stats | Location/Quests |
| The Ramen Way | N/A | Knowledge/Expression | Aiya’s Restaurant, Eat 8 Bowls |
| The Lovely Man | 20th of April | Courage | Book Store |
| Expert Study Methods | 20th of April | Increases: Knowledge when studying | Book Store |
| Beginner Fishing | 20th of April | Able to fish more | Book Store |
| Off Today | 6th of May | Understanding | Book Store |
| Office Work Manual | 6th of May | Increases: Diligence when creating envelopes | Book Store |
| Easy Origami | 20th of May | Increases: Understanding when folding Origami | Book Store |
| English Made Easy | 20th of May | Increases: Expression when translating | Book Store |
| The Gentle Way | 23rd of May | Knowledge/Expression | Book Store, Quest 18 |
| Witch Detective | 29th of May | Understanding/Diligence | Strength Rank 1-3. |
| The Punk’s Way | 3rd of June | Knowledge/Expression | Book Store, Quest 20 |
| Forever Macho | 11th of June | Courage | Book Store |
| 100 Ghost Stories | 11th of June | Increases: Courage when working at the hospital | Book Store |
| Catching Bugs | 11th of June | Catch more bugs | Book Store |
| Short on Cash | 28th of June | Understanding | Book Store |
| Expert Fishing | 28th of June | Boost reeling speed | Book Store |
| Guide to Pests | 3rd of July | Knowledge/Courage | Book Store, Quest 34 |
| Man of History | 15th of July | Courage | Book Store |
| Home Gardening | 15th of July | Speed vegetable harvest by one day | Book Store |
| Poly-land | 17th of July | Knowledge/Diligence | Need Strength Rank 4 or 7+ (if Basketball) in your room on the 15th |
| Changing Careers | 4th of August | Understanding | Book Store |
| Hyperspeed Reading | 4th of August | Read two chapters in one time frame | Book Store |
| Picross Rules! | 11th of September | Understanding/Diligence | Book Store, Quest 40 |
| The O-Cha Way | 10th of August | Knowledge/Expression | Strength Rank 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, or 9 for Basketball. Any Rank for Soccer. |
| The Divine Way | 21st of August | Knowledge/Expression | Summer Festival |
| Man-God | 24th of August | Courage | Book Store |
| Food Fight! | 24th of August | Boost the effects of eating Chinese food | Book Store |
| Sensei’s Friend | 20th of September | Understanding | Book Store |
| Who Am I? | 26th of September | Knowledge/Diligence | Book Store |
| Farewell to Man | 12th of October | Courage | Book Store |
| The Final Lesson | 1st of November | Understanding | Book Store |
| World Class Bugs | 1st of November | Catch more bugs | Book Store |
Coming to unique books in Persoan 4, there are certain requirements that must be met in order for players to receive them. The first book The Witch Detective requires 3 Strength or less on exactly 29th May, and to get this you should have rescued Kanji or else you will miss out on this book.
The next one is Poly-Land and it requires 4 Strength on 15th July. The way to do this is to go to your room and wait for the call from Kou, who will invite you to a study date. To get the book you have to respond with, you are allergic to Algebra.
The final Strength locked book is The O-Cha Way and it can be acquired on any strength rating from 1-9 on 9th August.
Two more books that are event locked are, The Divine Way, which can be unlocked on the 21st of August during the summer festival and The Ramen Way which is received once players have eaten at Aiya’s restaurant eight times.
