diff --git a/connection.go b/connection.go
index 7d32238e..2c824809 100644
--- a/connection.go
+++ b/connection.go
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ func (c *Connection) Execute(sql string, arguments ...interface{}) (commandTag s
 			case dataRow:
 			case bindComplete:
 			case commandComplete:
-				commandTag = r.ReadString()
+				commandTag = r.ReadCString()
 			default:
 				if e := c.processContextFreeMsg(t, r); e != nil && err == nil {
 					err = e
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ func (c *Connection) rxAuthenticationX(r *MessageReader) (err error) {
 	case 3: // AuthenticationCleartextPassword
 		c.txPasswordMessage(c.parameters.Password)
 	case 5: // AuthenticationMD5Password
-		salt := r.ReadByteString(4)
+		salt := r.ReadString(4)
 		digestedPassword := "md5" + hexMD5(hexMD5(c.parameters.Password+c.parameters.User)+salt)
 		c.txPasswordMessage(digestedPassword)
 	default:
@@ -640,8 +640,8 @@ func hexMD5(s string) string {
 }
 
 func (c *Connection) rxParameterStatus(r *MessageReader) {
-	key := r.ReadString()
-	value := r.ReadString()
+	key := r.ReadCString()
+	value := r.ReadCString()
 	c.RuntimeParams[key] = value
 }
 
@@ -649,15 +649,15 @@ func (c *Connection) rxErrorResponse(r *MessageReader) (err PgError) {
 	for {
 		switch r.ReadByte() {
 		case 'S':
-			err.Severity = r.ReadString()
+			err.Severity = r.ReadCString()
 		case 'C':
-			err.Code = r.ReadString()
+			err.Code = r.ReadCString()
 		case 'M':
-			err.Message = r.ReadString()
+			err.Message = r.ReadCString()
 		case 0: // End of error message
 			return
 		default: // Ignore other error fields
-			r.ReadString()
+			r.ReadCString()
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ func (c *Connection) rxRowDescription(r *MessageReader) (fields []FieldDescripti
 	fields = make([]FieldDescription, fieldCount)
 	for i := int16(0); i < fieldCount; i++ {
 		f := &fields[i]
-		f.Name = r.ReadString()
+		f.Name = r.ReadCString()
 		f.Table = r.ReadOid()
 		f.AttributeNumber = r.ReadInt16()
 		f.DataType = r.ReadOid()
@@ -707,14 +707,14 @@ func (c *Connection) rxDataRow(r *DataRowReader) (row map[string]interface{}) {
 }
 
 func (c *Connection) rxCommandComplete(r *MessageReader) string {
-	return r.ReadString()
+	return r.ReadCString()
 }
 
 func (c *Connection) rxNotificationResponse(r *MessageReader) (err error) {
 	n := new(Notification)
 	n.Pid = r.ReadInt32()
-	n.Channel = r.ReadString()
-	n.Payload = r.ReadString()
+	n.Channel = r.ReadCString()
+	n.Payload = r.ReadCString()
 	c.notifications = append(c.notifications, n)
 	return
 }
diff --git a/data_row_reader.go b/data_row_reader.go
index dd557361..1e6f199f 100644
--- a/data_row_reader.go
+++ b/data_row_reader.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func (r *DataRowReader) ReadValue() interface{} {
 				panic("Unknown format")
 			}
 		} else {
-			return r.mr.ReadByteString(size)
+			return r.mr.ReadString(size)
 		}
 	} else {
 		return nil
diff --git a/example_value_transcoder_test.go b/example_value_transcoder_test.go
index af37f12d..662c2658 100644
--- a/example_value_transcoder_test.go
+++ b/example_value_transcoder_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func Example_customValueTranscoder() {
 }
 
 func decodePointFromText(mr *pgx.MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	match := pointRegexp.FindStringSubmatch(s)
 	if match == nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Received invalid point: %v", s))
diff --git a/message_reader.go b/message_reader.go
index cc1eb87e..eabb03d2 100644
--- a/message_reader.go
+++ b/message_reader.go
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func (r *MessageReader) ReadOid() (oid Oid) {
 }
 
 // ReadString reads a null terminated string
-func (r *MessageReader) ReadString() (s string) {
+func (r *MessageReader) ReadCString() (s string) {
 	if r.Err != nil {
 		return
 	}
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ func (r *MessageReader) ReadString() (s string) {
 	return string(b[:len(b)-1])
 }
 
-// ReadByteString reads count bytes and return as string
-func (r *MessageReader) ReadByteString(count int32) (s string) {
+// ReadString reads count bytes and returns as string
+func (r *MessageReader) ReadString(count int32) (s string) {
 	if r.Err != nil {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/value_transcoder.go b/value_transcoder.go
index 40419356..e990774b 100644
--- a/value_transcoder.go
+++ b/value_transcoder.go
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ func init() {
 }
 
 func decodeBoolFromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	switch s {
 	case "t":
 		return true
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ func encodeBool(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeInt8FromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	n, err := strconv.ParseInt(s, 10, 64)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Received invalid int8: %v", s))
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ func encodeInt8(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeInt2FromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	n, err := strconv.ParseInt(s, 10, 16)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Received invalid int2: %v", s))
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ func encodeInt2(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeInt4FromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	n, err := strconv.ParseInt(s, 10, 32)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Received invalid int4: %v", s))
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ func encodeInt4(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeFloat4FromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	n, err := strconv.ParseFloat(s, 32)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Received invalid float4: %v", s))
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ func encodeFloat4(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeFloat8FromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	v, err := strconv.ParseFloat(s, 64)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Received invalid float8: %v", s))
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ func encodeFloat8(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeTextFromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	return mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	return mr.ReadString(size)
 }
 
 func encodeText(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ func encodeText(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeByteaFromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	b, err := hex.DecodeString(s[2:])
 	if err != nil {
 		panic("Can't decode byte array")
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ func encodeBytea(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeDateFromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	t, err := time.ParseInLocation("2006-01-02", s, time.Local)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic("Can't decode date")
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ func encodeDate(w *MessageWriter, value interface{}) {
 }
 
 func decodeTimestampTzFromText(mr *MessageReader, size int32) interface{} {
-	s := mr.ReadByteString(size)
+	s := mr.ReadString(size)
 	t, err := time.Parse("2006-01-02 15:04:05.999999-07", s)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Can't decode timestamptz: %v", err))