Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read

[lordsummerisle]

theatlantic.com

Pamela Paul’s memories of reading are less about words and more about the experience. “I almost always remember where I was and I remember the book itself. I remember the physical object,” says Paul, the editor of The New York Times Book Review, who reads, it is fair to say, a lot of books. “I remember the edition; I remember the cover; I usually remember where I bought it, or who gave it to me. What I don’t remember—and it’s terrible—is everything else.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/what-was-this-article-about-again/551603/

[TreasonousBastard]

1. I thought it was because so many of them were not so memorable.

[Maraya1969]

2. My memory is so bad that I can watch reruns and be thoroughly entertained because I forget

everything that happened.

I've sometimes worried about it but now I just think that I take in way too much information everyday. It's too much to handle so most of it just slides back out.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. I must be the exception

I remember most of the books that I have read...vividly.

[SinisterPants]

4. Me too...

even bad, forgettable books that I read 40 years ago, if I pick it up again, somehow I'll know I've read it, sometimes even know the next scene.

Mind you, I can also easily forget what I said yesterday.

[Ferrets are Cool]

6. I was 23 when I read "Once is not Enough"

I am now 64. The ending of that book still haunts me. At the time of reading it, I didn't sleep good for days.
And yes, I forget what I had for lunch yesterday.

[csziggy]

5. It depends on the book

Some books - like the Harry Potter books or Lord of the Rings - I remember very well, even years later. Factual books, scientific or history, I remember the contents but not the details or maybe not the particular book.

Light fiction, such as mysteries and science fiction, I don't remember very well. That could be that my access to light fiction when I was growing up was limited. I read nearly every book in our small public library by the time I was fourteen. Mom tried to buy enough books to keep me busy, but she could only afford used books from Goodwill. So I sort of taught myself to not remember them - that way I could re-read them and still enjoy them. I'm reading Amazon Megapacks of old science fiction stories. Many of those, especially Andre Norton's, I have read more than one, but I still get pleasure from them.

On the other hand, I also remember all the Lord of the Rings books in detail, though I've only read them twice, once when I was in college and once when the movies came out. And I remember especially where I was when I read them the first time. The scene where Gandalf falls into the depths while fighting the Balrog is etched in my mind. I was in my dorm room reading and listening to Rare Earth's "I Know I'm Losing You." It seemed very appropriate!

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. +1