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Do you forget what you read
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Francisco
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Oct 22, 2015 03:55PM
hi, as you know I'm a reader of horror fiction and I enjoy specially anthologies, but I have a handicap I forget stories shortly after read them, it occurs the same to you or you have a good memory?
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Sometimes I do, it all depends. But there have been times when I've bought a book only to start reading and realize that i have already read it.
There are some books that are simply forgettable.
I don't have a great memory for intricate details like so many people around me seem to have. That's why I love GR so much, I can keep track of which books I have read - sadly the forgettable ones are the ones I can't place on here because I forgot them :) I find I need someone to mention something in the book for me to remember anything about except whether I liked it or not.
I have the same issue. It's odd, but some books that I've read years and years ago I can recall intricate plot lines and character details. And then I'll have trouble recalling anything about a book I read just weeks ago.Part of it is my old mind is getting leaky. Another part is I read a lot more now and therefore very few books stand out.
And to Mikana's point, that is exactly why I joined GR. So that I can catalogue what I've read and what I like and dislike.
Usually. I don't read to retain. I read for the enjoyment of the experience while I read it.
Mod
My ability to recall those memories at will is unreliable.
I remember what I read unless it's terrible. If a book is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I'll be able to recall sections of the text pretty accurately - not necessarily verbatim, but paraphrasing. I think the problem that most people have with reading is that they aren't engaged with the text and therefore read passively. You need to make the text your friend and listen to what it's saying.
But if I start to read a book that I don't feel is very good, I'll start reading passively for the story. Generally books like that have little to offer otherwise. I might still be able to recall parts from the story...but it's usually a foggy and vague memory at best.
Anastasiya wrote: "I remember what I read unless it's terrible. If a book is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I'll be able to recall sections of the text pretty accurately - not necessarily verbatim, but p..."
I see what you are saying but I personally don't feel a need to retain it. I like being passive and just enjoying the story for what it is. Then on to the next one. It is pure entertainment and escapism for me.
Non fiction can be different, if it is something I need to learn then I need to retain it. That is a whole different mindset for me though.
I think it all comes down to why we are reading, what it does for us.
Sometimes I remember actual parts but generally I just remember it was really good and how it made me feel.
Yes, I forgot a lot of it, which is why re-reading works so well for me. I have a terrible memory. I'll remember highlights of loved series and books
Mercedes wrote: "Sometimes I remember actual parts but generally I just remember it was really good and how it made me feel."Yeah - FEELINGS about it I remember!
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Nope, unless the book was that dull and dreary. Which I can't think of any, actually, besides maybe a couple I couldn't even bother finishing.
I don't really have a problem forgetting a book. My issue unfortunately is my brain deletes things entirely, so to me they never happened. I suffer from TBI (Tramatic Brain Injury). At times, while reading, I become lost not knowing what's happening or how things progressed to where they are. In this case I go back in the story to a point that's familiar and begin reading. Only I'm reading those same pages for the first time, again. I have no memory of then because my brain decided to delete the information that quick. This even happens to me while having a conversation with someone. Right in the middle of talking, what I was talking about vanishes from my mind. Before you say anything, the answer is no. The information does not come back to where I remember. I've watched movies repeatedly for the first time. Books I've read, I re-read for the first time as well. how do I know this? I use to do movie reviews before my injury took hold. I have seen myself talk in detail about a movie. Scary part is I have no memory of the movie or ever reviewing it. I'm at the VA every week and this is just one of the issues I'm learning to live with. It is very frustrating when it does happen while reading a book. This makes reading difficult and takes longer to finish. I do get to enjoy a good story all over again for the first time though. So there is a bit of a silver lining for me. Using GR to show me what I've read is actual pointless at times. Currently I'm reading a book I marked as having read, for the first time again. I try staying positive, it is hard though when someone who does not understand TBI thinks it's just forgetfulness and that it will come back eventually. No if it's gone it never happened. I wish it was simply forgetting, that would be easy. I actually had to retrain my brain so that I could read. I'm just slower at it now, but I still read.
It depends on the book and how much I enjoyed it. Some books I remember really well, and others I do not. Also, if it is one that I have re-read, I am more likely to remember more of the details.
I recently found a bookmark in a book I'd temporarily put aside (during house renovations...... several years ago), but I remembered where I was up to and could keep reading without any problems.
Sometimes I forget if I read the book a real long time ago, but recent books I normally remember the stories.
I usually do forget to some extent (details) even if I've read it a couple of times. I find that if I read, highlight/annotate, write a review and discuss aspects of the book after reading that I tend to retain more.
Yup, I forget pretty much everything. I generally only remember how good I thought it was and how it made me feel, that's it.
I generally remember the basic concept and such about a book, though rarely do I remember all that much about the actual details. Which while annoying at times (I spend over half of Pet Semetary having zeroidea whether I had read it or not before), it makes the idea of a re-read more enjoyable.
Francisco wrote: "hi, as you know I'm a reader of horror fiction and I enjoy specially anthologies, but I have a handicap I forget stories shortly after read them, it occurs the same to you or you have a good memory?"I forget crap all the time. Books I have read as a kid; which are many. I don't have an eidetic memory where I can recall details. I have read many more books than are listed in GR; but may have forgotten the author or the title.
What I never forget, is how a book made me feel. I don't remember every detail of The Talisman; but I can tell you it is one of my favorites by Stephen King. I was a teenager when I read it, and I remember not feeling so alone in my head anymore. I was in another zone, another universe when reading that book.
I hardly ever forget the story, but I'm bad with titles and authors. I've picked up books that I thought I haven't read before and have gone: "Oh, I've already read this."
I can always recall which books I've read and if I liked them or not.
If the story is really, really good and has well developed characters I can relate to, I remember details for a very long time.
But usually I forget huge parts of the story.
If the story is really, really good and has well developed characters I can relate to, I remember details for a very long time.
But usually I forget huge parts of the story.
Yes, I'm terrible for it. I can remember vague things from the book but never the complete plot, and I forget names too.My boyfriend on the other hand loves to read. He needs complete silence to do so and so only reads about 3 books a year. But his memory of the book is startling. He knows A Song of Ice and Fire inside out, whereas I can only remember the main people's names.
When I read a series of manga I usually have to wait until it's complete or I have to re-read the last one(s) to remember what has happened.
Some I will, some I won't. No matter how hard I try, I will never forget Cujo. (I instinctively cover my balls every time a stray dog is roaming around.) But the Koontz novels I've read simply disappeared shortly after finishing them. But I remember the titles.But whenever I reread a book that I can't quite remember, It all comes back to me as soon as I start reading it.
Squire wrote: "But whenever I reread a book that I can't quite remember, It all comes back to me as soon as I start reading it...."I love that; especially the feeling. I have reread Salem's Lot, and remember most of it; but the main thing I remember is feeling unsettled and always feel like I need to look over my shoulder. Yay! I love that creepy book
I started a group called "What Was That Book?!", but I recently closed it down because no one ever participated. Ever. Maybe a group like that would survive within this group (?)
I have an interesting memory when it comes to books (same goes for movies, too). Generally, I can remember the order of events very well. In "this happened before that" arguments I almost always win. My mind is temporally and spacially oriented in that regard. I can even, at times remember stark details, particularly of those scenes which greatly affected or moved me.Other times, I forget a section completely. It's especially funny with episodes of TV shows I loved (especially when I'm rewatching on Blu-ray and trying to remember if I watched a particular episode or not) - I will remember the cold open, I'll maybe remember the inciting incident but things in the 2nd or 3rd act, I'll be like, "I don't remember this happening," then come the climax I'll remember perfectly.
When re-reading books I will tend to remember the phrasing, the words used, as I read it. It will be like slipping on a familiar glove, but if I were to try to remember a particular passage in any detail other than what happened, I can't. I also frequently misquote dialogue be it book or movie-related.
And I used to be an actor... Go figure!
Typically I can remember what the story/book was about, but not exact lines or quotes, unless it was something memorable and stood out for me.
I forget most of what I read for pleasure: except for the ones that really stick with me. I've never figured out what makes a book "memorable" for me. I've forgotten great books I've loved and remembered crappy books that were a chore.
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I forget a lot of what I read. I normally remember how a book made me feel but forget WHY it made me feel that way lol. I'll forget details at least sometimes the entire book. It's why I write reviews shortly after reading a book (and before starting another) so that way I can look back at what I wrote about a book later. It's why i'm also a fan of highlighting/annotating books now. I like being able to look back and see what I thought of a book, so really I review books for myself mostly. I enjoy the reader community and all that but a large part of reviewing is really just for myself.
I have a terrible memory.
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:D hey!
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I have to get better at that, still have reviews from 2011 to complete!
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:D hey!"
Hey right back atcha!
*BIG HUG*
Unfortunately, I seem to forget more than I remember.
I always thought that I was the only one that had this kind of damaged brain that sometimes forget all the book. Some books I only remember that I have read it because the GR says so.
I am the same way will forget what I read within days of finishing
Thank goodness I'm not the only one. I have a great memory usually, but if you say the name of a book or movie I've seen, I probably won't remember it until I'm halfway through it the 2nd time haha.Thankfully GR has a shelf for that!
