Struggles every reader with a bad memory understands // ft. books I loved but remember nothing about oops

ICYMI, I suffer from this thing called BOOK AMNESIA.

It’s basically the syndrome where you a) read a book. b) either love, hate, don’t care about it, whatever your opinion is and c) forget about it! (C is the most important symptom.)

If you say this has NEVER happened to you, you’re lying, Pinocchio.

And, as usual, because I’m a SUPER HELPFUL* person with a tendency to expose everyone (mostly myself tbh), I decided to make a post in honor of us book amnesiacs!!

I’m also linking up with this week’s Top Ten Tuesday (now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) prompt: Books I Really Liked but Can’t Remember Anything/Much About!

LET’S GET TO THE EXPOSING.

*Don’t look at me like that, it’s true.

1. Forgetting what happened in a book.

This is one of the foremost!! Struggles!! Of having!! A bad memory!! Even if you generally have a good memory, I will never ever ever believe you if you say this has never happened to you okay AT LEAST ONCE (unless you’re some sort of superhuman).

And it’s epecially lethal in the case of series!! I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve complained about forgetting the previous book in a series, but IT’S A LOT. It’s not my fault thouuuuughhhh.

There are many books we read throughout the year, and in case you forgot, a year is a horribly long time?! In the span of that time, am I honestly supposed to remember what happened in a 500 paged book? BECAUSE I WON’T. (Thank god for recaps like there are on this site and this site.) EVEN IF I LOVED IT.

And it’s such a struggle since now I either a) have to reread the series (which isn’t always a bad thing but also look at those UNREAD BOOKS on your TBR, hm and also who has time) b) continue with the second book not knowing or remembering the characters or what happened, and therefore not enjoying it as much or c) cry and eat chocolate <– best option

2. Not knowing or remembering what you read because you haven’t updated Goodreads/written it somewhere.

GUYS. I straight up forgot several books I read last year because I forgot to put them on Goodreads and it’s not in my phone and now I’m having a C R I S I S because I actually really loved them (well, one of them) and now I haven’t mentioned them anywhere and NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW.

I have the vaguest memory of books I feel like I’ve read but I have no idea when and if I did actually read it or I’m just imagining it?? Nowadays I’m neglecting updating Goodreads as well which becomes a struggle trying to remember when I read a book BECAUSE GR FAILED (to somehow read my mind and automatically add it for me, of course).

Here’s your daily reminder to write down somewhere what book you read and when you read it and also write down your thoughts on it immediately if you want to save your sanity!! 

MEEE figuring out when I read a book and if I liked it or not

3. Not being able to write a proper review because it’s been too long since we’ve read it.

And by too long I mean like, 2 days. THAT’S 48 HOURS OKAY. IT’S A LOT.

Nowadays I try to write at least a list of major points that come to my mind right after reading a book, in the notes of my phone because then I can say something other than “OMG I LOVED IT MY HEART DIED” or “UGH IT WAS A PLATE OF SOGGY POTATOES”*. You know?

Because it’s so incredibly hard to write a review when it’s been several days. You’re just sitting there knowing that you loved it but also having no clue why other than the pieces of your heart are on the ground (pain = good book) and that it made you FEEL THINGS. But what things? One may never know.

This is also why that ‘review to come’ will never come and you SHOULD JUST STOP LYING.

Why am I exposing myself here so much jeez

*I have not used this sentence yet in a review but I think I really should.

4. Being asked, “What was it about?” and stuttering like a dying fish.

Tbh, a fish might actually be able to summarize a book better than me BECAUSE I SUCK AT IT???

It’s honestly scary when someone asks me “what was it about” after hearing me squeal and scream about it because they expect me to be able to answer*??

What goes on in my brain when someone asks me what a book is about BECAUSE PANIC??!?!?!?!?!? (at the disco)

Literally I would make the best and worst publicist because my SCREAMING AND SHOUTING is so annoying you would obviously pick up a book because I said so** but then I would never be able to tell you what the book was about even if I loved it to death.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

*The worst is when it happens in person because I can’t just shove Goodreads at them and run away??? WHYYYY.
**Pff, obviously.. right?? Also if you actually have done this I hope you know I LOVE YOU AND YOU SHOULD TALK TO ME ABOUT IT unless you hated my favourite book in which case I’ll come after you with my scary non-weapons go hide in my guilt

5. Losing interest in a book after it’s been a year between the release of the first book and the sequel

A year is a looooooonnnnggggg time. That’s 365 days and there’s so much that happens? And so many books you read in between? There’s only so much space in our brainnnnn and I just… need to delete some information to make space for new stuff?

And so then I don’t care as much about what happens to the characters because it’s been so long and it lost that ~magic~ it originally had?

It makes me so sad though!! Because what if I originally wanted to continue with the series but then I’m less excited about the sequel coming out because I feel so emotionally distant now from the first book???

6. Not remembering what books are released when

If you’re even mildly implicated and involved in the book community, you know how many books are released every month!! The answer: A LOT.

See, the second I just look at a new book, there are like, 10 more books being released. Which is great, sure!!

But also all these amazing books are being released and I’m so excited but I also don’t know if they’re releasing tomorrow, in 6 months, or the next year. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But I plan on reading them so that counts for something right???

Thankfully, as far as struggles go, this one isn’t as bad as the other ones?? Goodreads got our back, it’s all good. 😉

7. Putting your bookmark somewhere and never finding it again

See, let me tell you a story!

I once had an extreme bookmark fascination!! They could be so pretty and funny and were so functional, and I used them all the time….

UNTIL I LOST ONE.

Tears of sadness as one disappears! But it’s okay, I got another one!

And… there goes that one.

Oh, see, let’s just put them all together in this very organized and specific place so that I always know where they are! Great idea, right?

BUT THEN.

You pick one up, use it, then put it down and the next thing you know is you’re doing this.

But you never found it again.

THE END.

No, but seriously if you’re someone who can remember where your bookmark is, YOU ROCK. And have great skills!! Because my memory sucks and I can’t ever remember where they are!!

I’ll just sit over here, bitter over my lost friends, petting my twin, the goldfish, and my slips of random paper that are my bookmarks.

Ah, struggle #1, visualized! Loving books and having very little idea as to what happened is literally the story of my life and ahhHHH well let’s go, exposing myself once again. You can see from my “mini blurbs” how much I remember (no spoilers though obviously). I REMEMBER A LOT.

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (read 2016): Julian and Emma are parabatai! Mark is a sweetheart! I love Cristina! Fae threats! Julian is such a cutie and I love his family!! Anaand that’s it. BUT LOVE THIS BOOK.

The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye (read 2016): Magic! Russia! Kingdom! BAD MAGIC.

Ruined by Amy Tintera (read 2016): I can’t even remember anything. I mean, there are people with magic who are shunned? But I don’t even remember the main character. Something with an e? Emma? Evaline? But seriously this book was so good.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (read 2015): SUCH A LONG TIME AGO WHAT. Shazi is fabulous! Love her and Khalid! Hate-to-love romance! Food! Tariq was awful can someone smack him please! Magical and beautiful writing!

The Imposter Queen by Sarah Fine (read 2016 or 2017 I forget): SO GOOD. There were.. imposters? Oh oh and ice and fire magic was super cool!

Angelfall by Susan Ee: I looooove Raffe!! Also Penryn’s love for her sister is amazing and so pure. So gory and interesting and SO UNDERRATED.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera: I ADORE ADAM SILVERA’S BOOKS. And this one was amazing but all I remember is sadness!! Broken heart!! But give me the gay!! Where did my heart go oh look it’s broken!!

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom: Blind MC!! Loved her even if she was super negative!! Felt so bad but also it was cute!! Ugh why can’t I remember things

Starflight by Melissa Landers (read 2016? I think?): Hate to love romance! So much banter! Sci-fi, which I don’t usually read but this was really good!! Action!! And the side characters were great!

Rick Riordan books (read… uhhh.) : I read pretty much all of Rick Riordan’s books, I think, except for the newest ones? But I remember Percy!! And Annabeth of course!! And humourrr his books are always so fun.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare: I ADORE CASSANDRA CLARE but I also don’t remember her books very well oops. Clary’s the special snowflake, Jace has an identity crisis??? Aaaand love triangles everywhere, but THE SERIES IS GOOD I SWEAR.

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes: Okay this series is totally cliche but apparently I enjoyed the books??? But I remember zilch. There’s magic! And incest at one point?? wait why did I like this I forget

Wow I just used way too many exclamation marks, oops. BUT GO READ THESE if you haven’t already I swear they’re better than my stupid mini blurbs!

Do you also struggle with a bad memory with books??? Do you remember the details of books you read in the past or no? Do you also lose interest in a sequel after it’s been too long? What books do YOU love but also don’t remember much about? EXPOSE YOURSELF.

Happy Tuesday!!