I’ve been reading quite a decent amount since I was a kid, and I’m now in my late 20’s. I’ve recently realized that the books I’ve read in the last couple of years, I struggle to remember much about them.
I can remember the general outline of the story, or most of the major plot points, but any character names or place names I struggle to remember.
I’ve been going through and reading many fantasy/sci-fi series, and it usually feels like once I get to book 2 of whatever new series I’ve picked up, I can’t remember the previous series I read.
For example, I’m currently reading The Thief series, and really enjoying it. However I’m finding that I can’t remember much of the names or characters from the Red Rising series, which I read just before this. I can remember most of what happens, and I remember really enjoying it, but names just get lost entirely.
If you were to ask me what happens in the books I read the last couple of years, I would be able to tell you in quite decent detail, but I’d struggle with any names.
The only exceptions are books I read when I was young, like the Lord of the Rings books or the Hyperion books.
Does anyone else have this issue? How can I better remember details like this?
are you me? lol
because i’ve been doing this for the last 25 years with emberverse books by s.m. stirling – i got hooked on the first 3 books of the series before life/career took over and now that i try to read the remaining books in the series, but i have to stop because i can’t remember what the narrator is referring it.
the best part: i left a bookmark with my handwritten note reminding myself to go back and re-read the previous books to remember what’s going on and i found 3 such bookmars in the same book that i forgot i had written to myself. lol
It’s the reason I only read book series that are already finished. By the time the next book comes out I usually have to catch up on what the character names were again