Do you forget book/movie endings?
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Anonymous
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I am an avid reader. I probably read about 5-7 books a month of varying genres: non-fiction, classic literature, modern fiction, memoirs, biographies, etc. I participate in online book discussions and am also a member of my library's book club. I say this so you know that I'm reading intelligently and thinking about what I read. But for the life of me, I can't remember books once I'm done. I find the same thing with movies. Even if it's something that makes a big impression on me at the time, I find that I can't give a full plot summary a year later. I can generally remember some characters and themes, but often forget what ultimately happens. Usually if I start re-reading something I'll remember as I go, or sometimes remember the whole thing when I start. I guess the good thing is that it makes it fun to re-read books!
I'm just so curious if other people find this as well? Do I have some weird memory problem? Am I not reading as carefully as I should or as I think I am? What do you think? |
Anonymous
| Yup. I have a great memory for certain things (everyone's birthdays for example), but have the same problem as you. It's not universal but a decent amount of the time I'll remember that I really liked something or did not but not the plot details unless I've seen it or read it more than once. Moreso with books than movies. There are times where I'll be watching a movie with DH and say, oh I bet X is going to happen and he'll point out that I've actually seen the movie before! |
Anonymous
| Same problem here. I used to keep a list of books I've read and movies I've watched but then I got lazy. I find I have a poor long term memory. I don't remember people I went to school with, conversations I've had, memories from childhood. But oddly enough, I have an excellent short term memory. |
Anonymous
| I'm the same way, especially with movies. I can watch a movie a second time and genuinely be surprised at the ending. I'm slightly better with books. |
Anonymous
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Totally!
DH laughs at me because I can watch Law & Order, Criminal Minds and all other super "spoilable" shows and I'll never be able to tell people how it ends... I can never ever remember the end! |
Anonymous
| I'm even worse. I completely forget reading the book to begin with, will pick up a book I've read before and be totally engrossed in the storyline all over again! |
Anonymous
DH's favorite show is NCIS. I make him turn something else on if I can actually remember what happens in a certain episode. I figure if I can remember who the perp is, then clearly I've seen it way too many times. |
Anonymous
I usually remember only those that really made an impression, which are probably less than 10% of all the books / movies that I see and read. But I think it's not 'my' memory that is to blame, but the authors/directors for producing such unmemorable products 
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Anonymous
| I am the same and am so relieved to hear others have this, too! I was thinking it had to do with the number of books I read, and I couldn't keep them all straight. Glad to know I'm not alone. |
Anonymous
| Yes! I think it's just the sheer quantity of books I consume and how quickly I read them. I absorb the general plot, but usually a month later couldn't tell you much about the book. The good part of this is, I can reread books I love every year and remember all over again why I love them. I do this every so often with The Time Traveler's Wife and The Prince of Tides and The World According to Garp- they are just as good each time I read them because I always manage to forget so much of what makes them great in between readings. |
Anonymous
| Yes and it happens to me with TV too. I can't remember what happened in the previous week's ep or who got eliminated. Glad I'm not alone!! |
Anonymous
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DH makes fun of me for re-reading books quite often. Even if I do remember the plot, sometimes re-reading the books make you find and appreciate new things about them - maybe you focus more on the flow of the language, or the vocabulary, or something else a bit more subtle than just the plot. I don't mind - it expands my reading options by 100%
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Anonymous
| I'm the same way. Sometimes I think people think I'm lying when I read a certain book because I can't discuss it. And my husband makes fun of me because I've watched about a zillion episodes of Seinfeld but I never pick up on it when someone is making a Seinfeld reference because I don't remember it. |
Anonymous
| I was halfway through a book one time until I finally realized, "hey, wait a minute. I've read this." I was totally bummed until I realized, "hey, wait a minute. I have no idea what happens!" So I just kept reading. |
Anonymous
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Sometimes, which is why I keep books around for a second read. I also enjoy movies more the second time around if I don't quite remember how things happened.
I read a lot of books and see a lot of movies and not all of them stick with me, though I almost always remember whether I liked them or not. |