Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Top Ten Books with Sensory Reading Memories



Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.



1. Harry Potter series. I read these with my family and I've done multiple rereads so I have a lot of really strong memories associated with it. The 6th book especially for some reason...

2. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I pretty strongly associate a few books, but especially this one, with the tomato soup served in my alma mater's mess hall because... I eat while I read. Also cool, clear, slightly humid summer days.

3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: the first time I read this book it was super humid and I remember being in a dark room reading by the bedside lamp.

4. Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer: this book came out when I was 16, travelling for the first time without my family... I was in Belize and tired and homesick and reacting badly to antimalarial medication (the thing antimalarial medication has to recommend itself: better than malaria. That's about it. I'm still glad I had access to it, though.) and I shut myself in my hotel room to read this on the Kindle app, having barely managed to download the ebook I'd purchased with the patchy hotel internet.

5. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater: Very warm summer day. I read this all in one go, having shut myself in my room. With very little lighting. All consecutive rereads have tended to be in the autumn because. It's the Scorpio Races.


6. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare: mostly I remember finishing this book during chemistry class (I was snatching reading time in between presentations) and looking up and realising that absolutely none of my classmates had just gone through the rollercoaster that was Clockwork Princess and just. Looking around while people made noise and worried about such trivialities as "their grades" and "academia."

7. Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater: I know lots of Maggie Stiefvater books on this list. Last one, I promise. This is specifically the audiobook, which I listened to while on buses a lot and now. Strong sensory association with buses.

8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Vivid memory of the same trip I mentioned above, though this one of post-rainstorm Costa Rica. The power was out and it was very peaceful.

9. Lone Survivors by Chris Stringer: I read this on a camping trip and associate it the particular combination of smells.

10. Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George: this one I just have intense generalized nostalgia attached to.

22 comments :

  1. I've never read Pride & Prejudice but I do love the story on film. Also, I've had one of Jessica's books for WAY too long, and haven't read it yet. Here's hoping I change this soon. :D

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    1. I've seen both the 1995 BBC miniseries and the 2005 movie (2005 is my favourite of the two)... it's a really fun read! I'm not typically a fan of classic novels but I still really enjoyed it.

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  2. I have really strong sensory memories with Harry Potter too. For some reason The Order Of The Phoenix is one of my strongest memories. My TTT

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    1. I feel like Harry Potter probably has a lot of memories attached to it for a lot of people... especially for people who grew up reading it. Childhood memories and all that.

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  3. That's not a really glowing recommendation for anti-malarial medication: "better than malaria!" Belize must have been fun to go to (except for the anti-malarial medication).

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    1. I mean. I guess. It is STILL better than malaria. Belize was a really good learning experience, and it was very beautiful.

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  4. Isn't it funny how some books just stick with us at certain times or locations? The Scorpio Races look great and Lone Survivors looks super interesting!

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    1. Both are really good, in very different ways... Lone Survivors is a bit more of a heavy read just in terms of how information-dense it is, but the information is imparted really well.

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  5. I was pregnant with my older daughter when I first read Harry Potter - my MIL found it at Costco and bought it for me (we were living with them at the time). So, I have these really strong, knee-jerk reactions (which I blame on the preggo hormones) whenever I read them. Oddly enough, that particular child is a total Potterhead.

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thanks!

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    1. Wow. They're pretty emotional books to read as is so I can't imagine reading them with pregnancy causing a hormone riot (which I'm told is just. A big thing). It's great that your little one wound up liking the books... they were part of what really made me a ravenous reader.

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  6. Great list! Ubfortunatley I only have negative memories with Maggie Stiefvater books because so far I didn't like either of them.

    My TTT: https://fantasyraiders.wordpress.com/2018/07/24/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-sensory-reading-memories/#more-8617

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    1. They aren't for everyone, I don't think. I've personally found that I like her writing style (and I find it pretty strong as a sensory experience just reading the book) but I still have been known to have issues with the plotting... Definitely not everyone's cup of tea.

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  7. I never read Pride and Prejudice...but I did read Pride and Prejudice...with Zombies! Lol Check out my TTT at <a href="https://catsluvcoffeez.blogspot.com/2018/07/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-sensory.html>Cats Luv Coffee</a>

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    1. I'm not crazy about zombies overall and I really don't think P & P & Z would be for me... I hope you enjoyed reading it though!

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  8. Great list! I love what you said about Clockwork Princess. Life was never the same! Haha, and I can't imagine reading it during a class and then coming back down to reality by hearing my peers. Too funny!

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    1. It was... surreal. When I got home that night I reread it in a place where I was allowed to be like. Shaken by the reading experience. Because. I definitely was shaken, talk about a rollercoaster of an ending.

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  9. Ahh Clockwork Princess was such an amazing book! It's amazing how oblivious people are to the emotional turmoil you've experienced when reading a book. XD

    My TTT post!

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    1. I mean I guess it makes sense since all of it IS happening between your brain and eyeballs and a collection of paper but also like. It's so surreal to have gone through the events of Clockwork Princess and to look up and realise... that nobody else had.

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  10. Those people don't know what they were missing with Clockwork Princess! :D

    Check out my TTT and my current giveaway

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    1. It definitely was a reading experience and a half, wasn't it? Reading it in class (um... bad habit of mine...) was probably a not ideal call but. I couldn't put it down.

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  11. I’ve heard horror stories about malaria pills. I had a teacher who said they made her sleepwalk. I guess sleepwalking is better than malaria.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Yeah, they're apparently rough... I wasn't expecting the side effects to be quite as pronounced as they were. Rather than sleepwalking (which sounds kind of scary, especially if you're in an unfamiliar place) I just... barely slept. I think I averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night? (Still. Better than malaria, and I'm glad I had them since I know that's a protection that isn't an option for a lot of people.)

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