Books I Loved... That I Wish I Remembered

     Apparently it’s one of the marks of getting older (as I steadily approach the age of twenty) that one remembers doing things, but can’t really remember anything about them. I’ve been noticing this recently, especially as it has applied to books (seeing as how I spent most of my childhood reading). Thinking back, I’ve compiled a list of ten books or series of books that I remember loving, but can’t really remember (this with varying degrees of fuzziness). So – I present the list in order of forgetfulness (10 being most remembered, 1 being least remembered). Here are my Top 10 Most loved, forgotten books:

#10: The Beatrix Potter Series, by Beatrix Potter 

 

The only one of these that I can even remotely recall is the one where Peter Rabbit steals from the farmer and loses all of his buttons. I remember the pictures being really pretty, though.

#9: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne

This one gets a little fuzzy because I find it hard to differentiate between what happened in the book and in the Disney movie (neither of which I remember with much clarity). All I know is that it took place on a submarine, there was a guy named captain Nemo, and there was a giant squid that ate some people, and Nemo tried to blow some place up.

#8: Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe

This was one of the best adventure books that I can remember reading. Actually, that’s not true. I don’t even remember reading this – but I know I did. I remember that it was about a shipwreck and this guy was alone on an island and there was rain and he had to build a shelter. He also had a run in with cannibals and named one of them Friday.

#7: The Little House on the Prairie Series, by Laura Ingalls-Wilder

I don’t remember much, collectively speaking, about these at all. There may be a reason for this. I used to enjoy them – then one day, when I did something wrong, my mom made me analyze Laura and Mary as examples of good behavior. I believe that those several instances may have fostered a seed of resentment, and I have never read them since.

#6: Timeline, by Michael Crichton

I absolutely loved this book when I read it, and I loved the movie. That being said, I can only remember the first chapter with any clarity whatsoever. After that, I think it’s about people who go back in time and find out that the middle ages weren’t like what they thought and one man has his ear cut off and marries Joan of Arc (but don’t quote me on that).

#5: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

Some classic images stayed with me (i.e. The whitewashed fence scene), but overall, I can’t remember what happened in this book other than it was fun, and it made me want to climb trees.

#4: White Fang, by Jack London

I remember this being about a wolf/dog that pulled a sled. I may also be confusing this with Balto. I also learned from this that burrowing in the snow will keep you warm if it is cold.

#3: Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery

I remember the names of about three characters, and that’s it. I also remember being very inspired by this book, and the cartoon which I watched. That actually makes my lack of memory stranger. I watched an Anne of Green Gables T.V. show and I have to memory of what happened.

#2: The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

The cover of this book tells me that it is also about dogs… I was only vaguely aware of this fact. All I remember is like this mental picture I have of the setting, which may or may not belong to this book. There was like a dirt circle where people boxed, and like a Spartan Alaskan outpost house. Also, there was snow.

#1: Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott

This is the strangest one. I remember reading it. I remember where I was when I read it. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever. I could not tell you what it was about, at all.  I remember no character names, besides the title one (and I have been told that he’s hardly in it), I have no mental pictures, or anecdotal memories regarding the plot. I feel like there are some things standing on the edge of my memory, but I can’t quite reach them.

                

     So, it seems that old age fast approacheth! These books that I loved are only a few of the many that I have read. I’m not really sure how many books I’ve forgotten completely! Still, the feelings surrounding the books listed here have stuck with me and I now have a strong urge to go and rediscover why these books made me feel the way that they did :)