Discuss: Book amnesia

Reading series has plenty of positive sides. You get more of the world the author created, more from the characters you love so much etc…

But series can sometimes have a negative aspect too. The wait for the next book can drag for months or even a year. And that’s how you forget what happens in the previous book(s)… I usually have a bad memory when it comes to details. I don’t forget everything, but I never remember enough to continue with the next book immediately. And the even weirder thing I remember the feelings I had while reading the book better than the plot line itself. Which is rarely a help. I’m weird, right?

Diving into the next book in a series and hope for the best is what I used to do. But 90% of the times that ended up me being frustrated. Sometimes the author recaps at the beginning of the books and that’s very helpful. But not all authors do this (which is such a shame)! The worst thing is when the main characters talks/thinks about that one little thing that supposedly happened in the previous book and you. just. can’t. remember. You’re internally praying to the author to give a damn hint, but that rarely happens. It’s the worst e-v-e-r.

Anyway, that’s why I usually end up leaving that sequel I’ve been waiting for impatiently on my tbr pile. So yes, book amnesia is a real thing, you guys and it’s not fun. I’ve been trying to work on this problem, but it’s not easy! That’s why I wanted to write this post. To share the tips I have and to see if you don’t have anything else that can help me and probably a bunch of other readers too!

Tip one: Reread the previous book

This is the most obvious thing you can do. Rereading books is the best way to really get into the world of the series, to get attached to that one character again etc.

PRO: most efficient way; CON: time consuming, the book might not be as good as you remember

Tip two: Take notes

As I blogger, I always try to be mysterious and spoiler-free in my reviews. And that’s absolutely NO help when you’re trying to figure out what happened in the first book 😀 That’s why it’s helpful to write in short sentences or key-words what happened in a little notebook. Doesn’t have to pages long, but just a few lines can be very helpful to remember what happens. Once you finish the book, stick your little note at the end of the book.

PRO: easy to do; CON: you might not remember enough if you just write down the essential

Tip three: Recaptains

If you don’t feel like losing time taking notes for some reason, then you can read recaps of other readers. For example on: Recaptains.  This is a site that’s being run by a bunch of readers who write summaries of books. This blog is HEAVEN when the series you want to continue is available!

PRO: perfectly detailed; CON: there’s isn’t a summary available for all the books

Tip four: binge read the series

If you have enough patience, you can wait until all the books are out in the series until you start with the first book. For me this is a no-go, but it seems that a fair amount of readers are doing this! I think this can be handy for trilogies, but not for longer series. Especially when you know that you will like it and the author is still not finished writing the last books. For example with the Throne of Glass series. Would you be able to wait until books are published while reading all those awesome reviews? 😀

PRO: you’re completely into the series; CON: you need to have a LOT of patience!

Tip five: tab your book

Use tabs while reading books! I think this is the most quickest way to highlight important things while reading. You don’t have to write anything down and you can do it immediately without losing any time. If you’re like me and like to tab favorite quotes while reading, just use different colors for things you want to remember! For example: one colored tab for the swoon worthy line my book boyfriend said and another for an unexpected clue in a murder case. Be inventive! 😉

PRO: super easy and quick; CON: you might run out of tabs 😀

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So what about you? Do you also suffer from “book amnesia”?

If yes, I hope at least one of these is helpful. And in case you have any other tip, I’d be glad to read about it in the comments! 😉