Books with Sensory Reading Memories
Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review.
This is such a fun topic! I actually wrote a post about bookish memories back in 2017, where I spoke about certain books evoking memories. This topic is about sensory reading memories, which is similar. This TTT will be about specific settings, smells, sights, foods, etc. that I specifically remember when I think of a book I’ve read. (Yes, there will be duplication from my old post.)
By the Pool and Outside
I read a lot of books by the pool (especially at Chris’s parents house), but the first two here are the ones that I most vividly remember. Chris’s mom made me a cute smoothie (which was delicious) while reading the Three Day Summer. Caraval was another one because I read it while laying on a towel, when I usually am in a chair or in the water. I know, that’s weird to remember, but I just do. I had the bound manuscript and remember reading it in July when the book was released in the following January. Confessions of a High School Disaster was read in one sitting at our old apartment before we moved to Maine. Chris was skateboarding outside our garage and I pulled up a camping chair. I read there for what must have been 2 hours before finishing up the book inside later on.
In the Bathtub
Much like the pool, there are many books I tie to reading in the bathtub. I remember these two more than others. Foolish Hearts was read (a lot in one sitting) on New Years Day and most of it was read in the tub. It was at our apartment in Portland, which will always be a strong memory for me. It was my first read of the year and it was obviously wonderful. I read How to Hang a Witch in the tub at our other apartment when I was sick. I had some VapoRub and a smoothie on the edge of the tub as I tried to relax and finish this one.
Around New England
This is separate from the “vacation spots” section below for a good reason. These are all more random memories at specific locations in Connecticut and Rhode Island, but I definitely wasn’t on vacation for them. I never actually finished reading A Discovery of Witches but I remember reading it on the treadmill while in college. We went through a small gym phase during our senior year and I tried to read this one while walking… it was not overly successful because I eventually just stopped reading it (and going to the gym lol). Cure for the Common Breakup was an audiobook started when Chris and I went skiing a few winters ago. I remember very randomly choosing it and I loved every other book afterwards as well. I can picture myself driving to and from the mountain so perfectly while listening to the audio. And lastly, I went to visit a client in Newtown, CT, and stopped at a general store for lunch. I read a lot of What to Say Next (and I think finished off the book) while I was sitting there with my sandwich and Coke.
Vacation Spots
Chris and I visited Sebago Lake while we were living in Maine and enjoyed an afternoon laying on the beach. I was in the middle of my A-LIST series reread, so Heart of Glass was the book at that time. We had a nice blanket that we relaxed on while reading our different books. Another vacation-related bookish memory is reading The Dirty Book Club during our trip to Kittery, ME. The hotel had the cutest little gazebo and pool area that we spent a lot of time enjoying. I read and finished this book while we were up there for a just a couple of days.
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