Do you have trouble retaining what you read?

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Kiara123
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Re: Do you have trouble retaining what you read?

Post by Kiara123 »

So I'm not the only one!

It sure is frustrating. Remembering what I read, amongst many other activities that I do, isn't easy anymore :(
Despite that, what I'm fortunate about is that I almost always remember the emotions of the book, how i felt and even the impact it had. I'm not sure if I can explain it properly, but that's how it is. I don't remember the book as such, but the emotions last.
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Post by lily_kh87 »

Yes, I had this problem of forgetting quickly, that's why I decided to start writing on books and highlighting and I also created a document on my laptop to write a summary of each book and the most important points in it.
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bookworm_78
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Post by bookworm_78 »

I only have troubles retaining what I've read when I'm having a difficult time maintaining interest in the book. I can usually figure this out by the first or second chapter. I don't have any good coping advice for this though, because I still don't know just how to cope with it. It's frustrating.
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Post by MarisaRose »

I can relate to this on so many levels. I was just having a discussion with a coworker about "Girl on the Train" which I read almost two years ago now. I really couldn't remember much about the novel, other than a few characteristics of the main character and a very vague idea of the ending. I find because I read so much, not many novels leave a profound mark. Unless a book really touched me in some way (made me think outside the box, come to new revelations about a topic, or fall in love with a character) it's really hard for me to remember much about them.
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Post by Cowgirl888 »

Yes I do have trouble retaining what I read and it's very frustrating. I should have a journal of book titles with a short essay of them to help me remember.
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SparklingOne
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Post by SparklingOne »

I don't tend to forget about them right away, but can forget parts of a book especially if the content didn't blow me away particularly after a year or so. It will come back to me if I hear it being discussed usually though. You should probably keep a reading list, where you can also make notes about what you read to jog your memory.
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Post by Ama Idim »

I have trouble retaining that sometimes I read books over and encounter some part that leaves me wondering if I even read them the first time
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Post by Spontaneo »

I have trouble retaining scientific-type books, for example, fitness books by Dr. Cooper of the Cooper Institute.

If a book does not catch my attention from the beginning, I forget about it.

:)
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Post by vaz222 »

I have trouble remembering the books I read too. It's always possible to re-read it, especially if it was an enjoyable book.
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Post by Henrytbab »

Eggroll wrote: 21 Dec 2013, 17:20 And how do you cope with it? I find that even a month after I read a book, I only remember the main points, and even those begin to fade. My memory is getting pretty bad, and I'm not even old. I assume this is just something most people have, but it sure is frustrating. I tend to forget a book completely about 6 months after I read it :oops:
How long I will retain the contents depends on the technicality of the book.
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Post by Matlhodi Nozwayo »

It depends. If I am reading a textbook yes, I forget. Textbooks are meant to be studied anyway. But with any fun stories outside the class context, I do not forget at all. I usually struggle a bit with people's names but I get the hang of it if the names are mentioned often enough.
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Acha Blandine
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Post by Acha Blandine »

No I don't have problem in remembering what I read. Because if I love a book I read it over and over and again my teachers always group us the students to do exposers in class and he/sh will give us a particular book to read and teach other students also by removing the theme, styles and charactasation of the text so from there I hardly read a book and forget about it.
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Post by Doris Nwoti »

Sadly, I do and I don't like it.
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Post by stylesreview »

DATo wrote: 23 Dec 2013, 05:37 You know, something that no one has mentioned yet is how much LIKING the book impacts how much you retain. It occurs to me that there have been a few books which I enjoyed immensely and whose characters's names and details of the plot I have remembered all my life, but I must admit that for me such books are an exclusive minority.
Indeed. There's something about connecting with this type of books. I find that when I'm excited about a book I talk about it and recommend it a lot. Maybe that helps me remember it more, but the point is I will have enjoyed it immensely.
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Post by Oluwatosin Balogun »

I don't always have trouble retaining what I have read. It's funny as I can narrate every single thing about the book even months later. If the book is especially good, I read it again and again till I get bored.
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