Despite the fact that this is the Unforgettable Bookish Memories Tag I found some of these questions hard to answer than others, and by some I mean the first two. My memory is terrible, and the first book ever read to me was read to me a long long time ago. I was tagged by The Orangutan Librarian. Thanks for the tag, I had a lot of fun answering the questions for this one so I hope you enjoy reading my answers just as much.
No. 1: The first book you ever read (or was read to you)
I can’t remember, and this is really bad but I honestly can’t remember. The first book I can remember reading is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but I know it wasn’t the first book I ever read or that was ever read to me.
I used to have a Bumper Book of Fairytales, it was massive and at one point the book actually fell apart it was that well read, but I know this is what would have been read to me. My parents would read the stories to me and eventually I read the stories myself (it’s possibly the reason I love fairytale retellings so much).
No. 2: The first book you ever brought with your own money
Again I can’t remember the first book I brought with my own money but the first book I can remember buying with my own money is Mean Spirits and Young Blood by Meg Cabot. Yes this is two books but I brought both of them at the same time, I actually only had the money for one but because I wanted both (this was a favourite series of mine at the time) I brought both.
No. 3: A book you stayed up all night reading
The last book I stayed up late reading (not all night, but later than I should have considering I had work the next morning) was Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Considering how excited I was for its release I’m not surprised I couldn’t put it down until the last page.
No. 4: What book or series will you never forget
My favourite standalone book is The Night Circus and I think that has to be the answer for this question. Even when I forget some of the smaller details that happen I’ll never forget the magic that I feel when I read it and explore the circus through Erin Morgenstern’s writing.
No. 5: A book you frequently think about
The books that tend to stay with me longer than any other are magical realism books. There’s something about the stories, the characters, the lyrical way they’re written that I just can’t forget, and for me the best of the best is When the Moon Was Ours. It’s an all-time favourite of mine.
No. 6: A scene that has haunted you for years after reading it
The last page of The Book Thief. No matter how many times I read it the last few paragraphs, narrated by Death, never fail to give me shivers.
“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn’t already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words so damning and brilliant.
None of those things, however, came out of my mouth.
All I was able to do was turn to Liesel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said it to the book thief and I say it now to you.
A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR
I am haunted by humans.”
No. 7: An unforgettable character
Maybe this is cliché but it’s cliché for a reason so I’m going to say Hermione Granger. She was a character I loved in Harry Potter and I wanted to be just like her; not so much in terms of her being a witch (although I would have loved that) but in terms of how smart she was.
No. 8: A book that changed your opinion about something
While my favourite genre is fantasy my second favourite is contemporary, and the book that opened me up to that genre is Just Listen. It was the first YA contemporary book I read, the first one I loved so so much, and even now Sarah Dessen is a favourite contemporary author of mine.
No. 9: Share another random bookish memory
I mentioned this a little earlier in my post but my memory is reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the first time.
It was the end of my family holiday, and me, my parents and my sister had just popped in to say goodbye to my great aunt before driving home that evening. My parents gave me a hardcover copy of Goblet of Fire (which I still have sitting on my bookshelves, slightly worse for wear now) as I was getting into the car. I started reading straight away and as it got darker and darker out and I was forced to read chapter by chapter under the light of the streetlights my parents told me to put the book away before I damaged my eyes.
I think eventually I fell asleep in the backseat of the car, I didn’t get to the end of the book before then I’m not that fast a reader.
So can you remember the first book you ever read or the first book you brought with your own money, or is your memory as terrible as mine is? What scene is going to haunt you for years to come? Let me know.
I also love fairy tales because I was brought up on them 😀 And Meg Cabot was the first author whose books I bought too! I couldn’t put down Obsidio either!! 😀 Night Circus is a wonderful standalone and I’m really curious about when the moon was ours. Book thief is so haunting. I love your story about reading Goblet of Fire!
awesome post! 😀 ❤
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It’s hard to look past that sense of nostalgia that comes with some we grew up with right?
Did you love Obsidio?! 😀 Definitely read When the Moon Was Ours ASAP, it’s incredible, and both The Book Thief and The Night Circus are brilliant.
Thanks so much! 🙂 ❤
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hehe absolutely!!
I absolutely did!!
You’re welcome 🙂 ❤
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I have no idea what the first book that was read to me was. My mother read me soooo many things since I was very young, so there is seriously no way for me to even try and guess which book was the first one. (I don’t think even my mother would remember such a detail.) 😀
It’s the same for me when it comes to the last page of The Book Thief. Ever since I have read that book I can’t stop thinking about it, particularly the last line.
Amazing post Beth! ❤ 🙂
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See I think that’s something positive as well, that reading was such a big part of your life growing up that you couldn’t even guess what the first book read to you was. 🙂
Yes, there are some endings that stay with you and The Book Thief is one the ultimate unforgettable ones. I’m never going to forget it.
Thanks so much Anna. 🙂 ❤
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I stayed up waay later than I should have reading Obsidio–it was a Monday night and I was ugly crying for so long…needless to say Tuesday was a rough morning xD
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I’ve had days like that too. It’s always worth it at the time, staying up too late reading, but then work rolls around the next morning and you wonder why you thought it would be a good idea. 🙂
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Not my first book but I read The Half-Blood Prince before The Philosopher’s Stone. i wasn’t aware of the Harry Potter hype back then!
I’ve been hearing a lot of people raving about the Night Circus but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. When The Moon Was Ours sounds beautiful! I’ll have to check it out!
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Oh really? Were you able to follow the story all right? Reading book six before book one I mean?
Both are amazing The Night Circus is my favourite standalone book ever, and When the Moon Was Ours is my favourite magical realism book so both are well worth a read. 🙂
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I loved Meg Cabot when I was little and especially the illustrations she used for series. Did you read Avalon High too? Arthurian legend in modern day High School? I WAS SO IN!!
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Meg Cabot was teen-me’s favourite author, I couldn’t get enough of her books! 🙂
Yeah I think I did read Avalon High, I can vaguely remember it but it hadn’t stuck in my mind the same way her Mediator books have (they were my all-time faves!)
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I totally get it! There’s always that one thing that just fits with us 😀
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Ah, I love this! It makes me super glad to hear you stayed up (almost) all night reading Obsidio, I’m so hyped for it and I’m really hoping I love it! I remember staying up reading Illuminae for the three days/nights I was reading it, it was SO engaging and I just had to know what happened next.
And yes, for some reason, When the Moon Was Ours has made a home in my memory? It’s just so soft and beautiful, and I can’t even pinpoint why I love it so much. And aagghh I LOVE that quote from The Book Thief — it makes me want to pick it up again after having to put it on hold.
Great post, Beth! ❤
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Ha, yeah I read quite quickly so I didn’t need to stay up all night but I didn’t go to sleep until I had finished it, that was dedication. There’s something about that series you just can’t put down.
I feel like when it comes to magical realism there’s a lot about the stories that stay with you. It’s just a beautiful genre right? The Book Thief is another beautiful story, though heartbreaking as well. I hope you do get to pick it up again May.
Thanks so much. 🙂 ❤️
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I can see some of my favourites here! I stayed up all night reading Obsidio too, and The Night Circus was honestly such a magical ride 🙂 I’ve heard so many great things about When the Moon Was Ours, adding it to my TBR asap
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A series that epic I don’t think there are many people who wouldn’t have done the same. Definitely magical, and oh When the Moon Was Ours is amazing. It’s an all-time favourite of mine so I’m sure you’ll love it too. 🙂
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The Book Thief is definitely one of those unforgettable books, the final line still give me chills! Sarah Dessen’s books also changed my opinion to contemporary, but my gateway book was The Truth About Forever 🙂
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Yeah it’s one of those quotes that’s stayed with me so long I almost don’t need to look it up to quote it. Oh The Truth About Forever was my friends gateway book, and still her favourite by Sarah Dessen (it’s my second favourite!)
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This is such a fun tag, Beth, but damn these questions are hard to answer, I wouldn’t remember the first book I bought or the first book read to me, either, haha. Hermione is such a great choice, I love her so much and oh, I really need to read McLemore books at some point, they sound absolutely FANTASTIC and I can’t wait to read them 😀
Lovely post! 🙂
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Oh they really were, I can’t say I’m sure the books I picked are the correct ones but I can’t remember otherwise. 🙂
Definitely do, like as soon as you get a chance. I feel like I can pretty much guarantee you’ll love her books, she’s probably my favourite magical realism author.
Thanks so much Marie. 🙂 ❤️
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The first book I remember being read to me was a beautifully illustrated copy of ‘The Little Matchgirl’, and the first book I read on my own was a big green book of four fairytales- Snow White, Rumplestiltksin, Cinderella, and one other that I can never remember. My dad read the first one to me, and then taught me how to read using the second, so they’re books that stick with me, even though I doubt I could pick them off a bookshelf now.
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I feel like for most people fairytales have to be the first book read to them/they pick up. Do you still have your illustrated edition of The Matchstick Girl, and the four fairytales? One of my biggest regrets is that I got rid of my bumper book of fairytales. I think it’s great you have such clear memories of those books, and learning to read as well. My memory is terrible so I’m only about 90% sure the books I picked are the correct ones! 😀
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Sadly, I don’t have those books anymore. I don’t know what happened to The Matchstick Girl, but I’m pretty sure the four fairytale book fell apart after two or three generations of steady reading.
Reading with my dad when I was little is one of my favorite memories of all. I’m so happy I still have it after all this time!
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Oh that sucks, but yeah that’s what happened to my fairytale book, after so many re-reads it fell to pieces and we had to chuck it.
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What a cute tag! I can’t remember my first book that I read or had read to me. I think it might have been a Dr. Seuss book (possibly Cat in the Hat) but I’m sure my mom read something to me before that LOL. My cousin’s first purchase was also a Meg Cabot book, from the Mediator series as well! I think mine was Pendragon yay D.J. McHale or The BFG by Roald Dahl. Who wouldn’t stay up all night reading Obsidio. It’s just too amazing not too. And could never forget The Night Circus, now can we?? I really need to read The Book Thief. It sounds heartbreaking but also so lyrical and meaningful. That quote gives me shivers.
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It’s a hard question to answer isn’t it? Especially when it was probably so many years ago for so many of us. 🙂 You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually read a Dr. Seuss book (kinda missed the boat on that now I’m sure.)
Ha, yay another Mediator fan, and I couldn’t put Obsidio down even if I tried. I needed to finish it so I’d know how one of my favourite series ended. The Book Thief is incredible Azia, definitely pick it up when you have a chance, I’m sure you won’t regret it. 🙂 ❤️
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Oh really?! That’s so interesting. But that’s okay! If ever you feel like it, I recommend you read Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham. Both are classics and are great fun, no matter how old you are 😀
Yeah, I missed the boat on Mediator, but I got down with her 1-800-Where Are You series, which was fantastic. And I definitely hope to read Book Thief some day. I’m sure I won’t regret it either 😀 ❤
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I’ll keep both in mind, and you never know as a mood reader I can never be sure what books I’ll pick up from one day to the next. 🙂
Oh I read her 1-800-Where Are You series and really enjoyed it too, but her Mediator books were by far my faves! 😀
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It seems the Mediator series is an all-around favorite so I’ll definitely have to get on that one day! 😀
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I’d definitely recommend it, it’s an old series sure but a classic! 😀
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I don’t think I could remember an answer to those questions at the beginning. I usually go with The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe as the first book read to me, but I know it definitely wasn’t. I also don’t remember the first book I bought with my own money, but it was probably by Lurlene McDaniel–I was obsessed with her books!
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Yeah, it was harder than I thought, and honestly I’m only about 90% sure the books I chose are the correct answers for those questions. 🙂
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was an early read for me too, but for some reason I have a clearer memory of reading The Silver Chair and The Magicians Nephew more than that one. 🙂
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This is such a fun tag and I loved reading your answers. I am definitely still haunted by The Book Thief! I really need to read The Moon Was Ours. I love her writing!
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Thanks so much. 🙂 The Book Thief is such a standout book right? And oh I hope you love When the Moon Was Ours, it’s an incredible book. 🙂
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That final scene of The Book Thief haunts me too! Which is ironic, considering the last line of the book 😀
Aww, that’s such a sweet memory about Goblet of Fire! I actually remember doing something very similar with Half Blood Prince!
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Ha, yes it is. Still it goes to show how iconic that scene is that so many people are haunted by it, kind of appropriate given the topic of the book as well I guess.
A lot of my bookish memories are Harry Potter related, just because it’s was such a huge part of my life growing up. 🙂
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You are not alone, I can’t remember the first book read to me either haha! & I actually pride myself in having great long term memory, it’s the short term that’s terrible. First book I ever purchased had to have been a James Patterson book cause I was obsessed with them in another lifetime smh. Also, Young adult wasn’t really as big as it is now so that’s most likely the reason for that. Hermione will forever be unforgettable as is The Goblet of Fire, great answers Beth! ❤ ❤ ❤
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It was such a long time ago, I can barely remember what I brought last month let alone that many years ago! 😀
Oh I have a terrible short term and long term memory, but yeah I still remember when YA wasn’t that big, it seemed to grow massively as a genre with Twilight right?
Yes definitely, and thanks Lilly! 🙂 ❤️
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