Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Happy 10th anniversary to Top Ten Tuesday! I decided to do the July 23, 2018 topic entitled Books That Are Linked to Specific Memories/Moments In Your Life.
I haven’t reread any of these books in years, so my memories of all of their plot twists is fuzzy. If any of you read them, I hope you like them!
1. Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis
The Memory Attached to It: Sitting in the backseat of my parents’ car late one night while we were driving home from a long road trip. Mom read this book to me while my younger siblings slept next to me. I couldn’t wait to find out if Brighty would survive all of his dangerous adventures and kept begging her to read just one more chapter.
2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Memory Attached to It: Sitting on the hammock on my parents’ back porch on a muggy summer day. (I think my dad might have been travelling that week and hadn’t been able to install our window air conditioner yet?) It was too hot for even mild physical activity like a walk, so I slowly drank unsweetened mint tea while reading this book.
3. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
The Memory Attached to It: Sitting in my grandparent’s basement while eating crisp saltine crackers, drinking a deliciously cold can of cola, and trying to stay as cool as possible on that hot summer day. My grandparents use something called a swamp cooler, so while there is some relief from the heat you still don’t want to run around too much in their house when the temperatures and humidity soar. Quiet activities are best. I really don’t enjoy heat waves, so maybe that’s why they’re playing such a prominent role in today’s post.
4. The Kind of Girl I Am by Julia Watts
The Memory Attached to It: Sitting down to a hot, filling lunch after running around for five straight hours at work. I was famished and exhausted. It was such a relief to eat again, feel the aching in my feet temporarily reduce, lose myself in a book, and enjoy some peace and quiet before jumping back into the fray for the rest of my shift.
5. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
The Memory Attached to It: A coworker asked what I was reading and was a little surprised by the fact it was a romance novel. I had the reputation of being the resident science fiction and horror expert, but everyone needs to expand their horizons sometimes!
I love a book that brings you warm fuzzy memories. My top one would be Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. My Dad would sit in the hallway between my brother’s room and mine, reading this a chapter at a time, as our bedtime story.
Oh, that’s lovely!
I love this idea! It was so nice to read all the memories you have attached to these books. I definitely have these memories surrounding Harry Potter when my parents read them to me as bedtime stories:)
My TTT: https://moonlitbooks.home.blog/2020/06/23/tttfavouriitebooks/
Thank you very much. What a nice thing for your parents to do for you.
Such a fun idea for this post! I love how we can have some vivid memories of reading books, even if we don’t always remember the details of the book itself 🙂
Thank you.
What a great topic. I have read some books by Toni Morrison, “The BLuest Eye” is still on my wishlist. But I love her books, as you can see in the link.
My TTT.
Thanks! I think you’ll really like The Bluest Eye.
So nice how certain books bring back memories so clearly – even the smell sometimes. Great post!
My TTT: https://basedonthebook.blogspot.com/2020/06/books-i-would-definitely-watch-as.html
For sure!
I love this topic and your answers! I haven’t read any of these books although Morrison’s book is on my (endless) TBR. I love looking back on certain books and recalling the memories of events surrounding it. Great post!
Thank you very much. The Bluest Eye was excellent. I think you’d love it.
Aww it’s lovely to be able to link books with specific memories 🙂
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/23/top-ten-tuesday-269/
Thank you!
Aren’t these fun memories? I felt like I was right there with you, especially with Brighty. It makes me think a good prompt for TTT might be Books That Were Read Aloud to Me. It might bring a lot of great memories.
Thank you. And, yeah, that’s a great idea for a prompt. You should totally submit it if you want to.
What a great way to make the prompt personal. And how wonderful to have such memories tied to the books.
Thanks a lot!
LOVE this idea for today’s list. I might copy it if I can’t think of one of my lists to revisit….with your permission, of course!
Yes, please do! I’d love to read it.
I went a different direction, but there’s a freebie week coming up in July. 🙂
Cool!
Great post! Your mention of Brighty prompts a memory in me as well: I remember enjoying looking at the cover of that one, and I know it was on our bookshelf. What I don’t know is if I ever read it! 🙂
Oh, that’s so cool!
Fun post! My one memory of Brighty of the Grand Canyon is that my older sister read it a lot, and I never did. 🙂
Oh, funny!
I love that you can tie books to such specific memories like this!
Thanks. 🙂
I love this topic and it inspires me to contemplate my own list!
Yay! I can’t wait to read it.
What a fabulous prompt – thank you for sharing these glimpses into your reading life.
I have very fond memories of The Body in the Library as the first adult mystery I read when I was about 12. I was stuck at my mom’s beauty shop with nothing to read so I picked it up. It was a nice change from Nancy Drew!
How cool!
I love this idea, kind of wish I would have done this. It’s amazing how many specific memories are attached to books we read! Great list!
Thank you. Feel free to steal this idea if you wish!
I don’t have memories attached to books I read but mostly because I can’t remember my surroundings when I read those books.
Like you I do sometimes try new genres because what is the point of reading if you don’t try new types of books once in a while?
Thanks for stopping by blog. Have a lovely day.
You’re welcome. 🙂
A good number of books that have given you great joy. I could only come up with one that fit the catagory.
Cool. I’ll come over and check out your list.
Great list! I remember having such fun with Tipping the Velvet, it’s such an exciting romp through Victorian England.
Yes, it was a ton of fun!
I love your memories! The Bluest Eye is still one of my faves 😀
I love this topic and I love remembering what I was doing or how I was feeling while reading a certain book!
Thank you. That’s awesome.
I really love this! It’s absolutely true that certain books evoke certain memories, and it’s lovely to see your list here.
Thank you very much.
This is such a fun prompt! It was nice to read all the memories you have with these books. I think one of my strongest memories is with the Shattered Realms series because my boyfriend (now husband) told me to read them because I reminded him of the protagonist. It was his subtle way of telling me that I was strong, beautiful, and that he loved me- so thinking of that series always brings a smile to my face.
Thank you very much.
What a nice memory you have of that series!
It was fun to hear how these books were linked to times in your life. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome.
I had to read The Bluest Eye in high school and it was one of the more miserable school reading units. The teacher did not make it a pleasant experience for anyone in class.
I’m sorry to hear that!
OOh I love the idea for this post! It’s funny how one can forget the actual content of the book but not the memories tied to the actual reading experience.
Thank you very much. I’m glad you liked it.
Great topic. I love bookish memories, and summer memories and when the two combine- even better lol! The C.S. Lewis one is awesome. 🙂
Thanks a lot!
They are all new to me, to be honest. But it is a wonderful idea to link some books to moments in your life. I do that with music songs. Happy reading and stay safe and well.
That’s lovely. 🙂
Interesting books! I didn’t read any of them. 🙈
I don’t have a lot of memory linked to books. Only summer time ones.
Happy Reading!
No worries, Nymeria. Thanks for stopping by.
Love this – what a wonderful way to reconnect with your memories!
Thank you very much.
This is such a cool idea for a topic! I don’t think I did this one originally. It’s always nice when a book brings a nice memory with it. 🙂
Feel free to borrow it if you need inspiration!
Great idea for a topic! I’m pretty sure I haven’t done this one
Cool. 🙂 And thanks.
Whoa, interesting topic. Well, most of memories regarding reading is I enjoy read when I was on the way going to school. So, I read it at most of public transportation.
That’s a good use of your time when on public transportation!
I almost had CS Lewis’s Narnia series as one of my top 10 re-reads, but it isn’t one I go back to anymore, ever. Thanks for visiting my Top 10 Tuesday post at Lisa Loves Literature earlier!
You’re quite welcome. Yeah, I haven’t reread that series in ages either. I loved it as a kid, though.
I didn’t hear about Brighty until I visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. My MIL, who’s a retired elementary school librarian, told me the story. Maybe I should read it since I live in Arizona and have gone to the Grand Canyon multiple times. Thanks for the idea!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Aww, that’s lovely. I hope you like it if you read it.
Love your topic pick. And the memories associated with the hot summer days on the porch and in the basement speak to so many of my own memories. So your nostalgia sparked my nostalgia even though I haven’t read any of these books.
That’s so cool! I’m glad I could do that for you.
Heat waves are unbearable. Reading is a good activity when it’s too hot.
Here’s my TTT list.
Absolutely!
This is a great pick for this week! I will have to save this topic and revisit it some time myself. It’s neat how certain books are tied to places and times in life!
Yay! I look forward to reading your version of it.
What a great topic! I haven’t read any of these. I have so many memories linked to books…
Thanks a lot.
I love the idea of combining books with your memories! 🙂
Such a great post!
Thank you!
I loved reading these beautiful memories. 🙂
Aww, thanks. 🙂
This is a great idea for a topic. I think Tipping the Velvet may be the one Sarah Waters book I haven’t read yet.
Thank you. It’s a great story!
Loved reading this!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Thanks. 🙂
I like the memory of your mum reading to you in the car — and, not to mention, you are a very evocative writer yourself!
Aww, thanks. What a beautiful compliment.
This is an awesome topic! I think I remember every book I read on camping or hiking trips. Being in the woods with no distractions seems to make books stick in my mind.
Thank you very much. And, yes, reading books on camping and hiking trips is so distraction-free!
I almost chose this topic, as well! I love when I have specific memories tied to specific books. Most of mine are books I read while on vacation. I read Till We Have Faces in college, so I have memories of reading it in my dorm room. Great topic! <3
Oh, how cool. And glad you liked Till We Have Faces.
What a lovely spin on the TTT theme! I love this… I have made a note and I might just be a copy cat in a future post. Promise to link you up.
Books with memories, how special. You really have me reminiscing here!
Thanks for visiting my blog, here’s my Wednesday Wisdom to cheer up your Wednesday!
PS: Your blog is lovely and your content even more so.
Thank you for your kind words. You made my day.
I can’t wait to read your version of this post!
These are awesome memories and thanks for sharing them because I really enjoyed reading them. I’m not one for really hot temps either. I had some more I could have added to mine but didn’t want to make the post too long. I can see doing this topic again some day.
You’re welcome. I hope you do revisit this topic someday!
I loved that TTT topic. I often find that books with particular memories attached to them are my favorites. The Brighty memory is so sweet. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.
You’re quite welcome.
I love that so many of your memories take place in the hot summer sipping tea or eating! This is a fun top ten, I should do it too:-)
Heh, thanks! And I hope you do grab this topic and do it.
I want to congratulate you on this post, because some of these memories are so evocative I almost feel like I’ve experienced them — which reminds me of why I love memoirs about one’s reading life — but currently I’m just squealing over the fact that you’ve not only got Marguerite Henry on your list, but it’s Brighty! I (obviously) love a lot of her books, but this one is an absolute 5-star childhood fave too. And that is such a sweet memory to attach to it.
Aww, thanks. What a beautiful compliment.
What other Marguerite Henry books would you recommend?
I love your choice of prompts, and it was fun getting to read your memories surrounding these books! Here’s to many more bookish memories. 😉
Thank you very much!
It’s so cool how a book can conjure up such vivid memories from our lives. I remember loving reading all of the posts for this topic back in 2018 so it was nice to revisit it with your post. 🙂
Thank you very much.
I often go to the same places and have a reading list for the trip. There are two for me.
On a hillside near Eglwysbach, Wales, reading On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin on a warm spring day. (I had also read a chapter at the top of Snowdon).
In Edinburgh, reading Justified Sinner by James Hogg, which is the ultimate Edinburgh book in my opinion. Began playing the audiobook in Greyfriars kirkyard just before dawn and I was listening to the audiobook on Arthur’s Seat as a huge fight broke out between two charachters, on Arthur’s Seat!
Another time, I was listening to Exit Music by Ian Rankin when a murder took place on the street I was walking down! But my walk to the Episcopal cathedral was done successfully without any real person being murdered.
Oh, that’s so cool! I’ll keep an eye out for those books.
I haven’t read any of these, but I love the posts doing special meaning books. Hope you had fun going down memory lane!
Lisa Loves Literature’s TTT
Thanks a lot.
I am really loving all the creative ways I have seen people celebrate TTT’s 10th birthday. Great list!
Yes, there were some awesome responses. Thanks for stopping by.
Lydia, I love how we picked the same topic 😃 I also love how a lot of reading memories are linked to hot, sultry weather for you. If I had mentioned weather in my choices, they would probably be linked with dark nights and raining days 😅
Isn’t it awesome?! And dark nights/rainy days are perfect for reading.
Great list! It’s always lovely hearing about the memories people connect to certain books 😊
I’m so glad you liked it.
Such a lovely idea!
Thanks!
Seeing this C.S. Lewis book on your list reminds me, I have yet to read the rest of the Narnia books, but I’d really like to! Should remedy this soon. Great topic, too. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting Finding Wonderland last week, Lydia.
You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy the rest of the Narnia books!
It was lovely reading your memories and how they were linked to these books! Thank you for sharing!
You’re very welcome.