biblionesia pt II

The previous post was inspired by a few incidences recently that made me realize I have horrible recall skills when it comes to fiction. Like, I can't remember ANYTHING about books I have read, other than whether I loved or hated them.

One of my favorite books in the world is Peace Like a River. I read it three years ago, while in Peru. I was enthralled with it. I forced Wade to listen to passages I found "inspiring." I cherished it, but lost my copy somewhere. A few weeks ago, I spotted it in the dollar bookstore and snatched it up.

Some days later, I was creating a powerpoint book report as an example for my students and wanted to use Peace Like a River, only I couldn't remember a damn thing about it! I'm not talking detailed plot points; I couldn't even recall whether there were one or two main characters and whether they were kids or adults or boys or girls. So I felt retarded for while, and then chose a Bill Bryson book I've read three times. And heard the audio. (For that one I know the setting, the main characters, and maybe two or three scenes.)

One of my students just finished up To Kill a Mockingbird, which I definitely read and enjoyed and wrote several papers about. She kept asking me about this that and the other thing, but all I could help her on was that the son found some stuff in a hole in the tree. And Boo Radley is scary.

This weekend I had dinner with Wade after three long years of silence. I mentioned that I was reading this book, Peace Like a River, and I showed him the cover. He immediately recognized it and enthused, "Oh! That's the one from Minnesota! With the kid, and the horse, and the missing brother... Oh, Deens, you loved that book." And I swear, he rattled off seven more pieces of the plot as I stared at him blankly, his words just barely ringing a bell.

We are doing affixes now in class, and I have just named my affliction, "biblionesia."