It’s no secret we love celebrating holidays here on OOM. Today is Memory Day, so we thought it would be the perfect excuse to share our favorite reading memories. From learning to read to seeing strangers reading our favorite book, literature has the ability to remain near and dear to a reader’s heart no matter his or her age.
My favorite reading memory is of my mother reading The Giving Tree to my older brother and me before bedtime. She had to buy two copies of the book so we could each have our own book while reading! We still have our copies today.
- Brittany says her favorite reading memories all involve Harry Potter! She remembers anxiously waiting by the mailbox for her pre-ordered copy to arrive and then having her dad read ahead to tell her if there were any scary parts.
- Michael read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for an entire day while he stayed on his college campus during the summer. He recalls reading in the empty college library and sobbing his eyes out after one of his favorite characters died (no spoilers here!). He said reading the book felt magical since he had the entire library to himself.
- Megan’s favorite reading memory is of her mother reading The Runaway Bunny to her. To this day, every time she sees the cover she gets teary-eyed and thinks of her mom.
- Emma’s memory comes from when she was commuting on the NYC subway reading an Anna Quindlen book. To her left someone was reading Jhumpa Lahiri and to her right, Mary Gordon. All of these books were written by Barnard alums, and needless to say, she never felt prouder of her alma mater than at that moment!
- Lia remembers locking herself in the linen closet to read. She would bring flashlights and burrow in huge stacks of comforters and just read for hours.
- During the summers of Morgan’s high school and college years, she worked at a clothing store on Long Beach Island. One late summer evening in college, she was alone in the store and realized someone had left behind a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. She hadn't yet read any Harry—she thought she was too old!—but she began reading. Morgan says she still remembers the noises from the island outside, the people walking by and the smell of salt air from the bay as she dove into the magical world. The rest is history!
- Nadia remembers her older sister reading Hop on Pop to her when she was little. To this day, both of them can still recite parts of the book!
What’s your favorite reading memory? Share it in the comments section below!
Image via somegeekintn
