Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Gray Hares

Well, I guess my memory ain't what it used to be.
Thank goodness I kept a diary for most of my early years...

At the library last week, I went wandering through the "classics" for a change.
And I found Watership Down by Richard Adams with a picture of a rabbit on the cover.

"Hey, I remember reading this in school for a book report."
Remembering that I liked it and that it had a happy ending, I checked it out.

Dug right into reading it.

Bunnies! Bunnies! Bunnies!
Wheeeeeee!

"Oh, I didn't remember that happening. "

"Hm. How long until the friendly family moves in?"

"Man, these words are pretty big and strange. Not at all like the stuff I liked to read.
Maybe I skipped a lot. That would explain why I don't remember so much. "

"ACK!!!! How come I don't remember anyone getting trapped in a snare?!? I'd have remembered THAT!"

I kept reading and reading waiting for something familiar to happen.
Waiting for the family... and the mole... and all the rest of the animals...

Now, 400 pages later I realize,
I've never read Watership Down ever in my life!

How can that be?
I can remember the book fair, and my mom going over the suggested reading list, how I simply HAD to read a Newberry Award winner...
And I look at the cover of Watership Down, and there's no mention of a Newberry Award, or any other kind of award...

But I remember reading this book!

So, off to Google I go.

Apparently, the book *I* read was Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson.

But aside from that...

I read 400 pages of a book I had never read before I realized I had never read it before.

How sad is that?
Isn't that almost mentally troubling?

Now I'm starting to wonder what other fabulous "memories" I have that never really happened.

4 comments:

loria said...

it is a weird and strange feeling. it's happened to me too.
so since you're readding the book, is it any good?

Thumbelina's Mom said...

Not exactly the same thing, but a few weeks ago I was watching Pride & Prejudice on the dish; I thought I had seen parts of it before and I wanted to see the whole thing. I kept thinking 'How come I haven't seen Hugh Grant yet? When does that girl fall down the hill and sprain her ankle?' And then finally, halfway through the movie, I realized it was Sense & Sensibility that I've been wanting to watch.

Hope you enjoyed your book!

Unknown said...

LOL. Can't say that that has happened, although some of my memories are skewed from say my children's.

Roses said...

jaj: That's pretty funny.

loria: Yeah, I'm enjoying it a lot... except for all the big, strange words...

tink: You should hear the husband and me trying to tell the same stories. My versions are usually more colorful, but not necessarily more accurate.