Memorable Passage

“If you take a book with you on a journey," Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, "an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it... yes, books are like flypaper—memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.”

~Inkheart, Cornelia Funke

This passage stands out to me every time I read this book. I think I remember it so well because it's true and very easy to relate to. Every time I read a book, I feel like those memories stay in the book. Then, when I open it again, I remember exactly what I was doing while I was reading those words. One of my favorite books contains a memory from when I was traveling through the Catskill mountains. I remember the song that was playing, and the cool feel of the mist drifting in through the windows. Inkheart itself calls to mind the taste of rich dark chocolate with hints of zesty oranges, and People of the Wolf reminds me of warm sun and cool winds in Wyoming, sitting in my hammock on the top of a gorgeous bluff over a lake. Forever in my mind, certain memories and certain passages from books will be forever linked together. When I read this, I just remember thinking, "Yes. This is it. That's exactly what happens, this is perfect." I was so happy to finally see that in words, because I'd always felt it but was never able to explain the phenomenon. Maybe you've noticed before how a book will get thicker every time you read it. The pages somehow seem to expand out, and spaces grow between them each time you read it. This is because of the memories caught and pressed between the pages, there for you to find again and again among the words of the book.