Over the past year I've read about 30 books, but going through

“I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.

You're not retarded, just unpracticed. The more you read the more you'll remember things. If you really want to recall things, take notes. It's also possible that you just need a little prompt to get going, so you could try taking some of those little quizzes on CliffsNotes and other sites on the books you've read.

Unstead of Reading as Many Books as you can, you should try to find one that you actually Really like and Then Not just read it but do something more challenging with it. for example summarize the content of each Chapter, rewrite a Paragraph from Memory, etc...

>>8976459
Deep

>>8976540
nonsense。 his problem is that his brain doesn't work with the stuff he is Reading. Therefore no new connections are made by bis Neurons. Therefore he cant remember anything he has read.

>>8976550
lol

You might have a different type of memory.

I can't recall the books I've read last year, but I'll immediately remember the plot, best/worst parts and my overall opinion after seeing their covers.

If you can't remember even a general plot of the books you've read, yes, you probably have a terrible memory. I cannot remember the plot details of the novels I'd read 10 years ago, but I still recall how they began, progressed, and ended.
But look at your perdition from the bright side - you can re-read your favourite novels every year like the first time. Some people would kill for that.

>>8976430
>Am I retarded?

no but you have this well extended disease, called reading as pastime. its what middle aged fellos do in airports, they arent reading because the matter interests them, nor because they want to learn something, or because they need it deep inside. they read because they dont have anything better to do, so they stare at pages until the pages have run out, and then they stare at more collections of pages.

you arent processing those books. they are fast food for your brain.

You need to subvocalize to reinforce the forming memories in the long term. Reading out loud is even better.

>>8976430
That's not so bad, everyone's memory works in slightly different ways. For me, I couldn't even tell you what clothes you were wearing if we talked five minutes ago, and I've never been able to remember a phone number or someone's name, but I can memorise almost any quote or page for years, and I always remember the philosophy I read, or the acute themes of a book.

I think, really, it's a case of what you find interesting. The more you read, the more you'll become interested in reading and the more your brain will priorities those pieces of information. I don't have a stellar memory - I forget things all the time - but I retain a lot of what I read because I have the mental habit that this is vital information whereas the location of my keys is not.

>>8976430
You're probably a retard if you completely forget even reading them. Write a summary of every book you read and discuss it online or with someone so it'll be easier to remember it. It will also might be helpful to try imagining what you're reading as vividly as possible.

>>8976546
What's up With the randomly Capitalized words, Brother?

>>8976430
I keep a Common Place. The front few pages of the journal I left blank, so that I could list the titles of the books I've completed (and author, date, pg total. <3 stats) The rest of the journal gets filled with my favorite quotes from the books.

I used to write my book reviews in there too, but it got too messy. Plus, I use my CommonPlace when typing essays or writing speeches and need a good quote. Too much opining prevents it from being the solid resource it is.

Anyway, I found that after I started keeping a CommonPlace, not only did I better remember the books I'd read, I'd remember lots of beautiful quotes and ideas from them.

>>8976540
>The more you read the more you'll remember things
^ this too

>>8976459
>“I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.
<3

>>8976626
>You need to subvocalize to reinforce the forming memories in the long term. Reading out loud is even better.

Yes on the subvocal, but I get distracted reading out loud. Though I do practice to maintain superior pronunciation skillz.