It’s usually smell, isn’t it?  That mighty, mighty memory trigger.  But, interestingly, for me, the biggest connectors I have are audiobooks and locations; that is, a story that I listened to will forever be tied to the location where I heard it.

* If I drive out to my friend Caitlin’s home, there is a place on the road that I can’t help but think of Going Bovine— and not only the book, but even a specific part.

* In the parking lot of the Super8 on 41st in Sioux Falls, I think of Perry and Aria from Under the Never Sky.

* Out by the DMV– not my usual one, but the special one where I have to get an updated MVR for work every year– I think of The Mortal Instruments.

* I think of Saving Francesca any time I drive out to Plymouth to meet my friend Elyse.

* If I even think of Watertown, South Dakota, I think not only of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, but also a specific part (highlight for spoiler: when Ron comes back and Hermione is so irate that Harry has to cast a shield charm between the two!).

It’s quite fascinating to me, honestly– I won’t even be thinking of a certain story at all, and then, like the flip of a switch, something about the location will trigger the memory of that story.  It’s a little like unwittingly driving right into a story.  And I quite love it.

Of course I do.

Which two things are tied together tightly in your mind?

Related posts:
Sometimes the audiobooks are better.
Things That Make Life Easier for Readers