I occasionally find myself rereading a book without realizing that I've read it before. The title won't ring a bell so I'll start reading it and then realize that I've read it before. The logical thing to do would be to put the book down and choose another, but more often than not I'll realize that I don't remember a damned thing about it, particularly how it ended. This phenomenon is limited to books of popular fiction. It never happens with "serious literature". Furthermore, there are some authors whose work seems to stick in my mind clearly while others' tend to get foggy. For example, within the horror/occult mystery field, I can clearly recall the basic story line and outcome of every Stephen King novel I've ever read, but Peter Straub's books fade from memory pretty quickly. It takes second readings to place them firmly in memory.

Bruce