One of the most memorable books I read as a teen is a book called "The Idea Factory: Learning to Think at MIT" by Pepper White. For a kid in the middle of nowhere, the opportunity to vicariously visit the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was no doubt an alluring one.
I remember the circumstances that led to me buying this book. Walking by the National Theatre, it is a given that you come across book vendors who lay out their goods on the ground - on a piece of bed sheet-sized fabric. You can look, turn a few pages, and see if there's any book that captures you. This one book had half of its front cover page torn straight down the middle. Either because of that disfigurement or despite it - not sure which - you can't ignore it. I picked it up and just knew I wanted to take it.
The style of writing was captivating. Even to this day, without ever reading that book a second time, I can recall the author's descriptions. The presentation makes it hard to forget and burns it in your mind. How the author described his internal struggles during the acceptance phases, the nagging thoughts to leave his life behind and head to the US, the way he described the architecture of the campus as he arrived, and how he felt impressed (and threatened) by the brilliant students in his first classroom - the story of the guy who quickly and systematically counted the number of students in the class, and so on.
Also, you read it once and it's a guarantee that you can never forget the description of tea leaves in a cup. How fluid dynamics makes them go round and round. The words were enough but that one even had a diagram as a bonus.
I would actually consider it an achievement if one ever reads and manages to forget George R. R. Martin’s description of the Temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis. Or that of J. R. R. Tolkien’s description of Minas Morgul.
Good writing is like that. It sticks effortlessly and builds a permanent home for itself in your mind. If it is really good, it's not going to give you a chance to fight it.