I recall reading that in our 40s the brain begins to shrink. We lose memory. Well, I don’t really remember because I am way past that. So far that I qualify for the epithet of ‘an old fart’. You can imagine then how delighted I was when, in scrolling through my Kindle library I found not one, but two books titled .. .. ..
BRAIN Training.
Not new. I had probably read them before. But this old geezer must have forgotten. My initial excitement was destroyed when I read the foreword by Andy Stone. It read like it was written by a 70-year-old Chinese man who had learned a smattering of English when he was 7. Stupidly, I continued. The cover read ‘Limitless Brain Training Strategies . . .’ but it contained the usual mundane recommended exercises of Sudoku and crosswords. Recommended only. Not provided. The author purports, to ‘explode a few myths’ and very little else of any value. Limitless strategies and exploding myths in what Kindle shows as a 34 minute read? That is the only redeeming factor of the book. It is short.
More of the worst
But I raced on hopefully, at least as quickly as my decrepit frame allows, to the second BRAIN TRAINING book. Note the subtle difference in the title. Here it appears that the author was too embarrassed to put his name on the cover. It shows only in the Introduction. Thomas P Lester. By the time I got to the end I wished that Thomas had peed Lesser. Fortunately, 24 minutes is almost a toilet read. But if you do read it there, be warned – you might get constipated. He goes semi-medical in recommending brain food and supplements.
What does one do?
If you know nothing, absolutely zero, about improving your memory, you might benefit somewhat from these two books. But you might be bored, as I was. And frustrated.
I, like many readers, delight in re-reading some of my favourite books. I love, for example, the prose of Rafael Sabatini in his exciting adventure novels. I read those passages out loud just to feel the words flowing over my tongue, dripping off my lips and wafting into my ears. But these two pitiful nothings? Nooooo.
I hope that something got trained
If I learned anything from reading these two brain training (draining?) books it is that I must remember not to re-read them. I hope that it works this time because I have just re-read them. Damn my memory. I can’t even remember if I am really over 40.
