Instant Memory: How to Improve Memory Instantly! (The INSTANT-Series)

(2014). Instant Memory: How to Improve Memory Instantly! (The INSTANT-Series). NY: Instant-Series Publication.

Adult / YA / Self-help / Informational

I gave this book 3 of 5 stars

CURRENTLY $0.99 ON AMAZON!

"The good news is that the quality of our memory is not set in stone the moment we are born." -- Instant Memory: How to Improve Memory Instantly

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          I just finished reading Instant Memory and liked the content and the practical information provided. The quick read -- it's just 40 pages or so and has lots of white space -- reminds readers that the brain is a muscle and must be exercised to keep it at its healthiest. As promised, the book provides memory tricks and methods that have been around as long as the hills and are effective. I immediately tried the Mind Palace Method and the Chunking Method (to memorize a list and an account number, respectively) and found that these methods really worked! A third method, the Peg Method and its various iterations, wasn't as effective for me and felt more like it was just an extra level of memorization, so I lost interest in that one; however, it may work for others. The book also offers reminders of basic memory boosters that readers often forget about in their harried lives: paying full attention, avoiding multitasking, engage all of your senses, and visualizing, to name a few.  

          Unfortunately, the book is full of writing errors, which is problematic for me. There are punctuation errors and agreement errors, which many can overlook, but there are also some sentences that don't make sense at all, and other phrasings (like in many sub-headings) that are awkwardly written and/or have random, distracting question marks at the end. It is not that the book is written too informally -- I'd be okay with that -- it's that the book is not well written; hence the 3 stars.  A thorough, professional editing would go a long ways in taking this book to the next level and raising the quality and clarity.   

          There are bunches of books in the Instant Series, with topics ranging from speed reading to meditation. Click here to check out their website.  

          Thank you to the publisher, who provided me a free eBook copy in exchange for my honest review --- the only kind I give.  

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