Exploring Mind and Memory

We have passed the middle mark of the summer and hopefully everyone has enjoyed their fair share of cookouts, afternoons on the beach, and sunny bike rides. This time of relaxation is an excellent opportunity to explore new interests. For that, we submit this series of books that we have put together on memory and the mind. The authors explore these introspective topics with wit and deep subject knowledge. These aren't ponderous books written by isolated academics, the following selections will introduce you to new ideas, skills, and ways of thought through a combination of anecdote and study.

A Very Short Tour of the Mind by Michael C. Corballis. The best place to start is with a tour, or 21 short vignettes about the human mind. Curious if we really only use 10% of our brain, or why it is easier to remember faces and not names? A Very Short Tour of the Mind is the perfect start to our longer tour of the mind.

Pieces of Light by Charles Fernyhough. Next we dive into memory, and the theory of psychologist Charles Fernyhough, "remembering is an act of narrative imagination as much as it is a neurological process". He takes the reader through his past memories to talk about memory how memory can change and how it can be recalled.

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer. Follow up the more narrative idea of memory with Joshua Foer as he dives into the subculture of mentalists and mental athletes. Foer learns about and implements ancient and modern memory strategies to participate in mental competitions as well as visiting those on both ends of the memory spectrum.

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Now that we are more cognizant of our thought processes, why not learn about our two modes of thought and decision making processes? Kahneman describes a slow, deliberate thought process and a quick, intuitive way of thinking (similar to Gladwell's Blink).

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. For the final book, we focus down to habit and explore the neurological basis and method of changing habits to become more productive. Duhigg uses case studies to elaborate of how to identify, understand, and alter bad habits.