Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: memory

  • Our Marvelous Memory

    Our Marvelous Memory

    The format of Our Marvellous Memory makes it easy to access for children of all ages. The large size and sturdy pages mean it can be read many times.

     Memory is “An inner store of information about who you are.” This includes all that you know and have learned and experienced and even things you have forgotten. This means that your memory will affect your thinking and behaviour. The interesting facts that follow are accompanied by illustrations to clarify each point.

    We learn that dogs, plants and jellyfish all have memories. Stored in the brain, when recalled, memories can have pieces missing. The author mentions how memories are encoded, processed conserved and evoked. There are different kinds of memories, short term, long term, visual memory, and echoic memory.

    The brain remembers best, repetition, unusual things and things that relate to powerful emotions. The brain is still largely unexplored, and the author suggests that children reading this book may wish to learn more. She gives suggestions for books to read.

    There is a table of contents at the back and information about the author. Words such as Amygdala are explained.

    Our Marvellous Memory is a marvellous, informative book, set out in such a way that children will be encouraged to browse and reread the pages.

  • Memories of Water and Light

    Memories of Water and Light

    The music of Scott Cossu fails to fit into any one specific category and so to that end, his works fits squarely to into what could be considered as Orphan Music or music that is fresh, vibrant and is absolutely and without doubt outside standard definitions.

    This is underpinned once again with his latest album Memories of Water and Light, dedicated to growing older, to appreciating as never before the healing powers of water and light in life. Throughout the collection there is a little bit of many styles of music, all drawn from his very eclectic musical background, a background built on an absolute love of music.

    With reviewing it is typical to attempt to describe several of the pieces as stand-alone tracks. On Memories of Water and Light to attempt to do this would be nothing short of madness, as each of the pieces is an amazing and wonderful blend of melodies, created from the sensitive blending of Cossu on piano, Holly Reeves on ‘cello and long-time friend and guitarist Van Manakas on guitar, flowing seamlessly, creating an appealing diversity.

    Early studies in the field of Ethnomusicology saw Cossu develop his individual style of world music, blending his love of Jazz and Classical music with Andean, African and Asian influences, which still holds true in this latest series of compositions.

    Several of the pieces were written for a specific purpose; the romantic Wedding Lanterns was created for his beloved daughters’ marriage. Ascending Angles, as the titles infers, is in memory of the many musicians and friends who have passed over recent years. Cerulean Eyes is for his life partner and wife Debbi.

    Ten tracks, ten gems and ten glorious pieces that offer something new and fresh filled with love, joy, hope, peace and reflection exquisitely presented each time Memories of Water and Light is enjoyed.

     

  • Diving for Seahorses: The Science and Secrets of Memory

    Diving for Seahorses: The Science and Secrets of Memory

    Memory is one of our least understood faculties. The authors have written this book with the aim of clarifying and explaining the research and discoveries that they know of to date. They tell many wonderful stories and the book is a delight to read. One sister is an acknowledged author, while the other is a neuropsychologist. The combination of writing for this topic is successful in conveying the understandings that are current about memory.

    In 1564 an Italian doctor was dissecting a brain. Inside the temporal lobe he discovered something that looked a bit like a seahorse. It was about the size of a silkworm but he named it Hippocampus. It was not until 1953 that an understanding of the function of this part of the brain was spotlighted. A man with epilepsy had many seizures a day and his doctor decided that removal of the hippocampus may alleviate some of these. From that point the man lived in the present as he had no long-term memory. The modern theory of memory is partly based on the studies done on this man for the next fifty years.

    Many experiments have been conducted on individual’s memory. Different physical conditions and environmental conditions have been explored. Divers in the freezing waters off Norway were tested for memory, and experiments in space have been on going. Even the smallest jelly fish has a type of memory shown by its choice of direction to follow. A songbird put into another nest as a baby will learn a song not used by his own breed.

    Many findings suggest that it is only humans who have the ability to look back in time, “Regardless of context.” There are many side issues of interest as well. For example, the sense of smell and taste is closely connected to memory.

    The fascinating facts about the research into our memory are written in such a simple and story like way that the information is interesting and easy to access. So, if you were asked about your strongest memories, and your fondest memories, what period of time in your life would that cover?

  • I Went Trick-or-Treating

    I Went Trick-or-Treating

    In this bright, cheerful and memory challenging book, I Went Trick-or-Treating, Halloween fun rises to a new standard, with the slightly spooky, howling, growling characters coming to life as they try to get you to forget their order in the trick or treating game.

    The challenge is try and remember the order each of the characters or creatures are introduced in with the first one, and perhaps the easiest to remember the creepy, sleepy, spider and then comes along the naughty, warty toad, which all seems pretty easy, that is until you get to the ten snazzy cats with of course the flying bats joining in and you are still not at the end of the list..

    The bold, bright and Halloween style artwork on each of the pages adds another memory game to simply remembering the characters as each of the double page spreads sees more and more things to remember added to the list. Actually, the pages get crammed full of various people, creatures and things that all want to be part of the fun.

    There is a lovely lot of very noisy fun to be had also, with sound effects such as Mwa-Ha-Ha-Ha and seriously spooky sounds to be enjoyed. What sort of noises would a Monster Boogie King make, do you think!

    So as Halloween gets closer and closer have some fun with your friends and Mums and Dads, with this fab memory game and see who is the first to remember all of them.

    Happy Halloween and happy Trick or Treating fun and games.