As I get older I look for books of puzzles and games that say they will help keep my mind sharp. Hopefully they do. The book is entertaining and has various levels of difficulty. Logic puzzles to numbers it covers the gambit. Gary Small is a doctor and seems to specialize in memory and brain disorders. A good gift for someone older on your list.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"Brain Games to Exercise Your Mind" by Gary Small is a thought-provoking and engaging book that serves as both a mental workout and a guide to maintaining cognitive health.

Dr. Small, a renowned expert in neuroscience and memory, presents over 90 puzzles, logic riddles, and brain teasers designed to challenge our minds and sharpen our mental faculties.

The book is structured in a way that makes it accessible to readers of all ages and backgrounds. Each puzzle is crafted to stimulate different areas of the brain, ensuring a comprehensive mental exercise.

The variety of puzzles ensures that the book remains interesting and challenging, encouraging us to regularly return to use it (essential for cognitive maintenance and improvement).

What sets this book apart is not just the range of puzzles (which is comprehensive) but the underlying purpose of each exercise. Dr. Small tells us how each game can contribute to protecting the brain from memory loss and other age-related disorders. This educational aspect adds depth to the book, making it more than just a collection of puzzles—it empowers us by providing us a tool to fight against cognitive decline.

The writing style is clear and concise, making complex neurological concepts understandable for the layperson. The collaboration with Gigi Vorgan brings a creative flair to the book, ensuring that the puzzles are not only beneficial but also enjoyable.

"Brain Games to Exercise Your Mind" is an excellent resource for anyone looking to enhance their mental agility. It's a book that can be returned to time and again, offering a fun way to keep your mind engaged and healthy. Whether you're looking to stave off the effects of aging or you just want to break the monotony of the every day and challenge yourself, this book will serve as a valuable addition to your library. I received an electronic copy for review, I am also purchasing a hard copy, that I can keep in whatever room I am working in (remote workers here)😉
So that it serves as a daily reminder. Electronic books are great, but personally I feel books of this type, meant to be used daily get the most use when you have a constant visual reminder of their existence.

Overall, Gary Small's book is a testament to the adage that a sharp mind is a key to a fulfilling life.

With practical exercises and insightful commentary, this book stands provides as a beacon of hope and a source of fun for those of us hoping o preserve and enhance our mental acuity.

I enjoyed this accessible and varied “workbook” of sorts. The author also devotes sections to strategies for brain health and preventing decline or dementia. Very worthwhile.

"Brain Games to Exercise Your Mind" by Gary Small, MD, is a captivating and comprehensive guide to keeping your brain sharp and agile. Dr. Small, a renowned expert in the field of brain health, presents a wealth of stimulating puzzles, exercises, and strategies designed to boost cognitive function and enhance mental acuity. From memory exercises to visual puzzles and logic games, this book offers a diverse range of activities that challenge and engage the mind. What sets this book apart is Dr. Small's expertise, as he not only provides entertaining brain teasers but also explains the science behind each exercise, giving readers a deeper understanding of how these activities benefit brain health. Whether you're looking to improve memory, focus, or problem-solving skills, "Brain Games to Exercise Your Mind" is an invaluable resource that promises hours of enjoyable mental stimulation while promoting long-term cognitive vitality.

Fun and excellent ways to keep my]e thinking on my feet. Recommend for all those of a certain age who desire to keep their brain actively thinking.

Thank you Humanix Books for granting me access to this book through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I did enjoy this one quite a bit, albeit I disagreed on the solution of some of the exercises. A few of them also assumed knowledge of some random stuff like baseball, so those were a hit or miss with me. The assignment could have been written a bit more straight forward and clearer in some cases as well. But all in all, I did enjoy them quite a bit.

As for the fact-based sections, I did learn a few things even though most of it was what I'd call general knowledge. It was a bit too generalized and standardized at times in my opinion and would have been interesting to read more about different brains and different ways of doing things.

All in all, I do recommend it, especially the brain games-part.

A very enjoyable brain stretching book. The only problem is that the answers appear immediately below the puzzles making it too easy to see the solution immediately. The back pages of the book would make a better place for the solutions. Also some of the puzzles would work better with illustrations.

Thank you, NetGalley and Humanix Books for Brain Games to Exercise Your Mind by Gary Small, MD for a free review.

First off, HAHA - wow, this was some exercise my brain has been needing for some time now. This was fun to play with my spouse too. However, the only complaint I have is the ebook/Kindle version of it. The format was off and sometimes the answer was already given to me and I couldn't avoid looking at it so I can't say that I got the full experience of testing/gaming my brain.

Overall, enjoyed the fun and challenge games/questions. I do feel like it "refreshed" my brain if that makes sense. haha

Enjoyed this. A lot of fun.I would recommend to people who like mind exercises. Sometimes you need something more than reading or watching tv and this is a great way to find those.

This is not really feedback on the title, but a comment on the ebook version I downloaded from NetGalley. The conversion didn't work at all well. I am used to finding the titles of chapters interspersed in the content when a paperback book is automatically converted into ebook (the page numbers also tend to appear randomly) , but here there were interrupted phrases, with parts missing, and although the introduction was interesting, there were some parts of it missing for that reason. Worst of all was the exercises, though. I didn't get very far, 17% of the content, but it became increasingly frustrating because many of the exercises relied on images and these did not appear in the ebook version. Neither did the solutions (for the same reason). And even when the exercises were word-based, the formatting didn't always help.
So, I like the idea behind it and the few exercises I have seen, but based on this ebook version, I'd recommend anybody to check or buy the paperback version, as I am sure how well the commercial electronic version will work.
Sorry, but I cannot give proper feedback on the title based on this copy.

Coming from a psychology background and volunteering with various Dementia support groups, I was really intrigued by this book and knew I had to read it!

I thought it was a really interesting read. I enjoyed the psychology background about dementia and the tips at the end of the book.

The brain exercises are the main part of the book and these were really enjoyable, even though some were quite difficult. They were quick one page exercises and they were easy to pick up throughout the day.

I think this book would be a really good gift for anyone interested in the brain generally and for family members. Despite its main aim (combating dementia) being quite heavy, the book still managed to be quite fun. I would definitely recommend it.

Dr. Gary Small's "Brain Games to Exercise Your Mind: Protect Your Brain from Memory Loss and Other Age-Related Disorders" is a guide for hope and empowerment in the realm of cognitive health. Small, an authority in neuroscience and Alzheimer's research, offers a refreshing approach to mental fitness through a collection of 90 puzzles, logic riddles, and brain teasers.

In a world where memory loss and age-related disorders loom as formidable adversaries, Small's book promises a means of fortifying cognitive resilience. His expertise shines through each carefully curated puzzle, presenting an amalgamation of entertainment and cognitive exercise.

This book fuses scholarly insights with accessible challenges. Small bridges the gap between neuroscience and engaging mental exercises, making this book rich for individuals of all ages seeking to maintain and enhance their cognitive faculties.

Small's work champions the idea that mental fitness is a proactive endeavor. By engaging with these exercises, we embark on a journey of self-care, nurturing our brains and potentially mitigating the risk of age-related cognitive decline.

Small's authoritative voice and compassionate approach reassures readers that safeguarding their cognitive health is achievable and enjoyable. The book illustrates the power of stimulating one's mind as a proactive measure against memory loss and age-related disorders.

"Brain Games to Exercise Your Mind" is a lifeline -- an invitation to actively engage with one's cognitive well-being. Small's selection of exercises serves as a toolkit for mental resilience, offering a pathway toward a sharper, more agile mind while simultaneously embracing the joy of learning and problem-solving.

"A cognitive fitness journey crafted by Dr. Gary Small, merging neuroscience expertise with engaging puzzles for a sharper, resilient mind."

"Small's collection of brain games are a proactive approach to fortify your mind against memory loss and age-related disorders."

"Nurture your brain health with 90 puzzles and brain teasers. Dr. Small is committed to making cognitive fitness enjoyable and accessible."

"Discover the joy of mental exercise with Dr. Gary Small's expertly curated puzzles, designed to keep your mind agile and ward off age-related cognitive decline."

"A bridge between science and entertainment, Small's book offers a refreshing perspective on brain health, making cognitive care a delightful journey."

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, just what my lazy brain needed. Recommended.

I for one suffer from anxiety, but this book helped me to put things in perspective to know that worry and stress are a normal part of life and how we cope if the most important take away.

Among other things, the book puts forward the idea that worrying is something we can control. I think that is one of the biggest lessons of the book. We CANNOT control everything although as humans we feel like we can. That is the beginning of self sabatoging.

All in all, this is a really useful resource for anyone looking for help with such challenges. Definitely worth checking out and being able to apply to your own practice with dealing with others.

It seems that what makes the difference between a puzzle book from a bookshop, and a puzzle offering from a newsagents, is that the bookshop-bound volumes have to prove some brain training worth, reinforcing the mental benefits to the extent some cookbooks feel the need to yack on about diet before delivering the goods, in a way that the people just picking up the nearest magazine selection seem to know instinctively. This claims to offer 90 puzzles – over well over 250pp.

Anyway, skipping the introduction we find the puzzles, and they’re laid out with the poser on the recto, the answer suitably hidden on the next left-hand page. But even these poser pages don’t avoid the flim-flam, keeping up the “this will do this good to your noggin” patter in a most persistent way. This book surely is high on the ‘words that will never actually be read’ count. And I’m not surprised, when the answer to the fourth puzzle is entirely wrong, as there are 40 squares to find and not 32 (27 single ones, 11 over-lapping 2x2s and the pair of 3x3s).

All told, some of these puzzles are fine, but either will take all day rumbling through the back of the brain until you solve them when not thinking about it, or be over and done with in a flash. Many have been seen before (the first ‘put lines through all these dots’), and many (‘divide something by half…’) are things to catch schoolchildren out, not make an adult a better one. This really boils down to a selection of old lateral-thinking saws, puffed up to the nines with waffle about the benefits of being able to solve them. And I would put it that with this amount of unoriginal content, the answers have been learned, and will not be gained with any kind of brain-stretching regimen.

Oh, and we’re halfway through when we get a sudoku. Where have these people been hiding?

After all that we get to the technical stuff – what we should be doing and considering for our overall health, which proves that diet, moderation and some basic simple aerobic activity are just as good as all these riddles. Consider this book’s own foot, shot. I came here for novel puzzles and puzzle kinds, or a selection of things to vary the logical and detective processes I might normally undertake. And I can’t pretend many people will not turn to this having not seen a lot of these kinds of posers before, but to my mind this was a widely missed opportunity.

Excellent brain training activities plus dietary and exercise advice that may help reduce your dementia. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Super entertaining and well put together.
Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and the author for the opportunity to access this copy.

Most exercises were too easy for me, and not really interesting because of that. I did still enjoy quickly doing it though, but would appreciate some more difficult games! But still it is a fun book to read and do!

This book offers quite a lot of entertainment, as well as information to those who are looking to keep their brains sharp. I think it actually has something to offer people of all ages, not only those who are concerned about aging.

I like the layout, and the way that there are explanations provided to accompany the various kinds of brain exercises on offer. The scientific information about how the brain can be trained to function better and the tips provided in this regard will be particularly useful to people who are looking for some guidance.

The idea of cross training the brain is interesting, and explains the mix of puzzles - including those which focus on language, while others look at different aspects, like numbers, memory, or spatial skills.

It is great to see that the puzzles are designed to allow for various levels of challenge, so that some can be done easily while others are more complex. While I feel I have only begun to examine the extent of the options in the book, it is exciting to look forward to exploring other puzzles in the time ahead.

Additional tips on brain health related to nutrition, exercise and morning activities, for example, are provided for those who want to explore their options further.

The only caveat here is that the book is not as user friendly on Kindle, so in order to get the full benefit I would strongly recommend buying a physical copy. That said, this is an excellent addition to the various puzzle books on offer - also because it provides more than just the puzzles alone, thereby giving readers a richer experience.

Good brain puzzles and I enjoyed doing a few each day. Not ideal to read on the kindle though so recommend reading a paperback version instead.