Who among us hasn’t felt panic when we couldn’t find our car in the parking lot? Grappled with remembering why we walked into a room? Struggled to recall where we left our car keys? And these challenges only worsen, feeling more significant and worrisome as we get older.

The gift in this book, Lisa Genova’s first nonfiction endeavor, is how incredibly reassured we feel as the neuroscientist-turned-novelist brings us all of the most current research on memory. Turns out forgetfulness is how our brain is designed—that a healthy brain is in fact, designed to forget most of its experience. Genova is a storyteller, weaving herself and colorful anecdotes in to the narrative even while giving us the facts, and this is a compelling and quick read.

We learn how memories are made, stored, altered and retrieved. We learn what affects memory (spoiler alert: all the important stuff—Sleep, diet, stress, exercise), how we can protect our memories, and strategies we can use to make it stronger (I was thrilled to discover I already do some of them. LOL I need all the help I can get!)