Chess notation in books

Hello. I am reading "How to Reasses Your Chess" by Jeremy Silman to see if I can improve. I have not read too far into it, but it seems like a good book. There is a problem though. When I go through the games in chess notation, do I need to get a chessboard out to look at the games, or is there a way to train someone my level to be able to read the notation and understand the position without one? Yes, if I tried hard enough, I bet with the help of the diagrams I could go through the game without a chessboard. After all, I sometimes spend my time thinking about positions in my games. However, I am worried that I would misplace a piece in my mind while reading it or forget about one, and then as the game progresses, I would suddently think a move is illegal because of so and so. Then, I would have to go back and start all over. What makes it even harder to make sure I am making the right move in my mind is that I have to read what he says about the move, which is necessary for me to learn, but nevertheless upsets my concentration. Do I just need to practice reading chess notation to be able to play the game in my head? Is there a method that will train my mind to do this? Or will I need a board in front of me if I want to enjoy this book?

Visualizing the board in your head is just one of the skills of an advanced chess player.  Learning how to do it can not be accomplished overnight.  Many masters have taken many different routes to be able to accomplish the same skill.

 You can start off by mentally visualizing a blank board.  In your mind, pretend you are sitting on the white side of the board.  Now think about what color square is in the right corner.  An easier question once the previous one is answered is what color is the far left square.

By now you should have determined the king and queen sides of the board.

There are plenty of drills to help you in this manner.  Take a look at a chess puzzle from any book or any website.  Choose one of those "White to win" in "1" or "2" move type puzzles.

Practice assessing the position. How many pieces does black have? How many pieces does white have?  Where are those pieces?  Now close your eyes and try to do the same thing.  Repeat until you can visualize the whole position in your mind.

Once you feel comfortable with the position in your mind. Now try to solve the problem.

Repeat above for as many puzzles as need be.  Your objective here is to be able to quickly assess a position and mentally capture.

I realize this post could get more long winded.  So I will catalogue some mental study steps in depth on my blog later.