The Puzzler
Ratings20
Average rating4.1
I love puzzles, but not as much as A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs is primarily a writer and has spent his time in this book delving through all things puzzles: the history of them, how they are beloved, why puzzles, and how Jacobs intertwines his life and challenges himself at tackling the craziest and toughest puzzles ever known. “The Puzzler” ranges all over, from classics like sudoku and crosswords to riddles to mazes all the way to even the most controversial or craziest puzzles. Jacobs not only details them but actually takes part, such as creating the American team in the World Jigsaw Championship, walking through the most challenging corn maze, and even creating his own puzzles and seeing how they work. I love puzzles, so naturally if you do you'll love this book. Even if you don't I think you'll find something to enjoy, whether it's Jacobs' personality and humor, the stories he tells, or even the puzzles themselves. Like “Seven Games” by Oliver Roeder, a fantastic book on games I read last Fall, I want to read even more books about the puzzle and game phenomenon and why humans love them so much and can't seem to stop playing them.
I love puzzles, but not as much as A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs is primarily a writer and has spent his time in this book delving through all things puzzles: the history of them, how they are beloved, why puzzles, and how Jacobs intertwines his life and challenges himself at tackling the craziest and toughest puzzles ever known. “The Puzzler” ranges all over, from classics like sudoku and crosswords to riddles to mazes all the way to even the most controversial or craziest puzzles. Jacobs not only details them but actually takes part, such as creating the American team in the World Jigsaw Championship, walking through the most challenging corn maze, and even creating his own puzzles and seeing how they work. I love puzzles, so naturally if you do you'll love this book. Even if you don't I think you'll find something to enjoy, whether it's Jacobs' personality and humor, the stories he tells, or even the puzzles themselves. Like “Seven Games” by Oliver Roeder, a fantastic book on games I read last Fall, I want to read even more books about the puzzle and game phenomenon and why humans love them so much and can't seem to stop playing them.
I read this book on audio and will definitely need to go back and read on a physical format. Puzzle examples don’t lend well to audio, however the author did a great job keeping the audio engaging.
I enjoyed the perspective that Jacobs shared. It was highly thought provoking, offering different perspectives of solving puzzles. I tend to gravitate towards puzzles and love working on them so the content matter was engaging for me. It was interesting to hear about puzzles not being just logic based but also requiring creativity and ingenuity!
I read this book on audio and will definitely need to go back and read on a physical format. Puzzle examples don’t lend well to audio, however the author did a great job keeping the audio engaging.
I enjoyed the perspective that Jacobs shared. It was highly thought provoking, offering different perspectives of solving puzzles. I tend to gravitate towards puzzles and love working on them so the content matter was engaging for me. It was interesting to hear about puzzles not being just logic based but also requiring creativity and ingenuity!
