A.J. Jacobs knows puzzles—he’s even been a NEW YORK TIMES Crossword answer. Nevertheless, with self-deprecating humor he lets listeners commiserate with his frequent frustration over the most demanding puzzles. That’s good because listeners will be stumped by the audio-exclusive teasers at the end of each chapter. They’re fun—but harder to do on audio. Listeners’ struggles make it even easier to laugh along with Jacobs’s misadventures—such as his effort not to come in last at a jigsaw competition and his unorthodox technique with a Japanese puzzle box. There’s a pdf with puzzles from the print edition and a prize puzzle open until May 3, 2023. Not a puzzler? Jacobs reminds everyone that the NEW YORK TIMES criticized the crossword craze before finally joining it in 1942. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically goes on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles: why we love them, what they do to our brains, and how they can improve our world.
What makes puzzles-jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus-so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they're among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs-four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder-set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost.
In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik's Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world-including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America's top puzzle-makers-The Puzzler will open listeners' eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you're puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you'll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker-for these are certainly puzzling times.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of puzzles, answers, illustrations, and more from the book
1139966253
What makes puzzles-jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus-so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they're among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs-four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder-set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost.
In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik's Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world-including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America's top puzzle-makers-The Puzzler will open listeners' eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you're puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you'll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker-for these are certainly puzzling times.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of puzzles, answers, illustrations, and more from the book
The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life
The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically goes on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles: why we love them, what they do to our brains, and how they can improve our world.
What makes puzzles-jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus-so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they're among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs-four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder-set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost.
In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik's Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world-including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America's top puzzle-makers-The Puzzler will open listeners' eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you're puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you'll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker-for these are certainly puzzling times.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of puzzles, answers, illustrations, and more from the book
What makes puzzles-jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus-so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they're among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs-four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder-set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost.
In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik's Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world-including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America's top puzzle-makers-The Puzzler will open listeners' eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you're puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you'll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker-for these are certainly puzzling times.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of puzzles, answers, illustrations, and more from the book
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The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life
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Product Details
BN ID: | 2940176132298 |
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Publisher: | Penguin Random House |
Publication date: | 04/26/2022 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Sales rank: | 792,558 |
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