A.J. Jacobs
The Puzzler is the best new book from Jacobs since The Year of Living Biblically. Less of a personal experiment than his past titles, Jacobs delves into the world of puzzles – be it crosswords, jigsaw, sudoku, puzzle boxes or scavenger hunts. Fortunately for the Jabobs family, this is one of his experiments focused on something they all appear to enjoy. In his usual gonzo style, the author attempts to take on the biggest, hardest, most-complex and mind-boggling puzzles. He interviews major names in the puzzle world, from Will Shortz of the NYTimes, to the creator of Sudoku. Interspersed throughout the book are numerous tough puzzles for the reader to work through (with answers at the end). Plus, the entire book has a puzzle hidden within it, with a $10k prize for the first person to solve it (sorry folks, it’s been done).