The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life

This is a fun book. It has no larger purpose except to talk about puzzles – all different kinds of puzzles.

The author likes puzzles. Always has. Each chapter is about a different type of puzzle. He interviews people who create crosswords, travels with his family to compete in a jigsaw competition, talks to the guy who created the world’s largest Rubik’s cube, etc.

This is not a deep book. It’s a fun book. He gets into all sorts of esoteric puzzles, like Japanese puzzle boxes, and labyrinths (not the same as a maze), scavenger hunts, and escape rooms.

There’s also samples of each kind of puzzle after the chapter (answers in the back).

When I was done, I was no better off. I hadn’t learned anything life-changing. But again, it was just fun, and I was happy to pick it up every time.