(Part 2) Best crosswords puzzles books according to redditors
We found 48 Reddit comments discussing the best crosswords puzzles books. We ranked the 30 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
I highly recommend the USA Today app for getting started with crossword puzzles. The app is free, unlike NYT, which is a yearly subscription. The puzzles aren't as difficult, and it has a feature where it will tell you if the letter is wrong right away, which I found really helpful when I was starting out.
I also recommend looking into getting a puzzle book like The NYT Best of the Week Series for Monday or The NYT Light and Easy Crossword Puzzles. With books like these, you have the answers in the back, and there's something nice about working with pen/pencil and paper.
Once you start doing crossword puzzles regularly, you'll learn that there are tricks the constructors use that can help you find the answer. For example, if a clue ends with a question mark, like Friday's clue for 17-Across, Split tickets?, you know it's a play on words or unconventional answer, which in this case is STUBS. If the clue didn't have the question mark, you'd be thinking along the lines of the action of splitting tickets, a more literal interpretation. Also, if the clue is abbreviated in some way, like another example from Friday, 35-Down, Pres. Obama's signature achievement, you know the answer is also abbreviated (ACA, or Affordable Care Act). Another tip: NYT doesn't do it, but a lot of puzzles will let you know how many words are in the answer, which is really helpful.
You'll also start to learn certain words that are used a lot because they help the puzzle "work", like:
Obviously I am really into crossword puzzles, and could talk about them longer than anyone would want to listen. I'm so excited that my post has sparked the interest in you, and I wish you many happy hours of puzzling! Feel free to message me if you have other questions or want to know more.
Thank you!
I have been doing this puzzle book: https://www.amazon.com/Times-Little-Black-White-Crosswords/dp/031236105X and getting increasingly frustrated. I can't get the literary references because it is a decade old. Frequent clues with multiple answers...the worst one was "Game of chance." 5 letters...no it isn't "bingo" it is "beano"...a bingo like game from the 1920s.
Check out kenken. It's kind of like sodoku but requires you to do some basic math too.
https://www.amazon.com/Times-Shortz-Picks-Favorite-Puzzles/dp/0312645503
If you want a print book, this one is a selection Will Shortz made of some particular favorites of his. By its nature this includes puzzles that stretch the art in various ways. They are not all Thursday puzzles but many have gimmicks. Shortz gives each a little intro describing what appealed to him about each.
Otherwise, I'd say browse Thursdays in archives. That's where the tricksy ones fall during the week.
Also, crosswordfiend blog puts together a post annually with the puzzles that garnered the most praise. These often are constructor tours de force.
http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/best-puzzles-of-2015/
http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2016/03/03/the-2015-orca-awards-best-gimmick-crossword/
Hmm the only thing I can think of is that my mom has this crossword puzzle dictionary that she uses when she gets really stumped but doesn't want to look at the answers. My family has a crossword puzzle obsession.
If he's a crossword fan who's keen on the history, evolution of the xword, etc...
here's a bloody good book!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Centenary-Crossword-Worlds-Popular/dp/0233003967
I'm working through this book right now and I just got to Wednesday...it's kicking my ASS. They're getting a little easier with time, though, so the muscles analogy is right...it just takes longer and longer with each progressive day's puzzles.
How about something to relax like this gorgeous soft throw, luxe candle, and cozy crosswords book? Or if she prefers boozing over crosswords, you can include a bottle of her favorite drink and perhaps this beautiful set of stemless glasses?
Although not explicitly answering your question,
I really liked Chernev's other book
I haven't really gone through Alekhine's best games book but it's of course really good.
Why not finish Logical Chess just for completion's sake?
Define "difficulty"? For some of us "It was launched the same day that 'Leave It to Beaver' premiered" is a gimme, but anything to do with sports or TV or movies or rappers is hopeless. It must be pretty (ahem) difficult to come up with a one-size-fits-all difficulty level. As a general rule you could start by doing NYT Fridays and Saturdays. The latter are supposed to be the hardest, but my experience is that Fridays are occasionally harder than Saturdays (15 minutes vs 12).
There are several published compilations of "hard" puzzles, eg Wrath of Klahn and NYT Ferocious Crosswords. I keep Klahn's in my carryon luggage for those long No-Kindle periods on flights. Some of those are 30-minute ones (i.e. reeeeeally hard).