1 comments about Random House Back to the Beach Crosswords (Vacation).

1. "Back to the Beach" crosswords offers 100 "light" puzzles with solutions in the back.
   
   On the back cover is a "puzzle meter" which rates this book half-way between easy and medium, in terms of difficulty, and half-way between middle of the road and contemporary, in terms of style.
   
   Unlike the NY Times crossword book I have, these puzzles have titles (such as "What's Cooking?" and "Cartoon Couples") and the titles are tied into the puzzle clues (as is usually the case).
   
   There is a good mix between very easy clues (such as a 4-letter word for "Spider's Snares") and more difficult ones. Peppered amongst these, are some contemporary/pop-culture clues (such as "Scott _ _ _ _ of Charles in Charge").
   
   In comparison to the NY Times "light" crosswords, I'd say these are easier and would be a good starting point for a beginner.
   
   The book is a good size and will easily fit into beach bags and purses. The cover is somewhat light and bends very easily..but that doesn't bother me. Price is $6.95.

No comments about Canadian Cryptic Crosswords.

1 comments about Crossword Note Cards: Puzzles to Work Your Wits.

1. I have lots of friends and family who do crosswords. When I send them one of these notes, it feels like I'm sending a little present, too. I must confess, I have to hold myself back from doing the puzzles myself!

No comments about The New York Times Giant Sunday Crossword Puzzle Book: (Hidden Sprialbound).

No comments about The New York Times Crosswords for a Rainy Day: 75 Challenging Crosswords (New York Times Crossword Puzzles).

No comments about The New York Times Easy Crossword Puzzles Volume 10: 50 Monday Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times.

5 comments about Two-In-One Crosswords: Hard And Easy Clues For Every Puzzle.

1. The two-in-one format is brilliant. Does anyone know if Newgate has published other books like this? If so, please post here. And the puzzles are super-challenging. In both formats.



2. I would have published most of these puzzles myself. Guess I'm just jealous.



3. The puzzles kept me going for hours and hours. Best way to spend time since you-know-what. And maybe even better!



4. This is truly the best crossword book that I have ever worked. Having the choice of easy or hard clues just made it so much fun. I often leave at least a few puzzles unfinished before tossing a book, but I finished every single word of every puzzle in this book. I also loved the paper quality in this book. Pencil erased very well from it, so it was easy to correct mistakes. The size and weight of the book also makes it a perfect travel companion. I would love to see more of these books released --- this was the best!!



5. I can't believe the quality of these puzzles. Manna from heaven!

2 comments about Teach Yourself Advanced Sudoku and Kakuro (Teach Yourself).

1. This book provides lots of discussion, ideas, and techniques for the advanced Sudoku player bored with "difficult" puzzles in the newspapers and wanting to move beyond the simplest advanced techniques such as X-wing and Swordfish. The discussion of techniques differs from the typical approaches you'll find on the web, and is more general. Lots of practice puzzles along the way to help turn theory into useful technique. Also, lots of encouragement for players who rely too much on penciling in.



2. I have been hooked on Sudoku for over a year and have long been searching books and the internet for tips on solving advanced puzzles. While most sources either restate the obvious, simple approaches, or try to explain techniques that only a genius could understand, this book was able to teach some powerful solving approaches in understandable English.
   
   Teach Yourself Advanced Sudoku and Kakuro starts with the basics and works up to the "Sudoku Master Class." Included are several puzzles in each chapter, designed to illustrate the main principles of that section. These were very helpful, although I would have appreciated some explanations in the Solutions section to highlight where the new techniques could be used in each puzzle.
   
   The latter half of the book discusses Kakuro and the fancier variations of Sudoku. While I haven't yet read the sections on the Sudoku variations, I did go through the Kakuro chapter. Unfortunately, this chapter did not provide much beyond the basics.
   
   All in all, though, if you just want to bring your Sudoku skills to the next level (or beyond), this is the book for you :)

No comments about The New York Times Daily Crossword Puzzles Volume 70: 50 Daily-Size Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times (New York Times Daily Crossword Puzzles).

1 comments about Everything Music Crosswords Book: 150 Chart-topping puzzles to challenge your musical knowledge (Everything: Sports and Hobbies).

1. Being a trained musician myself, I was hoping for more what I call 'real' music. Not just pop and blues from the USA. But if thats what you like then this is a great book. Its got Elton John, and Madonna, and 50 through 90's rock and roll and all sort of Chart Toppers.
   
   I was looking for more modern music, arvo part, meredith monk, maybe world music, name that instrument, stuff about classical composers (which there is a few in the book), romantic-impressionist-contemporary composers, things about musical instruments..... music education. But there in NOT.
   
   The book is great, and entertaining, but if you are looking for what I was looking for, it may not exsist, and its not in this book.