5 comments about SCRABBLE Wordbook.

1. Word lists based on 4th ed OSPD; good price, comprehensive, indexed nicely, easy to follow and some really interesting lists (ie mnemonics for the top 100 7-letter bingo stems, words with 70% vowels, short words that take suprise "s" endings, etc). Baron has gone beyond just listing "the two's", "q without u's", "jqxz's" and "word-hooks", lists (although, these lists are included); and created a really great resource for Scrabble enthusiasts. Only complaint is that word lists are printed in VERY small font, so those of us with small print issues should invest in a magnifying glass.



2. The original holy grail for hardcore Scrabble players has been updated to match the latest North American Scrabble dictionary. Whether you're a solid living-room player looking to enter the world of Scrabble clubs, or already a hardcore Scrabble junkie looking for the ultimate edge, this book has what you need to succeed.
   
   This not only contains every acceptable word of eight and fewer letters, in two lists (one alphabetical, the other in "alphagram", e.g. aaaghlmpr, order), but also key starter lists and tools to help you learn the most important words as efficiently as possible. Highly recommended!



3. This book is very well organized and easy to follow. The lists are in order of importance/usefulness and the introductions to each section are informative and entertaining. The only thing it's missing is a list of front and back hooks for the three letter words.
   
   I've been studying it vigorously for a month or so and have seen a great improvement in my game.
   
   A must for all Scrabble lovers, especially those aspiring to tournament play!



4. This book is a terrific value. It can be used in place of the Scrabble dictionary during games, and it's easier to find the words because there are no definitions, and the words are listed in alphabetical order AND alphagram order. It also gives you ideas as to what order to learn the word lists in. I would recommend, though, that as soon as you receive this book you get it spiral-bound with a coil binding at OfficeMax (cost: $4.50). I found that the binding cracked and the pages started falling out after only two weeks. But with the new binding I can lay the book flat and study it while I'm eating, and the pages don't go anywhere.



5. I should not have bought this,,because I have a scrabble dictionary that is more interesting to read. I have yet to go through much of it,,,problem is I don't know how to really use the book. It is just what is claims to be though so,,it is good.

5 comments about People Puzzler.

1. I subscribe to People mainly for the Puzzler! It's easy but not too easy, and nothing like the "newspaper crossword". My husband and I actually argue every week, "It's my turn!", "No it's my turn, you did it last week!" Now, I get to do a puzzle every day! As one reviewer said, the ink fom the back of one puzzle can transfer to another page, so I just put a piece of paper behind the page of the puzzle I'm working on. I'm glad that the pages are in full color, and not on cheezy newsprint. The star info/bios are fun, but a little dry, it almost seems like they needed page fillers. When does a new one come out?



2. This is best crossword puzzle book EVER!!! I recommend it to EVERYONE, and I even say I got it off AMazon.



3. Liked the puzzler book but pencil or pen marks go through to the back of the page. I have to put a piece of paper on the other side to keep it from bleeding over.



4. I'd say I'm more of a word search gal than a crossword puzzle girl, but I have always enjoyed the Puzzlers in People magazine. I find them to be of a 'medium' difficulty, and often contain items that I recognize easily. The hardest part for me is to avoid the temptation of peeking in the back when I get stuck (my husband has caught me doing this a few times)! I keep this in the drawer of my bedside table to work on a puzzle or two before going to bed.



5. I actually don't have this book... I have the new one that they say hasn't been released yet (I got it at wal-mart). Anyways... these books are super fun and they are pretty easy. I like the fact that clues are reused throughout the book, so the more you do the easier it becomes. If you have any knowledge about 'pop culture' then you will be able to do this. Is this the hardest crossword book... NO. But if you're just looking for something fun and easy to do on a slow day then this is perfect.

1 comments about Life: Picture Puzzle Animals.

1. These books are great as well as a lot of fun. I usually do them with my daughters and it's a great way for us to have family time together that doesn't cost a lot of money. They also help increase your focus and concentration skills.

5 comments about Sudoku: Easy to Medium.

1. i WAS SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THE BOOK IS ONLY THE SIZE OF MY HAND. tHE PRICE OR INFO ABOUT THE BOOK DOES NOT REFLECT IT A MINI BOOK.
   tHEREFORE THE BOOK AND SHIPPING WAS VERY OVER PRICED.



2. Fun little book to have around. Book is great and so is Amazon's service.



3. My husband has been working a couple of puzzles each day and is having a great time, thanks.



4. I am a starter to Sudoku and this book is very good for the introductory exercises. and it is very convinient to carry in small bags. So far I am very satisfied.



5. This is a great book of 3 levels of difficulty. Small and compact, it's great for travel. I will buy more for gifts.

5 comments about So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers.

1. Your puzzles are great! We're having so much fun with them. You are so creative



2. So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun And Challenging Brain Teasers compiled by Pat Battaglia is an eclectic collection of queries and riddles to boggle the mind, from sports trivia to word games to graphical puzzles. Each conundrum has hints and solutions, written in reverse to avoid casual reading yet easily looked up with the aid of a small paper-thin mirror that doubles as a handy bookmark. Ideal for parties or simple personal enjoyment, So You Think You're Smart is enthusiastically recommended as a fun and engaging selection of riddles to challenge readers of all educational backgrounds.



3. Fantastic book and THE most prompt service I have ever received from a publisher.
   Very much appreciated!!! You won't be disappointed with ordering this selection.



4. Yes, Pat Battaglia, has produced yet another fascinating, challenging, stimulating, and sometimes downright maddening mind bender of a book. We found it to be of immense fun to work our way through it as a small group. It often makes you ask yourself, "how dumb can you really be?" but even so, it is loads of fun and entertainment. It is just about right for those searching for a challenging word exercise that is moderately difficult and with sometimes infuriatingly obvious answers for those who find themselves a bit stumped along the way. Highly recommended for good, clean fun!



5. I was expecting a book of puzzles that were more mathematically based. When I think of word puzzles, I think of a mathematical problem in which the question uses words.
   
   Here is an example of a puzzle in this book: "Corresponding to each word or phrase given below is another word, similar in meaning, which is also the name of an animal. EXAMPLE: lifting device ANSWER: crane"
   
   To me, this is more like a crossword puzzle book, you just don't have to fit your answers into a crossword puzzle template.
   
   If you like this type of puzzle, then there are a lot of word "teasers" in here for you. If you are looking for a brain teaser book to challenge the mathematical side of your brain, there are probably better books out there.

2 comments about All About the States: Search-a-Word Puzzles.

1. This is a great book for anybody in grades 2-5 and wants to know more about their states, and of course, loves crossword puzzles.



2. I homeschool ALL my 7 kids (4 are through college & grown, 3 remain, ages 9 -15) My 9 year old is in Algebra 1, & my 15 year old is in Calculus & physics, so they keep me going looking for ways to incorporate "learning" new info or reviewing "past" studies, without it being sooooo dry & boring! Let's face it some things just are tedious!! You would be surprised at the people who cannot name all the states! So this is a remarkably refreshing way to "review" or learn the States, almost effortlessly! A friend suggested this book, & we were very pleased with the results!! Give it a try, you should be delighted, as was I! I just left it in trhe bathroom & REMOVED their current issue of "outdoorLife" Ha Ha, they actually had NO other choice, but to peruse or NOT!!!! :-)

5 comments about Speedsolving the Cube: Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step Instructions for Many Popular 3-D Puzzles.

1. This book seems best suited to people who already know how to solve the cube and who would like to find out how to improve their solutions. In my case, I hit a wall with my homebrew solution at about 60 seconds. While 1 minute solves are nice, it's not impressive in a world where a 20 second solve is not terribly competitive. This book seems to have the solution for that. It's too early to claim success, but what I've worked through so far is very good.
   
   Would this book be suitable for a cubing novice? That's a tough call. The book does start from scratch teaching a basic solution, but I feel other resources online are a little clearer for the absolute beginner. However, a dedicated learner could work entirely from the book. Just keep in mind that pace is very quick, and the author doesn't do that much hand holding.
   
   Would this book be suitable for an experienced speed cuber? That's hard to say, since I'm not in that category. If you follow another solving system, the book should be a very easy introduction to the authors strategy. I suspect that no matter where you are, you'll get a few new algorithms and tricks. There's also the 2x2x2, 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 solutions, which ought to provide additional value to the hardcore cuber.
   
   This book is deceptively short. Although it weighs in at barely 160 pages, there's really a lot of content if you work through the material. It's taken a week to work through the first 50 pages, and that's just the intro material. I suspect it will be months, if not years, before I've even come close to exhausting what the book has to offer. In that regard, it's a tremendous value, and I can wholeheartedly recommend the book.



2. I had tried to learn the so-called "speed cubing" methods online and had been completely frustrated. Dan Harris lays it all out perfectly: it is very easy to follow and understand. That doesn't mean that the technique is all that easy to learn: with a massive amount of algorithms to memorize it will certainly be an undertaking of some months before you can claim complete mastery of the CFOP method.
   The sections on the 2x2, 4x4, and 5x5 cubes are also very easy to follow. There is one typo that I found in the 5x5 chapter. The algorithms in Table 8.3, p125 are wrong: they are written (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) (U2 u2) (R' r') (R r) and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) (U2 u2) (R2 r2). I spent a frustrating 10 minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't complete the centers. I found that the correct algoritms are (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) U2 (R' r') and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U2 (R2 r2).
   At the end of the book there is also a chapter that has algorithms for all sorts of cool patterns that can be applied to an already finished cube.
   This is a great book and no true Rubik's fanatic should be without it!



3. The book is as concise as it can possibly be, but I'm new to "Rubics cube" and it gets a little over my head in places. The learning curve for the algorithms is a little steep, but with enough practice, and dedication it can be a rewarding experience. The book has a wealth of information about record holders, and the invention of "Rubics cube." If you never solve the cube, the book is still worth the money. I bought two of them, so I would have one that hasn't been written in, and manhandled. If you have an interest in the cube, buy the book.



4. While there is a ton of information on the web and YouTube about ways to solve the Rubik's cube, this book distills much of that information into a very concise and easy to learn format that should appeal to a wide range of people. If you just want to learn a beginner's method to solve the cube, you can do that but the book is definitely catered to those who want to go beyond just solving it and teaching how to solve it fast!
   
   I really enjoyed the sections on the 2x2x2, 4x4x4, and 5x5x5 cubes as well and was surprised how easy they were to learn.
   
   I just have two small gripes with the book, both of which have to do with the printing and binding more than the content (which is why I still gave it 5 stars). First, the book has a number of printing errors in it, mostly in the 5x5x5 section. Fortunately if you go to Dan Harris' website he has all the corrections posted. Secondly, it would have been nice to have this book published with spiral binding (even if the book cost more) - it's just impossible to lay it down on a table to look at the algorithms without placing a large heavy object on the book to keep it open.



5. This book is a good book just for the fact that it has all the cube's from 2 x2 , 4 x 4. 5x5, and 3 x3 but it fails in providing a simple non technical and even easy technical solution. It could be better explained and less technical. I rate it two stars for its difficulty in solution.

5 comments about Life: The Ultimate Picture Puzzle: Can You Spot the Differences? (Life (Life Books)).

1. I love brain teaser puzzles and this book is great fun. I purchased the 3 pack and gave a book to my 9 year old son, he loves it. It is addictive and hours of fun! Fun for the entire family. I would recommend these as great gifts for kids instead of video games. My husband enjoys the puzzles too, I use him when I can't find something.



2. 
   The pictures in this book are really great. Don't want to write on them.
   It is lots of fun and quite challenging at times.



3. Enjoy these puzzles and the puzzles are entertaining. The puzzles are ranked as beginning on up. Very fun!



4. I buy these books for my elderly parents. They love to work through them and it helps to keep their minds active!



5. "Life: The Ultimate Picture Puzzle" is the third book in the series of books based on the popular feature in the now defunct Life Magazine. For the most part the puzzles involve two pictures of the same thing, with the second picture having a number of changes from the first picture. The changes can range from simple things like a person added to the picture to hard to spot things like a shirt being a different color. There are also several "cut up puzzles" in which the editors took a photo, cut it into 4, 6, 12 or 18 pieces, rearranged the pieces, numbered them, and you have to figure out the correct order of the pieces to solve the puzzle. There are also some puzzles with six pictures, five of which are identical and you have to find the one that is different. Finally, there are also ten secret changes scattered throughout the book - changes that aren't listed in the instructions and the answers can be found on the Internet not in the book.
   
   "Life: The Ultimate Picture Puzzle" is a fun, challenging puzzle book. It has several different levels or types of puzzles - Novice, Master, Expert, Genius, Animals, and Classics - so there is a little bit of something for everyone. If you want to further challenge yourself, the editors give a suggested time limit for solving each puzzle with the harder puzzles having longer time limits. The editors do a good job of putting the puzzles in the right category and putting the right number of puzzles in each category - the Genius category, which can be fiendish, is one of the shortest sections and the animal section immediately following is a welcome relief. The number of changes in the picture varies with each puzzle and I find that the pictures with the most changes are harder simply because it can be hard to keep track of the changes you find. I dislike the cut up puzzles, which I find impossible to solve without cutting up the book.
   
   "Life: The Ultimate Picture Puzzle" provides hours of challenging fun for solvers young and old.

5 comments about Sudoku Easy to Hard Presented by Will Shortz, Volume 3: 100 Wordless Crossword Puzzles (Sudoku Easy to Hard).

1. This is an entertaining book. Shortz is the best when it comes to puzzles of any type. I eagerly await future books.



2. This is one of the first books I tried when first learning to do Sudoku puzzles. It is an excellent one, with good sized puzzles, somewhat difficult for a novice, but that is the challenge! I would definitely recommend it!



3. I was challenged and happy with this book of sudoku until I reached the special "Giant Sudoku" section at the end. This section features a 12x12 sudoku grid in which you are meant to fill in the numbers 1-12. However, the initial setup includes the number 13 in all puzzles!
   
   Other than that, the book provides a nice ramp up from easy to challenging.



4. You have to think so it's a good thing and something to entertain and or keep you occupied especially on long trips.



5. I look for Sudoku books with three qualities. First, I want puzzles that have only one solution. If I find a book that includes puzzles with more than one solution I discard it. Two, I want books with grids large enough that I can enter candidates in the cells. Third, I want books with challenging puzzles. Many of the descriptions on Amazon omit such info.
   
   I prefer grids that are about 4 ½" x 4 ½". The grids in my newspaper are about 3" x 3" (which is tolerable because not many candidates are needed).
   
   Shortz's Sudoku Easy to Hard # 3: The puzzles have only one solution; the grids are 4 ½" x 4 1/2", and 25 are "Light and Easy," 25 "Moderate," 25 "Demanding," and 25 "Beware! Very Challenging."

2 comments about In Your Face 3-D: The Best 3-D Book Ever! (Sports Illustrated Kids).

1. The title does not lie, this is the Best 3-D book I have ever seen. The photos actually pop out. There is a wide variety of sports covered in this book and the pictures are of the highest quality. You will be amazed at the detail of the 3-D images. This book is not just for kids, it is great for young and old alike.



2. Simple, yet effective! Terrific visual! Make sure you preserve the 3 D glasses. Kids and Adults love it!