My review of this book celebrating the crossword centenary is now up.
December 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Update 1 December
The Christmas edition of the BBC Music Magazine arrived the other day, so I thought I’d dig out a previous example. It’s not bad (give it a whirl) but you should see the one in the latest issue. (Which means buying the magazine – go on, chance it – you’ll even get some carols on […]
Continue reading...November 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment
RIP Araucaria
In the last few weeks, there have been a number of ‘history-of-the-crossword’ books published in anticipation of the centenary next month. If you’ve looked through all of them, it is impossible to avoid the Rev John Graham (aka Araucaria). It’s a puzzle of his that structures Alan Connor’s book, John Halpern recounts his own awed […]
Continue reading...November 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Update 16 November
The puzzle this time is one of my Beelzebub puzzles. I do now have a third crossword centenary book: Alan Connor’s Two Girls, One on Each Knee. It’s another book that really works best as something you dip into, rather than read through. So there’ll be a review, just not yet. It doesn’t help that I […]
Continue reading...November 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Update 3 November
It seems as if I couldn’t resist writing a review of John Halpern’s book, after all. There’ll be another along in a while, so keep an eye on the new category up there in the menu. Be Sociable, Share! Tweet
Continue reading...November 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Update 2 November
As promised, the new puzzle today is one where the essential gimmick is a sort of joke (however witty or otherwise the actual clues are). The penny-dropping moment isn’t meant to be so much ‘Aha, so that’s what he’s doing’ as ‘He hasn’t really done that, has he?’ I judge its success from the […]
Continue reading...October 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Update 20 October
A barred thematic is the new puzzle this fortnight, and it’s here. Stay tuned for a few comments on my recent Independent Inquisitor puzzle (coming up Thursday) which will, in turn, provide a basis for the puzzle update in a fortnight’s time. One of the best books I’ve read in ages was Eleanor Catton’s The […]
Continue reading...October 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Update 6 October
Just a new puzzle this week – another from the Church Times (and my thanks to them for permission to republish). There may well be a setter’s blog turning up midweek, though, when I will remind you that next weekend sees me appearing in the Independent’s Inquisitor series. Actually, what I overlooked was that this […]
Continue reading...September 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Update 21 September
Every so often crosswords seem to pop out of their niche and appear in various other arenas. Here’s three. I heard of a new book this week: What Lot’s Wife Saw by Ioanna Bourazopoulou. The author is Greek (though I guess that might be obvious), and she’s branched out into novels from plays. The book has won […]
Continue reading...September 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Non-update 6 September
One of our cats was savaged to death by two dogs this afternoon. There will be no update this fortnight. Be Sociable, Share! Tweet
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