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Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them by Adrienne Raphel

3.29 AVERAGE

esuchyta's profile picture

esuchyta's review against another edition

As I'm an avid crosser, this was a no brainier title for me to pick up. It certainly didn't disappoint. While it's not the most profound nonfiction title out there, it's a lot of fun, and not super heavy. Readers get a mixture of the history/evolution of the crossword puzzle, allusions to them in pop culture, amusing anecdotes, and more. It's not really a memoir, but Raphel's love for puzzles does shine through, paying honor to the passtime as an escape outlet for enthusiasts. I was not expecting the parallels to art that Raphel drew, which were quite intriguing. At times, I felt like lines of thought were a little under fleshed out, and I would have liked a little more, but I'd prefer that to being too long winded. The vocabulary is top notch, she sounds like one who's been around a puzzle or two

nickertz's review

3.0
I like books which tell me about fun things. This one qualifies. Ms. Raphel has put together all the interesting material about a very fascinating puzzle. I've discovered that the puzzle is not so ancient, in fact the Times has only recently (1950) started printing puzzles daily. Even if you don't partake in the cruciverbalists delights, the book is a fun read, just like the book on the Twinkie.

audree's review against another edition

4.5
informative lighthearted
smily_tiffany's profile picture

smily_tiffany's review

3.0
informative lighthearted slow-paced
janp's profile picture

janp's review against another edition

3.0
If you love crossword puzzles, especially the NYT, you'll enjoy this book. Sometimes TMI, but overall informative and readable.
sg911911's profile picture

sg911911's review against another edition

4.0
Recommended for all cruciverbalists out there who are interested in all things crossword.
paulreiners's profile picture

paulreiners's review against another edition

5.0
A very fun book. Adrienne Raphel crisscrosses the cruciverbalist world from New York to London (with a stop in Russia for Nabokov), and from 1913 till today.

Now, who is the four-letter "Actor Morales" and five-letter "___ Mitchell, creator of the Tony-winning musical 'Hadestown'" who share a letter?