The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically goes on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles: why we love them, what they do to our brains, and how they can improve our world. “Even though I’ve never attempted the New York Times crossword puzzle or solved the Rubik’s Cube, I couldn’t put down The Puzzler.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before What makes puzzles—jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus—so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they’re among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs—four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder—set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost. In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik’s Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world—including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America’s top puzzle-makers, and a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle—The Puzzler will open readers’ eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you’re puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you’ll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker—for these are certainly puzzling times.

Math Bafflers requires students to use creativity, critical thinking, and logical reasoning to perform a variety of operations and practice skills that align with state and national math standards. The book covers real-life situations requiring math skills, such as distance, liquid measures, money, time, weight, sequencing, comparison, age, area, and percentages, along with operations such as fractions, exponents, algebra, place value, and number lines. Students will make hypotheses, organize information, draw conclusions, and use syllogistic thinking. Teachers can feel confident that they are providing challenges and reinforcing important skills in a format that students enjoy! Math Bafflers builds essential critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving skills; develops logical thinking in a fun format; uses relevant, real-life mathematical situations; and provides opportunities for differentiation. Grades 6-8

Did you notice how fast time goes by when doing jigsaw puzzles? Surely there's a trick to assembling those super-sized 50K pieces! Do the math to faster puzzling, or not. These are just a few of the talking points addressed in this vast collection of topics related to the wonderful world this hobby brings to the novice and enthusiast alike.

In addition to 101 puzzles, this vividly illustrated book also includes exciting accounts and surprising information about historical treasure hunts.

We are thrilled to bring you another volume of Sunday-size puzzles from the Chicago Tribune, edited by Wayne Robert Williams. The 50 crosswords in this book capture the essence of Chicago perfectly—some are contemporary, some are traditional, and most fall somewhere in the middle; the puzzle makers come to the Tribune from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and many points in between. In other words, they're as delightfully diverse as Chicago itself! Difficulty: Medium Style: Middle-of-the-Road

The 2008 financial crisis put an end to an era of sustained economic growth in Europe. The size of the shock differed across European countries and affected economies in different ways. Yet despite this heterogeneity, most European countries suffered a prolonged period of economic slowdown which raised concerns about the risk of a secular stagnation in Europe. This book focuses on labour productivity in Europe, one of the main drivers of growth and prosperity. Although productivity trends became the focus of policy interest in the immediate aftermath of the recession in the UK, 'productivity puzzles' received much less attention in the rest of Europe. These 'puzzles', which are apparent to greater or lesser extents in most European economies, centre on the marked decline in labour productivity growth which occurred with the on-set of recession. They are puzzles because, in neo-classical economics, firms respond to demand shocks by laying off workers, thus maintaining labour productivity and limiting growth in unit labour costs. Yet this didn't happen in this recession - at least, not to the same extent as in previous recessions, except in Spain. This book brings together contributions from leading European economists who analyse production models and macroeconomic policies, with specific focus on European countries that represent around 60% of the EU GDP. Chapters on France, Germany, the UK, and Spain provide new evidences at the firm/workplace level, and stress the role of transitory labour market mechanisms