Brainripples

For those who don't usually do Merl Reagle's Sunday Crosswords, or even for those who don't often do crossword puzzles at all, allow me to strongly recommend Merl's instant classics from last week and this week. Do them in order, and do them from the top to the bottom.

Earlier today, I posted the following on my Facebook feed:

"The Angel's Game" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, translated by Lucia Graves. You must read this novel. Yes, you. I will say no more because I don't want to spoil it.

I don't want to post an actual review, because I really don't want to spoil it for any of you. But I will say this: I was captivated by Zafón's lush writing. The book is fantastic (in both senses) and for a while I was wondering how long he'd be able to stay balanced on the knife's edge of plausible impossibility -- or is it implausible possibility? In any case, the answer is... well, read the book.

Really. Reserve it at Minuteman right now. Because I want to discuss it with everyone, and I can't until you've read it!

The puzzles aren't reposted yet, so I can't link to them nor can I use them to jog my memory, but I want to capture what I can while I remember it. [The puzzle site always goes down once the Hunt is over, and some time later the puzzles are posted in the official archives, but that intervening downtime is frustrating.] ( Behind a cut for spoilers and length )

So, overall impressions? A nicely done hunt. The theme was entertaining and well-executed. For the most part, people seemed to feel that the puzzles were hard but fair. I had a good time.

( Cut, again, for length. )

Most importantly, I had a lot of fun. Even when I was feeling frustrated with "The Arena", I was enjoying the camaraderie of my teammates and admiring the elegance of the puzzles. And that's why we do this to ourselves every year.

So, until next year, this is 530nm330Hzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, heading for bed.