What Does It Say About You?
#BookReview ~ #PuzzleMaster ~ #EscapeMail
I’ve been involved with two very different types of puzzles lately.
A book, The Puzzle Master, had me thinking and flying through the pages.
And a game, Escape Mail. This turned into a gathering time for family to share dessert and work through some clues and puzzles.
Have you ever wondered what type of person likes puzzles? I have to admit that it never crossed my mind until these two puzzles fell into my life at the same time. So, of course, I tured to google for answers.
Are You A Puzzle-Loving Personality?
A left brain person leans toward logic, science and mathematics. Thus games like Sudoku and puzzles are a good fit.
Are Introverts or Extroverts Escape Room Puzzle Solvers?
A great escape team needs both extroverts and introverts. They complement each other well and can lead the group to success! The extrovert may be the one who finds a lot of clues, but then the introvert comes along and takes the time to look into each part of the puzzle, involving those clues. In addition, while the introvert may internalize their thoughts about the puzzle, the extrovert will make sure that everyone’s idea is heard. In order to have a winning escape room team, it is helpful to have both introverts and extroverts involved. Choose your team members wisely and maybe you can make an Epic Escape! by Leslie Kell
What traits do puzzle solvers possess?
Below are a few traits that people who love puzzles possess.
- Organized: Being able to organize thoughts, game pieces, or ideas is definitely a plus for a puzzle solver to possess.
- Visual: Being able to mentally move objects in your mind is useful. Or to take in details when observing.
- Logical: This is a big one. The need to analyze, identify, make deductions and then come up with an idea of solution is important.
- Patient: Here’s where I’m tempted to search for the answer key far too quickly. Puzzles require patience and persistence.
- Critical Thinking: Puzzles present problems that need to be solved using critical thinking.
- Teamwork and collaboration: Though it doesn’t have to be played with a group, we are enjoying playing Escape Mail. We’re finding it’s important to pool our ideas and work together.
- Focused: Solving puzzles demands concentration and focus. As you engage with puzzles, you train your mind to stay attentive to details, ignore distractions, and maintain a high level of focus for extended periods. This focus carries over to other tasks and activities that require sustained attention.
Fictional Puzzle Solvers
What bookish blog can end without including some great fictional characters who posses some of the above traits?
- Sherlock Holmes That’s a no-brainer, huh?
- The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew These young’uns are going to have to share a line.
- Miss Marple Of course, if we’re adding Sherlock, we can’t forget this lady.
- Kinsey Millhone How ’bout Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series? Kinsey’s one to smile at.
- Dr. Alex Cross One of my favorite psychologsts and doctor.
- Harry Bosh I’ve either read or listened to most of these books byMichael Connelly’s books.
- Jack Reacher Though I’m behind on these books, I did get in on the ground floor with this series.
There are so many great characters under this category, that I could be here forever listing them. If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments.
The Game I’ve Been Playing
Are You Up For A Unique Experience?
WHAT IS
Escape Mail is a gripping story-based ‘escape room style game delivered in the mail. Lose yourself in the unfoldng story as you work together to solve creative puzzles, uncover clues and decode riddles to help the mysterious “JJ Fitzpatrick” find his family fortune.
And to make this even more fun, you have choices when you place your order. You can choose between Standard/Expert/Beginner levels.
What The Creator’s Have To Say
The Book I’ve Been Reading
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
Published June 13, 2023 by Random House
I was immediately drawn into this ominous, somewhat confusing story. I was intrigued enough that the pages flew.
It was puzzling, for sure. After suffering a traumatic brain injury playing football Mike Brink was left with a mind resembling that of a savant. He could solve puzzles like no other. So with that in mind, he is summoned to prison where a woman who hasn’t spoken since being arrested has a puzzle.
These things reeled me in. I was full of questions.
Synopsis
Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology
“This novel has it all and more. In the nimble, talented hands of Trussoni the pages fly.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci
A WASHINGTON POST AND POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can’t. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people.
Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.
The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape.
Ranging from an upstate New York women’s prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.
Slowly I Began Sinking Into Quicksand
The plot went through ancient history, supernatural things, folklore, spooky dolls, and of course puzzles. The characters were interesting with unusual personalities and gifts, but I was being tossed and turned from this element to that.
The deeper I got into the book, the more I was sure my IQ was less than I’d imagined it to be. I was sure the author was a member of Mensa. However, I still had enough gray matter to deduct that a book this complicated probably wasn’t going to end up being my favorite. The plot threads seemed to work into a complicated spider web of unrelated – – stuff.
Final Thoughts
With its uniqueness, it’s likely to win some great reviews. However, while there was much I enjoyed, especially toward the beginning, I can’t say it worked for me.
Bottom line: I recommend you give it a try. This one took a lot of thought to create.
My thanks to Random House, MediaPr, and the author for a gifted copy.
So are you a person who likes reading mysteries and trying to solve them? Or do you like puzzling situations where you’re searching for clues and answers? I’d love to see your comments.
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