64. Gadzooks! Coffee

I’ve just gotten word there’s a short clip from a coffee game show pilot! on YouTube. The production values are a bit iffy, but I must admit I like the sponsor mentioned at the end.

63. Puzzles for the Kids

Here are 3 good puzzle books for the kids (and only one is mine):

1. Picture Clue Crosswords by Patrick Merrell
(ages 4-8 • $3.95 • 64 pages • 8×10)
click here for a mini-sized sample puzzle
Puzzles set up like adult crosswords, except with pictures for clues.
2. Clever Crosswords for Kids by Trip Payne
(ages 9-12 • $5.95 • 96 pages • 5×8)
These are well-made, fun puzzles. There’s a whole series; my daughter loved this one several years ago at the age of 12.
3. The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin
(ages 9-12 • $16.99 or less • 224 pages • hardcover)
An intriguing, page-turning mystery with a nice variety of puzzles woven into the story.

60. Ambigrams

Speaking of ambigrams (well, Ken Jennings was on his blog), here’s one I created for Coffee Time. It reads the same when rotated 180 degrees.

And a couple of others I made several years ago:

All images © copyright 2007 Patrick Merrell

57. More Schulz

Jeannie Schulz, widow of Charles Schulz, has weighed in with a comment on post #48, the one concerning the Schulz and Peanuts biography. Her comment is long, but that’s because it includes three supporting statements that further call into question what biographer David Michaelis has put together in his book.
[HER COMMENT (scroll down to the 3rd response)]

48. Charles M. Schulz

Updated 11/12: After the glow of reading this book wore off, and I looked into things a bit more, I’m of the opinion that this portrait of Charles Schulz is flawed in a fundamental way. His son Monte is quoted as calling the book “preposterous.” His daughter Amy declared that “the whole thing is completely wrong.” His wife, Jeannie, said that it’s “not a full portrait. Sparky was so much more. Most of the time he loved to laugh.”

While one could discount these statements as protective or overly biased, I think now that they are absolutely true. Although I came away from the book still thinking highly of Charles Schulz, and the author claims that the biography “comes out very strongly (that) this was a great artist,” it ultimately presents a lopsided and then condensed portrait of a sad man. Unfortunately, since the book is so well written and researched, that is the total picture many reviewers and readers are coming away with.

While I’d prefer to just delete it, I’m leaving most of my original review up…

46. Coffee Cam

Click on the image to enlarge it.
This entry has been brought to you by COFFEE TIME,
a palm-size, 320-page book of coffee puzzles and trivia.

44. Beginning Crosswords

You’re never too young to start solving crosswords. That’s the premise behind Picture Clue Crosswords (8×10, $3.95, new today). The puzzles are for beginning solvers, but they’re set up just like adult crosswords with consistent grid sizes, themes, and picture clues in Across and Down columns.

The book’s 20 puzzles include some twists: 5 have a what doesn’t belong feature; 2 have full-page clue scenes; and 2 have mystery themes. [CLICK HERE] for more info. Click on the mini-size puzzle sample below to download it.

27. Winston Breen

Writer Eric Berlin, a puzzle constructor for The New York Times and other publications, has a new kid’s book debuting today (ages 9-12), THE PUZZLING WORLD OF WINSTON BREEN. Click on the cover at right to find out more about it on Amazon.

By the way, an anagram of Eric’s book title is: NEW PUZZLE THING FOR BERLIN NODS. Almost. That anagram is short three letters… or is it just missing two? (Actually, you’ll find both statements are true!)

22. Evolution of a book

It’s interesting how books evolve sometimes. At left is the initial cover proposal I made for Perk Up. At right is the final design for Coffee Time that the publisher put together.

By the way, did you know that World War I soldiers would often refer to coffee as a cup of george instead of a cup of joe? The term came from George Washington’s, the exclusive brand of instant coffee used by the U.S. Army (it was named for its Belgian-born inventor, not the president).

19. Puzzling Thoughts…

…about coffee. Coffee is the world’s second favorite drink (after water) and the beverage of choice for many puzzle solvers. So what could be better than a palm-size, 320-page puzzle and trivia book about coffee?

COFFEE TIME debuts Friday, August 31st ($8.95), and I challenge you to read the book and not find 100 interesting things about coffee that you didn’t know before. Even better, the book is filled with an entertaining and amusing array of original crosswords, sudoku, word puzzles, brainteasers, word searches, acrostics, mazes, quizzes, and cryptograms. Here’s a sneak peek inside…

8. Spooky Mazes

Available today: Charlie & Wilbur’s SPOOKY MAZES from Sterling Publishing written, illustrated, and designed by Patrick Merrell. A follow-up to Charlie & Wilbur’s DINOSAUR MAZES featuring an action-packed trip from one spooky maze to the next. Ages 4-8, 48 pages, $4.95.
[Click: Barnes & Noble] - [Click: Amazon] - [Sterling's Web site]

Published by Sterling Publishing Co.,Inc. © 2007 by Patrick Merrell