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Diabolically Arcane

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Hooray for Riddledom

8 June, 2015

Q: What's black, white, red with a yellow chicken?

A: Riddledom - 101 Riddles and their Stories.

I'm mighty proud of the new book's scope, plus its many folkloric scoops, finding the most outrageous and intriguing riddles from around the globe, and across time, roaming Zanzibar and Myanmar.

Still a few months before copies hit the shelves, but bookshops have been ordering up. Go here to pre-grab, or take a further peek of the Riddledom blurb and details.

This is one major mystery tour for anyone into language as much as culture and the human brain. The official launch is slated to be part of the Melbourne Writers Fest in late August. So why not come along and crack some enigmas? Details to be available soon.

And while you're pondering that invitation, some other scattergun news:

+ a new poll [at last] has just been posted on site, regarding Scrabble's text invasion;

+ chatting this Wednesday on the Conversation Hour about Russian Jews in Australia, and The Secret River's adaption to TV. Should be worth a podslurp;

+ on Sunday, as part of the Williamstown Lit Fest, I'll be giving a world-first Cluetopia lecture, complete with slides of many of these rare and dangerous puzzles.

Now a Word Question: What brand-word began as French portmanteau, and is know a common noun?

And for those still doing UK puzzles, there have been some treasures in the G and Times lately. You know you can always share the ahas and grrs here. Cheers, and have a wordy week.

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Rewording The Brain

Focus & memory, lateral leaps & logic - every aspect of cognitive health is lit in Rewording The Brain, a book revelling in how puzzles boost your brain. Part 2 equips your brain to conquer any twisty clue, plus the wild crossword finale. Pop science meets neural gameplay, Rewording is rewarding, and out now.

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Rewording The Brain

Care to renew your noodle? Rewording The Brain explores the latest neural studies, seeing how puzzles (and twisty clues) boost your neurons. Part 2 helps you crack such clues, and prep the grey matter for the crossword showcase to finish. More here

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101 Weird Words (and 3 Fakes)

From Ambidextrous to Zugwang, this mini-dictionary teems with rare or alluring words, plus bonus riddles, puzzles and fun word-facts. Dictionary detective will also nab the collection's three fakes. Ideal for late primary schoolers, or word-nuts in general.

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Gargantuan Book of Words

Sneeze words. Fake pasta. Viking slang. Gargantuan is a jumbo jumble of puzzles & games, mazes & quizzes, tailor-made for that wordy wonderkid in your life. Or anyone in love with letters, secret codes, puns, rhymes, emoji & all things languagey. More here 

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Recent Comments

Riddledom Rave

If you missed my riddle chat with Richard Fidler, then feel free to slurp the podcast at http://ab.co/1I9t1x5

Text-speak is creeping into Scrabble. Where do you sit?
OBVS I'm fine with it
Entrenched stuff - like LOL and OMG - but no more.
Words With Friends, maybe. Scrabble, no
Let the 'real' dictionaries decide first
Just the handy stuff, like FAQ and EUW
I mean, WTF?! No way
See Results