*Why are ladies like arrows?When is a bird not a bird?What do you call a nun with a washing machine on her head?*Welcome to the weird new word adventure from David Astle, plunging into the realm of riddles, chasing down and prising open 101 curious questions from around the planet. A mindtrip across time and place, Riddledom uncovers relics from over 50 cultures, delving into language and deception, sampling Pompeii walls and Dothraki warriors. Readers can ...

'I used to regret not being born Catholic because it meant I'd been denied the joys of self-flagellation. Then I discovered DA and he solved my problem.' - Bill Leak, cartoonist, and anagram of Killable'He's the Sergeant Pepper of cryptic crosswords. A complete mindf**k.' - Geoffrey Rush, actor, and anagram of Gruffy HeroesMany a puzzle solver has battled against the devilish mind of long-time crossword maker and wordaholic David Astle, known to many as DA.In Pu...

Master wordsmith and crossword guru David Astle shows how cryptic crosswords can boost your brain power and improve your memory and cognitive capacity.Recent studies have shown that puzzle-solving and wordplay are among the most effective ways to boost the power and agility of your brain. A cryptic crossword a day can help keep memory loss at bay.Why? The answer lies in the art of teasing out a clue, a discipline that calls for logic, interpretation, intuit...

Fun facts about 101 of the weirdest words in the English language from the wordiest guy around, David Astle - plus 3 bonus fake words: can you spot them?101 Weird Words (and Three Fakes) is a mini-dictionary jam-packed with unusual or interesting words, followed by a fun and descriptive definition for each one. Filled with silly pictures and strange wordy facts, this is a book to sweep the reader through the alphabet from AMBIDEXTROUS (no repeated letters)...

Puzzles and Words is a medley of puzzles and surprising word stories in one pocket-sized volume from Australia's best-known wordsmith, David Astle.There are over 170 original brain teasers from anagrams to word pyramids to keep all levels and ages challenged and amused. Accompanying these are some 200 of David's entertaining word stories that unlock the secrets and origins of everything from what a charnie is, to where Google's name came from and how Spanish roosters crow....

Crosswords are not as old as you think. The first one appeared a century ago, the little square keeping in remarkable shape. Cluetopia is here to toast the centenary, whizzing you through 100 years of remarkable clues, across the world, seeking the inside stories.Come travel to New Guinea, Venezuela and Metropolis: every destination arising from a clue. Encounter love, murder, hoaxes, propaganda. Visit a Maori funeral, a Bass Strait oil-rig, a Russian game show-just some o...

How to be a champion word puzzler in 20 quick bites! Packed with word puzzles, tongue twisters and brain teasers, this book will give readers all the ingredients they need to solve cryptic crosswords.Kids of a certain age become obsessed with crossword puzzles: what are they? how do they work? when can I solve one all on my own? Word wizard David Astle has come up with a sneaky way to introduce children to the mechanics of cryptic crossword puzzles, by taking them ...

Puzzles and Words 2 is the second pocket-sized puzzle book from Australia's best known puzzle-maker and word nerd, David Astle.There are over 175 original puzzles from anagrams to riddles and quizzes for all ages and all levels. Accompanying these are some 250 of David's entertaining word stories-What does zemblanity mean? How does cosmic link to cosmetic? Where does a seahorse sleep each night with an almond?Puzzles and Words 2 will keep your brain active...

Are you sick of the same old tourist spots like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House? Do you own too many happy snaps of koalas and kangaroos? Offbeat Australia is the guide to the weird and wonderful attractions that most tourists miss.Explore the odd places that make Australia truly offbeat. Find out where you can:sleep with lionsjoin a riverboat postman on his routerent a cave for a nightentertain the kids at gruesome hideouts, quirky mazes and ...

As a child, David Astle's hero was the Riddler. Figuring out brainteasers like 'Where is a man drowned but still not wet?' (quicksand) and 'How many sides has a circle?' (two - the inside and the outside) became an obsession and, eventually, his life: his cryptic crosswords now appear in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald every week, to the delight and frustration of thousands.In Puzzled, Astle offers a helping hand to the perplexed and the infatuated alik...

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood…Years later, a headmistress is found strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed.Detect...

Would you like to eat whatever you want and still lose weight?Who wouldn't? Keep dreaming, imbecile.In the meantime, if you'd like to read something that alternates between laugh-out-loud-funny and apocalyptically angry, keep holding this book. Steal it if necessary.In his latest collection of rants, raves, hastily spluttered articles and scarcely literate scrawl, Charlie Brooker proves that there is almost nothing in this universe, big or small, that can't reduce a...