Are You Playing Connections?

Here are more fun word and logic games to enjoy

From Word Searches to Cryptograms to Crosswords, we've got word games on the brain and we're not alone. More and more of us appreciate the daily exercises of solving clever word and logic puzzles. Whether you're a Connections connoisseur, a Wordle wizard, a Murdle master—or all three—we've got more opportunities for you to hone your skills.

Word-y workouts

These kinds of games sharpen our powers of observations, strengthen our minds, and even improve our vocabulary. Here are some of our favorite word puzzle books.

Wordle Challenge: 500 Puzzles to Do Anywhere, Anytime—Perfect for Wordlers who crave more than one a day or want to be able to play offline, these puzzle books from Ivy Press come in several different editions.

Wonderword Treasury 10—Love the simplicity of a good old-fashioned wordsearch? David Ouellet has put out a bounty of these collections, each featuring dozens of puzzles, including some large 20 x 20 grids.

The Ultimate Book of Mixed Puzzles—From Parragon Books, this collection offers more than 450 brain-boosting puzzles including word searches, crosswords, mazes and more.

Murdle and more

If you love the exercise of using your powers of deduction to solve mysteries, you may already be an avid online Murdle player. Now you can ramp up your sleuthing fun with these puzzle collections. 

Murdle: Volume one—G. T. Karber has compiled several books packed full of these ingenious logic games with varying levels of difficulty. Solve sequentially to find an engaging plot between puzzles. Perfect for armchair detectives.

Murder Most Puzzling—This clever twist on standard mystery novels will bring out your inner detective. A mix of visual and story-based clues make this collection from Stephanie von Reiswitz an excellent brain game exercise.

Brain Games: Sherlock Holmes Puzzles—This collection of word searches, anagrams, cryptograms, and more will test your mettle. Take on the role of the world's most famous detective and see how sharp your eyes and mind are.

Crafty cryptograms

There's nothing quite so satisfying as uncovering the secret messages hidden in a cryptogram. These books offer a variety of levels and topics that will exercise your mind and leave you smiling as you discern the puzzles' hidden quotes.

Cryptograms: 250 Puzzles—Solve world ciphers, cryptograms, and cryptoquotes in this pleasing large-print collection from Dwight S. Flora. Crack the codes and stimulate your brain as you uncover the hidden messages.

Cryptograms: Shakespeare Quotes—These 200 large-print cryptograms from Cryptoware Press draw from The Bard, himself. Challenge your mind and give yourself something inspirational or entertaining to think about afterwards.

Cryptograms: Volume 1—Give your brain the workout it deserves with this collection of 300 large-print cryptogram puzzles. With a variety of difficulty levels, it offers something for everyone!

Mad Lib merriment

Mad Libs challenge us to be creative, while reinforcing our knowledge of the parts of language. Not only that, but they always make us laugh. Here are some entertaining Mad Lib collections to check out.

More Best of Mad Libs—This collection from Roger Price and Leonard Stern will engage players of all ages and levels in the fun of creating a truly wild tale with fill-in-the-blank stories about rap feuds, bizarre beauty products and more.

Mad About Animals Mad Libs—Another set of 21 fill-in-the-blank stories from Roger Price and Leonard Stern, this collection of hilarious stories focus on animal facts, going to the zoo, family pets, and more.

Pokémon Mad Libs—Part of the Mad Libs Series, these stories about Ash, Pikachu, and others will make you want to become a Pokémon Master and send you laughing into your next battle.

Crossword calisthenics

For a lot of us word gamers, Crosswords offer the ultimate test of our trivia, vocabulary, and spelling abilities. If you're always jonesing for more opportunities to pencil (or ink) in a grid of interconnected answers, try these collections.

Brain Games: Large Print Crosswords—Decompress and unwind with more than 80 large-print crossword puzzles. Clue subjects include novelists, food and drink, common phrases, nature, and more.

USA Today Crossword Super Challenge—Keep your mind sharp with this enlightening and brain-bolstering assortment of fun from the popular newspaper and gaming authority, USA Today.

Simon & Schuster Mega Crossword Puzzle Book #1—For 100 years, Simon & Schuster has been the standard-bearer for cruciverbal excellence. Edited by top puzzle master John M. Samson, these puzzles offer oodles of fresh originality.

There you go! Now you never have to stop playing your favorite word and logic games. Have fun puzzling!

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon