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Christmas 2024 Shopping Guide? Why not. Let's do this.
Since this is a crossword site, I should probably start off with a crossword book. You'd be hard pressed to find a better looking, if not overall quality puzzle book than "99 TV Crosswords." It's a collab helmed by my mates Brooke Husic and Will Nediger, and they assembled a super friends team of constructors to hit these out of the park. Have I mentioned the eternally cool A24 studio is behind this? The price tag is a bit on the steep end of things, probably because this is as much art/coffee table book as it is something you fill in. But it's worth it. Brooke's been crushing it over at Puzzmo, if you didn't already know that, and she's put together a rather snappy crosswords 'n stuff collection that (smartly) they're selling in batches of two, one for yourself, one to gift someone. Now that's a smart idea.
I'm not sure how many people still use paper calendars anymore, but Adam Aaronson came up with a "so simple, I can't believe it hasn't been done before" idea. The blank month's grid serves not only as a calendar, but it can be filled in as if it were a crossword. Brilliant. Hang one up on your wall and get the rest of your family/roommates into puzzles
Francis Heaney and the mad geniuses at Puzzlewright are usually good for a couple of titles, and 2024 didn't disappoint. How about a modern update of William Steig's "CDB" book? That would be "AB@C." These are Gramograms, which are kind of like rebus puzzles, and kind of sort of like emoji shorthand. Basically, read what you see literally and laugh out loud. Don't be afraid that it sort of looks like a kid's book, because it's not. What else? You've got a collection of Mini Meta puzzles by Pete Muller. Pete normally does music metas, but these are more broadly themed. You've seen them in Washington Post. And how about a few puzzle anthologies? Fun collections of '80s, '90s, and '00s themed crosswords. Your boy has a few in all of them, so grab the set.
Women have been a long part of the history of crosswords, and Anna Shechtman's "The Riddles of the Sphinx" does a remarkable job of telling that story. These are important stories that need to be shared, and I'm glad she did that. Some of these I'd never heard of, like the first self-published feminist-themed crossword anthology! I've been in puzzles for (counts on fingers) almost 30 years now, and in the independent space for over a decade, and how am I just hearing about Julia Penelope? Lordy! Grab a copy and read about your culture.
Here's some odds and sods for you. Alex Bellos put out a charming collection of his Guardian puzzle columns, Fool Me Twice." Like the title says, these are so-called "easy" puzzles that almost everybody gets wrong. Very enjoyable. Staying over in England, the lord high executioners who brought you "Cain's Jawbone," have another one called "The Researcher's First Murder." It's a murder mystery, but every page is looseleaf. You'll have to reassemble the story first before you solve the crime. Strictly for the 1%-ers out there, of which, I know more than a few. And of course my friend Danielle Trussoni wrote another in her Puzzle Master thriller series, "The Puzzle Box." Oh yeah, I made a puzzle for it, so look for that on page 18.
How about for the overseas fans of BEQ? My man Mangesh Ghogre has been crushing it over in India with a barrage of Desi-themed puzzles. He's a man on a mission. He put out a book of his best stuff, you should grab a copy. And for those down under, Liam Runnalls dropped a word puzzle book about Australian birds called, wait for it, "Birdle." Love it.
Reminder #1: the BEQ end of the year drive is still chugging along. The puzzles on this site are free, however, if you've been enjoying them, a small tip helps keep the heat on in the house. Suggest donation of $20, please and thank you, through PayPal or Venmo preferred, but there's always Zelle, checks, hell I'll take crypto. Get in touch. One randomly selected donor will get a book of mine. Long form appeal can be read here.
Reminder #2: Marching Bands year TEN chugs along! You should sign up today if you haven't already! Click the above link for a sample puzzle and how to sign up.
There's also The Hub Crossword (Sunday puzzles by me and Joon Pahk) if you still need more content.
Share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
Brendan Emmett Quigley creates custom-made puzzles for all occasions: birthdays and bar mitzvahs, anniversaries and retirements. You name it. Need a puzzle for your website or your publication? He can do that, too.
Brendan's custom work clients have included The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, BeerAdvocate, Boston Magazine, De Beers, The Decemberists, ESPN, The Improper Bostonian, Lollapuzzoola, McSweeney's, Phish, Reflexive, The Smithsonian Magazine, St. Martin's Press, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, and Andrew Weil.
Call (617) 2-999-BEQ or click 
