Fine Wine

Lodeve, in the south of France within the Occitania region, is distinguished for its lush green hills and vineyards.

Boxes and Booze 6/10/23 Boxes and Booze 6/10/23

Cloak of Invisibility

The Ninja, and related Shinobi warriors, were prominent in 15th century Japan during the Sengoku period.

Boxes and Booze 6/3/23 Boxes and Booze 6/3/23

Ship Shape

On June 8, 1879, George Washington issued the first official presidential order in United States history.

Boxes and Booze 5/27/23 Boxes and Booze 5/27/23

Voyages Extraordinaires – Part I

In 1866 (so the story goes) nations around the globe begin sighting a mysterious sea monster.

Boxes and Booze 5/20/23 Boxes and Booze 5/20/23

Red Handed

A staple of the northern European diet for over three thousand years, the tasty sardine and its big brother the herring can be enjoyed raw, salted, pickled and dried, just to name a few common preparations.

Boxes and Booze 5/13/23 Boxes and Booze 5/13/23

Bread and Butter

Milkfat (also known as butter fat) is present in milk as microscopic globules kept separate by their phospholipid and protein membranes.

Boxes and Booze 5/6/23 Boxes and Booze 5/6/23

Radio Days

For those of you following along with the robot wars saga (aka the “robopocalypse”), there has been a development.

Boxes and Booze 4/29/23 Boxes and Booze 4/29/23

A Spirited Way

The Karakuri Creation Research Group of puzzle box artisans are beloved for their fanciful secret opening boxes, which are often quite magical.

Boxes and Booze 4/22/23 Boxes and Booze 4/22/23

Dog Days

Inspiration strikes when you least expect it, and nothing motivates some people quite like a challenge.

Boxes and Booze 4/15/23 Boxes and Booze 4/15/23

Safe Keeping

I’m always curious how people come up with their ideas, and how they see them to production. Akhil Sudeep, a designer from India, recently shared his story and the origins of his new puzzle box with me.

Boxes and Booze 4/8/23 Boxes and Booze 4/8/23

Brick by Brick

“We are hoping to spread the word that we make the best LEGO PB out there and try to create more great puzzles in the future.”

Boxes and Booze 4/1/23 Boxes and Booze 4/1/23

Cosmic Buddha

According to Mr. Puzzle (the original), the mountainous, momentous objective of this puzzling object “is to get Mt Fuji to blow it's top and find the Buddha of All-Illuminating Wisdom, the Dainichi Nyorai.

Boxes and Booze 3/18/23 Boxes and Booze 3/18/23

Paleolithic Puzzling

The Paleolithic era Tuc d'Audoubert cave is located in the south of France. The masterpieces of this cave are two clay bisons, the best preserved examples of clay modellings in the whole of European cave art. They are 15,000 years old, and have become iconic.

Boxes and Booze 3/11/23 Boxes and Booze 3/11/23

Dew the Suze

Sometimes, you just want a soda. Sure, you know it’s bad for you, basically sugar-water and chemicals, and that you really shouldn’t indulge. But life is too short for the ascetic life, right?

Boxes and Booze 3/4/23 Boxes and Booze 3/4/23

Booker Prize

It’s always a good time for reading here at Bookses and Booze. I’ll take any excuse, and March 2 was “Read Across America Day”, which counts in my book.

Boxes and Booze 2/18/23 Boxes and Booze 2/18/23

Rex of Flex

Few puzzle makers in the world have less need to prove themselves than Kagen Sound, who is widely considered to be one of the great artisans of the artform. Yet here he is, flexing for us.

Boxes and Booze 2/11/23 Boxes and Booze 2/11/23

Fish Tales

Eric Fuller’s lasting legacy is well encapsulated in many ways within his final box, the last puzzle he personally had a hand in both designing and crafting.