Celebrate minds this month

#Middlebury #CelebrationofMindDay

Each year Celebration of Mind Day is celebrated on Martin Gardner’s birthday, October 21. Gardner pioneered the field of recreational mathematics and used puzzles to introduce the world to the fun math can be. Celebration of Mind Day encourages inquisitive minds to explore puzzles, games, math and magic. See martin-gardner.org. This month, librarians at the Middlebury Public Library recommend the following books.

In the spirit of Celebration of Mind Day, “The Escape Room” by Megan Goldin would be a great read. Four competitive employees in the world of high finance – Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam – have been “invited” to take part in an escape room challenge as a team-building exercise. This furiously competitive group has been losing their edge lately and not closing lucrative deals.

When human resources summons them to a late night meeting, all dare not refuse. While on route to this activity, they are crowded into the elevator only to have the door slam shut and the lights go out. The event has begun. The colleagues must put aside their petty rivalries and work together to figure out the cryptic clues so they can be released from their trap. As tempers ignite and clues turn deadly, the group has to figure out one last piece of the puzzle: which one of them will kill in order to survive.

“Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football” by John Urschel and Louise Thomas is a story of John’s life in mathematics. For John, “math is the great intellectual pursuit” and his life’s movement from abstract world to reality. John’s passion for the game of football was just as great. From Penn State football to the Baltimore Ravens, John wove the two separate halves of himself together. John continued his love for math and solving puzzles into adulthood by completing his Ph.D. program from MIT while playing for the Baltimore Ravens. His life seems contradictory for many, but for him this is normal and he doesn’t see why we can’t be both.

“The Inheritance Games” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a fast-paced adventure full of twists and puzzles. Connecticut teenager Avery Grambs has a plan to make her future better. She just wants to get through high school, get a scholarship, and get out of her current situation. Her life suddenly changes when Texas billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves his inheritance to her, with some stipulations. Avery must move into Hawthorne House, which is filled with secret passages, puzzles, and codes, and she must live there with the four Hawthorne grandsons. Avery must learn to play her way through the world of wealth and privilege while dealing with danger at every turn.

“The Puzzling World of Winston Breen” is the first book in the Puzzling World of Winston Breen series by Eric Berlin. Children ages 8 to 12 will have fun solving puzzles along with puzzle-crazy Winston and his younger sister, Katie. When Katie discovers mysterious strips of wood with letters carved into them, Winston is stumped. Together with his family and friends, Winston is lead on a scavenger hunt to find a ring that may be worth thousands of dollars.

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