In a creative twist, I have altered the titles of eight books by removing one letter from each, resulting in amusing new titles:
23A: [James A. Michener novel about a chili morsel in a piece of nursery furniture?] is CRIB BEAN. The original title was “Caribbean,” but by removing the letter A, we get this quirky new title.
30A: [Charles Dickens novel about a residence with constant plumbing problems?] is LEAK HOUSE. By removing the letter B from “Bleak House,” we arrive at this new humorous title.
37A: [John Steinbeck novel about furious, slack-jawed gazes?] is THE GAPES OF WRATH. Removing the letter R from “The Grapes of Wrath” gives us this clever alteration.
49A: [Carol Shields novel about a person who celebrates a birthday in early April by getting high?] is THE STONED ARIES. The original title was “The Stone Diaries,” but with the removal of the letter I, we get this comical version. It almost lends itself to a 4/20 joke, but it’s important to note that in the zodiac calendar, the last day of the Aries sign is April 19.
68A: [Donna Tartt novel about a short putt?] is THE GOLF INCH. By removing the letter D from “The Goldfinch,” we end up with this clever play on words.
83A: [Chinua Achebe novel about how slim Oreo cookies just can’t stay intact?] is THINS FALL APART. Taking out the letter G from “Things Fall Apart” results in this entertaining alteration.
100A: [Celeste Ng novel about the absence of male deer in people’s lives?] is OUR MISSING HARTS. Removing the letter E from “Our Missing Hearts” gives us this new title. It’s worth noting that initially “OUR MISSING STAGS” could also fit, as “Our Missing Stages” would be a plausible book title as well.
109A: [Blake Crouch novel about the stuff that makes up Noah’s ship?] is ARK MATTER. By removing the letter D from “Dark Matter,” we arrive at this clever alteration.
If we take the letters removed from these book titles, they spell out the revealer at 119A: [Shortened, and what the letters removed from eight novels in this puzzle spell out], which is ABRIDGED. This puzzle is a spiritual successor to my Oct. 20, 2019 puzzle titled “The Purloined Letters,” which had a similar concept but different book titles and a different revealer.
Before we move on, I would like to take a moment to honor a colleague. Mitch Rubin has been my editor since I began writing puzzles for The Washington Post in December 2015. He was one of the interviewers during my application process, he meticulously reviewed and edited almost all of my blog posts, and he played a crucial role in convincing the newspaper to retain my services when The Washington Post Magazine ceased publication at the end of last year. This blog post will be the last one that Mitch reviews, as he will be leaving The Post on June 30. I believe that “To Make a Long Story Shorter” is an appropriate and concise description of the editing process. While it doesn’t encompass everything an editor does, I hope this puzzle serves as a fitting tribute to Mitch.
What I most admire about Mitch is his eagerness to learn about the intricacies of crosswords and his dedication to promoting them for readers, despite not being an avid solver himself. Simultaneously, I relied on him to keep me on track, meet deadlines, advocate for my crosswords within The Post’s management, and liaise with copy editors, the design team, and the tech team at Amuse Labs whenever I created a puzzle that required extra time and attention. Throughout my time writing crosswords for The Post, Mitch never once asked me to change an answer or be anything other than my authentic self in my work. It is rare to find a supervisor who can effectively balance the needs of multiple individuals, and Mitch excelled at this.
Thank you, Mitch, for your invaluable assistance over the past seven and a half years. Best of luck in your future endeavors.
Denial of responsibility!VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
Denial of responsibility!Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
