Searching for Bubbe Fischer: The Path to Mah Jongg Wisdom

I absolutely loved this book! While I did not grow up in a Jewish household where mom and aunts played mahj, i can identify with just about everything else in Karen's wonderful book. Karen and I are twin mahj sisters of different mothers LOL I laughed, I nodded in agreement. I often thought "geez, someone else went through exactly what I am going through as a newbie". And I picked up a lot of tips along the way, especially as I head to my first tourney and I now know what to expect. This is really a great book. Karen is witty and knowledgeable - but she is also an entertaining writer. I only wish I could attend one of her classes, but I guess I will have to settle for the next best thing. If you have a love affair with mahj, this should be on your must-read book.

This is a wonderful read. It is well written and fast paced. It is equally appropriate for the novice as it is for the advanced player. As Karen takes the reader on a wonderful ride through her own experience learning the game she also teaches the important aspects of Mah Jongg, making what could be a dry subject into an irresistible story. The beginning is more memoir, but still it is chocked full of tips and strategies. The later chapters are organized by subject matter with even more tips, strategies and resources. By way of example she includes easier ways to memorize the yearly cards, how to be flexible in your play, how to play solitaire Mah Jongg to improve your game, and a full chapter on tournament play. A must read for anyone who enjoys the game, no matter their current level of play.

If you are into Mah Jongg, and are at the beginner, advanced beginner or early intermediate stage in your play, you will find this book entertaining. It is one of the few books on Mah Jongg I've seen that goes into more than cursory detail on actual game play, with tile diagrams showing the actual positions of the author's hands in games - very interesting to the more advanced beginning player trying to learn some of the basic & more sophisticated hand strategies. I found the descriptions of the author's experiences in tournament play very interesting and humorous. The last third of the book drifts a bit, dragging out the "mystery" of the author's search for a game mentor, but that doesn't really detract from the overall fun of hearing about the author's experiences meeting and developing friendships with other fans of the "clicking of the tiles".

As Ann Israel said, when I read this book I thought Karen had been following me around noticing my playing experience! Well written, amusing, and very informative. What one finds as a beginner to Mah Jongg is that people usually don't tell you too much about strategy: certain things, yes, but eventually you need to figure out your own strategy such as when to give up on a hand and play defensively. Karen shared some strategy tips that I have not seen elsewhere. And I thought I was a bad player until I read that the game is 70% luck and that you can expect to win about 20% of the time, so you must practice patience! I relaxed then about my play. Right after I finished the book, I signed up for my first tournament, which I had been reluctant to do. I had lots fun, won 3 games out of 12, and won a nice Mah Jongg table! If you are truly a Beginner, perhaps taking lessons, you may want to start with Elaine Sandberg's "Beginner's Guide" and then when you are released from lessons and have become a Novice, get Karen's book to improve your play and learn new tricks. In fact, buy them both together so you have Karen's book on your shelf. I love this book!

I purchased this book to gain more insight into Mah Jongg strategy. The strategy points were a disappointment. A nice story, but not really helpful.

This is a wonderful book for beginners and experienced players alike. I read it when I was first learning to play and it helped me so much! Now that I have been playing for a few months I am ready to read it again. I know I will pick up new tips/strategies this time. Karen writes in a very friendly, easy to follow manner, but she is a warehouse of knowledge. Buy this book. You will be glad you did.(Keep in mind that if you read it as an eBook on a black and white device like the Kindle Paperwhite you won't see the different colors as they appear on the NMJL card. I have both a Paperwhite and an iPad Mini and I read "Bubbe Fischer" on my iPad for this reason.)

I really loved this book. I so enjoyed her story as it unfolded and I could definitely relate to her immediate enchantment with the game of mah jongg. The touching mention of her Dad and the way she presented the close relationship with her mah jongg friends was priceless. This book not only was easy to read, but also had wonderful tips for teaching. I also love the way Karen approached and explained etiquette which is so important for new players to understand. I highly recommend this book as an excellent read and wonderful gift!

This book is a quick and easy read with an enjoyable story. Surprisingly, I have found the tips and strategies are excellent and my Mah jongg skills have definitely improved!