I learnt crosswords when our group at work started doing the Guardian cryptic in the lunch hour. It does help to have someone to explain the phrases that can (but don't always!) indicate an anagram / homophone / included word etc. And that a 'flower' might flow rather than grow.
The first memorable crossword was a double grid for Easter, featuring the opening of Gray's elegy (the last word of the quote held us up for a bit as we expected 2 letters but it had 4.)

Don't know if it was an Araucaria, but I used to enjoy his bank holiday doubles. Well all his really until the shocking one in 2013.
They might take a while to get into, but there was an 'oh yes' moment (or maybe a groan) when it all fell into place.

There just isn't another setter - my son-in-law likes Paul, but I can't get into him. Maybe I'm too old now to get into a different setters mind.

So I do online puzzles sudokos & related. And have just discovered online Griddlers, have tried them in a newspaper but there isn't the same opportunity to experiment - once you've marked it that's it.