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16 jigsaw puzzles to brighten your day

We’re in full hygge-mode at my house with homemade soups and stews on the stove, cozy blankets draped over the armchairs, and a new jigsaw puzzle on the table almost every week. Puzzling has been our go-to indoor activity for years. This winter, between busy schedules and a few unfortunate bouts of illness, we’ve especially enjoyed spending evenings together over the puzzle table, with mugs of hot tea in hand.

Jigsaw puzzles help combat the inevitable cabin-fever that pops up during these chilly, gray post-holiday months of winter. They’re also an excellent bonding activity, super-affordable (especially if you pick them up at thrift stores or yard sales), and good for your brain

According to a 2014 Yale study, the low-stakes task of completing jigsaw puzzles builds collaboration and teamwork. The activity engages spatial reasoning, promotes problem solving, and rewards participants with a sense of accomplishment. (I’m thinking this might be part of the reason that our Modern Mrs. Darcy team of “conscientious first-born daughters who got good grades and believe in finishing what they start” enjoy puzzles over board games. We had a lively discussion about it the other day) Other studies suggest that puzzles support memory function and might prevent the progression of diseases like Alzheimer’s or dementia. 

Over the years, we’ve discovered a few helpful puzzle accessories to make this already relaxing hobby even easier. A puzzle mat or large flat surface like a bulletin board also allows you to move your work-in-progress from the sunroom to the coffee table without leaving a trail of pieces for Daisy to pick up. (That bulletin board is shown above with our most recently completed puzzle, Piece Out’s No Probllamma 1000 piece puzzle. You can see that Daisy still got a piece!)

Ironically, the most useful puzzle tool comes from our small collection of outdoor athletic gear. A camping headlamp illuminates small details and faint color differences, particularly during this time of year when early winter evenings are so dark. 

Lately, I find myself pausing at the puzzle table when I bring Daisy in from our afternoon walk, just to finish a few more minutes of my audiobook. Whether you’re puzzling solo or working together as a family, an audiobook provides extra entertainment and brain-exercise. (If you want to add audiobooks to your jigsaw puzzle toolkit, I highly recommend an audiobook subscription service like Libro.fm; there’s a special deal for MMD readers at that link.) These are some of my very favorite audiobooks; our complete audiobook archives are right here.

A few of our puzzles are missing several pieces (I’ll give you one guess as to the culprit), but even if that wasn’t the case I’d still be on the lookout for new additions to our puzzle cabinet. I’m eager to share 16 pretty book and plant-related puzzles in my collection or on my wishlist, and I hope you’ll drop a link to your favorite puzzles in the comments, too!

Bookish puzzles

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. More details here.

Galison Bibliophile Book Club Darlings 1000 piece puzzle. This 1000 piece puzzle features another of Jane Mount’s paintings, portraying popular book club selections including The Kite Runner, The Red Tent, and A Tale for the Time Being.

Ravensburger Cozy Retreat 500 piece puzzle. We love Ravensburger puzzles at my house. This scene from their “cozy” series features a view that will look familiar to many a book lover.

Galison Book Club 1000 piece puzzle. This adorable puzzle portrays hundreds of people reading books.

Re-marks Heroines 1000 piece puzzle. This collage of book covers features 24 titles that put females front and center, including A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Joy Luck Club, The Color Purple, and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

Galison Vintage Library 1000 piece puzzle. I just ordered this one for myself; I couldn’t resist the gorgeous design at a great price.

White Mountain Puzzles “Best Sellers” Vintage Book Covers 1000 piece puzzle. We’ve worked this puzzle featuring 53 bestsellers several times now.

I’d Rather Be Reading 1000 piece puzzle. Who could argue with the sentiment or those beautiful color-sorted spines?

Galison Ideal Bookshelf 1000 piece puzzle. My family loves this puzzle featuring Jane Mount’s art—although ours is now a 997 piece puzzle, thanks to Daisy.

Laurence King Publishing The World of Shakespeare 1000 piece puzzle. This vivid scene of Shakespeare’s London will delight his fans. I would do the border first, then start in on the river.

16 jigsaw puzzles to brighten your day

I’d love to share the New York Public Library puzzle that I just brought home from New York, but alas, it’s not available for sale in the NYPL’s online gift shop! (UPDATE: you found the puzzle! Get it here.) (But it is pictured above, in airport security, because my puzzle triggered a search, who knew?) Puzzles from the same line are easier to find online, like this pretty puzzle featuring Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain.

Plants and flowers puzzles

Moxie Succulent Garden 1000 piece puzzle. This puzzle features a beautiful potted succulent garden, and looks challenging, but doable.

Galison Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden two-sided 500 piece puzzle. I have this, I love it, I’ve worked both sides multiple times, and YES you really can tell which side is which when you’re working it. (I was worried, but I needn’t have been.)

Buffalo Games Good Vibes Succulent Windowsill 2000 piece puzzle. This huge puzzle features a dreamy view of succulents galore and a setting sun.

Piece Out Puzzles Bouquets for Days 500 piece puzzle. I LOVED working this one over the holiday break.

Re-Marks Succulents Cactus Plants 1000 piece puzzle. This beautiful scene reminds me of my local plant shop, with its abundant succulents and air plants in pretty pots.

Clementoni Bowl of Flowers 1000 piece puzzle. I’ve heard wonderful things about Clementoni puzzles; this floral arrangement resembles an Old Masters painting.

Galison Full Bloom World Map 1000 piece puzzle. I want to get this one immediately! This puzzle puts a fun twist on the world map, using a colorful collage of flowers and butterflies to stand in for the continents.

Do you share my love of jigsaw puzzles? I’d love to hear about your puzzle preferences, along with your favorite brands and designs, in comments.

16 jigsaw puzzles to brighten your day

156 comments

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  1. Yana Dumbauld says:

    We have discovered Liberty Puzzles in Boulder Colorado. They are carved wooden puzzle pieces that are works of art and so fun to put together. They are not inexpensive but we also love to give them as gifts:)

    • Annette E says:

      Oh my goodness! Liberty puzzles. They are the most beautiful wooden puzzles in the world! I have puzzle pieces from one displayed in a clear box on my coffee table. I am a huge White Mountain puzzle fan – I love the quality – thick pieces with minimal dust. Their collages are great because you can take on small achievable tasks which sometimes can draw in even your most skeptical puzzlers. Great post!

      • aquagirl809 says:

        I am so glad you others are mentioning Liberty Puzzles! What fabulous pieces of art they are! Stunning! You have to experience these magnificent puzzles in person. Our family is addicted to Liberty Puzzles now, and we play with them exclusively. We saw them at the Liberty Puzzle store in Boulder, CO, and after we played with them awhile, we HAD to buy some and take them home with us.

    • Sharon says:

      My SIL in Boulder sends Liberty puzzles to me, they’re the only ones I want to work! And we work them without looking at the front of the box.

    • Laura says:

      I was going to comment about Liberty Puzzles and just saw Yana’s comment about it. We did one and lived it. The challenge from the Liberty Puzzle owners was that we had to do it without looking at the picture, not knowing at all what it was. We had so much fun!!

  2. Brendy Corley says:

    I love doing puzzles! I have a cat and a dog who are culprits on taking and eating pieces. I keep the puzzle covered when I’m not working on it, but as soon as I take it off, here comes the cat. He jumps up there, and when I go to get him, he grabs as many pieces as he can on his way off the table. I’ve learned to carefully pick up his front paws before grabbing him. The dog chews on any pieces that land on the floor. It’s quite a circus. 🙂

    • Nicole C McCormick says:

      We just started one and I worried about my dog eating pieces of my 3 year old destroying it, but alas it’s the cat who is the real culprit.

  3. Annie McCloskey says:

    Liberty puzzles are TRULY worth the money. Here is my suggestion: Find a friend or a few who also enjoy puzzles. Trade them when done! My sister and I do that all the time, as once they are completed we just take them apart and pass them along. They smell really good as well!

  4. Jennifer Geisler says:

    I am a firm believer that the “sorting” step is a crucial first step to satisfying puzzle completion (who wants to waste time searching for a particular piece mid-puzzle?). My husband, tired of little piles of same-colored pieces, made me 8 wooden sorting trays of varying size. They have a nice edge so the pieces can’t fall off.
    My criteria for a good puzzle? Pictures should not reflect big swaths of a single color…..I want recognizable shapes and pictures, which are more fun to complete.
    there is always an unfinished puzzle on our dining room table….

  5. Jeanne says:

    Yes! We LOVE Liberty Puzzles! They are so fun to put together. Also, I’ve heard if you lose a puzzle piece, you can call and describe the piece and what puzzle it came from and they will replace it.

  6. Mary Hunt says:

    We love puzzles! We even take them on vacation with us. Have you seen the puzzles that have pieces in three sizes? Larger pieces are for younger children. The middle size for adults and older children, the the smallest is for adults.

    • Carol Quan says:

      I saw some of those Ravensburger Disney puzzles and bought one. My 6-year old granddaughter helps me with the regular 1,000 piece ones. It might be good for the 3-year old though.

  7. Bettie Bow says:

    Oh my, I think I may have just found six more puzzles to add to my favorite winter hobby from your list Anne. Had never heard of Liberty puzzles before but just checked them out. How beautiful!!! Now to find someone to share my hobby with so I can exchange puzzles with as Annie McCloskey suggests.

  8. Annie says:

    Please let your readers know that all links you have are affiliate links and you receive compensation for those clicks. I believe this is a requirement per the FTC.

  9. Valerie Roach says:

    I love this post and have put several puzzles on my wish list. My latest obsession is doing jigsaw puzzle while listening to audio books. It lets me do two of my favorite things at the same time.

    • Inspired By Hermione says:

      Same! And I lose track of time doing it, which very rarely happens for me. It is just an excellent way to spend some time destressing at night.

  10. I love puzzles for all the reasons you describe. I asked for the White Mountain vintage book covers puzzle for Christmas after you shared it. My husband actually helped me do it over a couple of days between Christmas and New Years and I don’t ever think he’s done a jigsaw before, at least not as an adult. I hope the NYPL one becomes available again because I am so taken with that one that I’ve asked for it next.

  11. Melissa Fitzpatrick says:

    I have loved puzzles since I was a kid. I always did them while watching tv. I am now trying to get my kids involved in the bigger 500+ piece ones. I picked up the Thomas Kinkade Dreams collection this weekend in hopes that they will like doing images they already know.

  12. Carrie says:

    My family and I love working on puzzles in the winter. White Mountain puzzles are some of our favorites including Reader’s Paradise and Rare Book Store.

  13. Tracy says:

    My husband and I do two puzzles in November and December- it’s turned in to part of our holiday tradition. We find White Mountain to be the best, by far!🙂

  14. Karen says:

    We love jigsaw puzzles so much. Whenever I get together with my girlfriends for a weekend away we always bring a puzzle. One thing I have that is so helpful are stacking puzzle sorting boxes. You can separate the pieces and it is especially helpful if you have limited space for your puzzle.

  15. Jerri says:

    I’m so pleased to see Liberty Puzzles mentioned. They are the most beautiful and satisfying puzzles available. As mentioned, they make the best gifts and are wonderful to trade. It is also possible to send in a high resolution photo and order a customized puzzle. They will make sure the pieces fit in with the overall puzzle theme. For example, a beach theme may include pieces shaped as umbrellas or fish.
    Finally, if anyone finds themselves in Boulder, CO, go to the factory for a quick tour!

    • Jerri says:

      I meant to say that Liberty Puzzles was mentioned in the comment section. I apologize for any confusion. I got overly excited!!!

  16. Ellen Herrel says:

    My family loves puzzles, yet it’s been awhile since we did one. Thanks so much for the reminder and for the fabulous ideas!

  17. Dani Genz says:

    So funny the timing! Just finished a 2000-piece puzzle with my 12-yo son (started it with my 20-yo daughter over Christmas break but sadly she is back at college). And same son just finished a 3D puzzle of the White House! He loved it! (Wrebbit brand) He loved it so much we ordered one of the Taj Mahal. They really are cool! Puzzles are the thing here in our wintry MN home right now.

  18. Amy says:

    I have lived Colin Thompson’s illustrations in his books forever. Here is the name of the Library puzzle I finished this past weekend: Ravensburger Colin Thompson – The Bizarre Bookshop, 1000pc Jigsaw Puzzle. Then I donated it to the library who is doing book themed puzzles this month. It only included one slightly chewed up puzzle piece from my dog named Skittles.

    • Caroline says:

      This is the puzzle that got me hooked! I hadn’t done a puzzle in many years and then my sister gave this to me for my birthday a few years ago. It was so much fun and now I’m completely obsessed! No really, I just bought a larger coffee table because the dimensions of the old one were too limiting for my puzzling habit. lol

  19. Valerie Biggs says:

    I love puzzles, but have no one to swap with. I’m in the Denver metro area. If you’re in the general area let me know. I’d love to swap!

  20. Emily says:

    Last year for Christmas my sister secretly took a photo of a bookshelf in a store we were visiting and had it made in to a puzzle. It was a wonderful and meaningful gift! I love puzzles and our trip there was to purchase books for 2019 book club. A Very special trip and gift!

  21. Wendy says:

    My 12 yr. old daughter and I just completed Ravensburger’s 3000 Wild Animals puzzle. We had to bring in our outdoor patio table to have a big enough table for the whole thing. We’ve never done one this size. Our highest number had been 1000 before this one. We’d never seen a puzzle this big. It took us 4 weeks working just about every day on it to complete it. And sadly, there was one piece missing – and we don’t have a dog. Hmmm. Very disappointing!! We had such a great time together doing it though. I love all the talking we do when we are puzzling. I just felt bad for her (it was a Christmas gift of hers) that it wasn’t all there. We all decided that someone needs to design an app that can help you locate missing pieces OR that companies would provide replacement pieces. How’s that for an idea?

  22. Chan says:

    Love the suggestions! I love Charles Wysocki, particularly his Christmas puzzles (Buffalo Games does a good job). He also has a popular “Frederick the Literate” puzzle of a cat sleeping amidst books on a shelf.

  23. Sandra says:

    I don’t often find time for puzzles but have quite the collection. My TBD pile of puzzles is not as big as my TBR pile of books. I like playing puzzles on vacation so I look for small 500-1000 piece with themes that fit where we are going and often leave on vacation with a puzzle in my suitcase. My husband is also used to finding a Goodwill at the beginning of a week staying somewhere so I can find a puzzle or two for the condo we are staying in. The finished puzzles often get left with the game collections for guests when we return home.

  24. Cindy says:

    I HAD to order one of the book puzzles. I just finished a map puzzle of Seattle by MetroPuzzles by GEOtoys, which now has me reading mysteries set in Seattle and watching videos of Seattle foods. That will probably continue until I move there or find a puzzle of Toronto. Thanks for this post!

  25. Lauren F says:

    A quick question: what do you all do with puzzles after you have done them? Do you keep them around or give them away? There are so many beautiful new puzzles out there, but we have limited storage space.

    Also, I discovered the National Geographic will customize a puzzle of your home. The picture is a topographical map of the area around any address you plug in. I gave this to my parents for Christmas and they love it. The “home” piece is even a cute little house.

  26. Dayna White says:

    I did the Gaison puzzle over Christmas and it was one of my favorites. I haven’t had the heart to break it up yet and start a new one because it is so pretty.

    • Carol Quan says:

      I did one of their Christmas ones also. I love having a Christmas puzzle to do with my grandkids. That usually stRts my winter puzzle season.

  27. Les in OR says:

    We love the wooden, whimsical puzzle pieces of Liberty Puzzles and have recently discovered Wentworth Wood Puzzles, located in Wiltshire, UK. They are currently having a 40% sale so I’m planning to stock up!

  28. Sue Schmitz says:

    On of the hardest puzzles was a 1000 piece puzzle of solid color puzzle pieces. Each piece was made up of pieces of puzzle pieces. That sentence is almost a tongue twister! Very challenging, but I finished it!
    Last year I did a 1000 piece puzzle of Nancy Drew book covers. Fun, but more challenging than I expected!

    • Anne says:

      You are braver than we are! I think the hardest one we ever finished was a very small Titanic against a huge night sky. Finishing that sky took forever!

  29. Debbi says:

    We do puzzles this time of year. I like the Springbrook brand. They are fun and affordable. We hand-off to my DIL. Recently a lady at our Church said she does puzzles so she has brought us several. You can also donate them to a Assisted Living place or your local library so they can sell them at their sales.
    I plan to do a lot of puzzles to keep my mind sharp. My mama has dementia and I don’t want to go there! That’s another reason why I read so much.

    • Carol Quan says:

      I do a lot of mind activities too-reading, knitting and puzzles. Not sure if it helps, but can’t hurt. If nothing else, I find all of them relaxing.

  30. Paula Kelly says:

    Oh I love the idea of using a bulleting board!
    Also the Nancy Drew Vintage puzzle by Cobble Hill (Canadian Company) is amazing and brings back all sorts of nostalgia and the love of the series! 🙂

  31. Guest says:

    Love all of these ideas! Yes, I do love jigsaw puzzles but find I typically only do them during holiday breaks when I’m off work and the kids are out of school.

    I have historically liked travel focused puzzles, cozy puzzles, and bookish puzzles. The year we were spending two weeks traveling through New England, I bought the White Mountain New England puzzle for us to do together and talk about the places we would be visiting. When we lived in Virginia, I bought a White Mountain Virginia puzzle and we talked about all the fun places we had visited and had yet to visit. Kind of like reading books about a place before you visit. 😉

    This year we did these two over Christmas break. Galison Winter Dogs puzzle was SO FUN!

    • I have found puzzle mats to be frustrating as the pieces do not slide easily. My husband gifted me with a Bits and Pieces Wooden Puzzle Plateau…it has a smooth wooden surface and four pull out drawers for sorting and storing the pieces. Also has a raised edge on two, sides, which makes it easier to move puzzles to more convenient locations or better light. I believe they were available on Amazon. This has been a wonderful addition to our ‘puzzling’ world.
      My favorite Puzzle companies are Ravensburger and Cobble Hill. I’m thrilled to read all the other suggestions in this Post!!!

  32. Carol Quan says:

    I was thrilled when I saw this!!! I love doing puzzles!!! I have been doing them since I was a kid. I almost always have one out on a card table in the family room. (Your bulletin board is a good idea.) Such a great thing to do in the winter. I just finished one with snowmen (no snow where I live though) and started a Ravens urger one with different clips from Pixar movies. I will check out the 16 puzzles here. I recently stocked up at B&N. I live the Galison puzzles with scenes of NY (grew up there) and the one of Cuba (been there).

  33. Lauren Lahann says:

    Anne, you must check out New York Puzzle Company! https://www.newyorkpuzzlecompany.com/

    They have a bunch of book related puzzles – a whole Harry Potter cover collection, as well as Penguin Random House classics.
    My favorite one is the 1,000 piece Harry Potter collage: https://www.newyorkpuzzlecompany.com/collections/harry-potter/products/harry-potter-collage?variant=12375349723245
    Unfortunately, it looks like it is sold out. Hopefully they are producing more!

  34. Holly says:
    • Lauren Lahann says:

      Those sorting trays are essential!! Even if you are lucky enough to have a dedicated space to leave your puzzle out while completing – they are so helpful that I would recommend them to any serious puzzler 🙂

  35. Carol Quan says:

    Can’t wait to order some of these! Anne, I am glad you get credit for recommending these! I live giving credit where credit is due. Thanks!!!

  36. Rebecca Strom says:

    We love puzzles! My new favorite is one I bought for my Xmas present at B& N. It was covered with children’s books titles. My biggest frustration is with pieces that don’t stay together.

  37. Connie says:

    Check out Novel Avenue and Midnight at the Library both by Ravensburger and 1000 piece. Or if you’re really ambitious you could check out the 2000 piece World of Books!

  38. Jenny says:

    I splurged on a Jigsort puzzle board last year and it’s wonderful! It fits under my couch when not in use. I also use White Mountain puzzle sort boxes; they are great for working on a small section at a time if I dom’t want to pull out the board. I just finished a very pretty butterfly shaped puzzle from Sunsout. They have unique shapes!

  39. Nikki Senecal says:
  40. Tina Ristau says:

    I love doing puzzles and our family often finds time to get a few finished during the winter months when we are stuck indoors more often than the summer.
    I purchased the NYPL puzzle you brought back from your trip there just days before you shared it on your blog. And, I have a Nancy Drew puzzle from Cobble Hill I have had for quite a while just waiting to be worked on.

  41. Cynthia Pratt says:

    I personally love Wentworth Wooden Puzzles from England. I am hooked on their 12 days of christmas series presently on 4 calling birds and the whimsey pieces. Also there is a local Minnesota company called Puzzle Twist with several series where the cover is not quite how the finished puzzle looks. Great fun and a little more challenge! Tend to do Buffalo Wysocki puzzles. White Mountain are great but strain the available space we have for puzzling.

  42. Lynne says:

    I love doing Bepuzzled Mystery Puzzles. You can find them on Amazon. When you put the puzzle together you have no idea what it is going to look like. It’s a mystery! It comes with a booklet that has a mystery story. You read the mystery and within the puzzle are clues to solve the mystery. Great fun for mystery and puzzle lovers.

  43. Leslie says:

    I love the Charley Harper puzzles – he’s done beautiful puzzles of birds and nature locales. They are so much fun to do, and he has a unique style. I want to do the Isle of Royale puzzle next. Our nightly tradition – we listen to audiobooks while my husband cooks dinner and I do jigsaw puzzles.

  44. Barbara says:

    I just started doing puzzles this year. Love the Ravenburger library puzzle, and White Mountain ‘Games We Played’. It shows many nostalgic board games from my childhood. A fun hard puzzle from SunsOut was a Mama’s Sleeping. They are a great family activity! Beats technology!

  45. Stephanie F. says:

    Thank you for introducing me to Galison puzzles! Just saw they have a buy 2, get one 50% off sale on their website; very tempting!!

  46. Glen says:

    I love puzzles. Unfortunately, I dont have a flat area in my house that isn’t a place to put books or fabrics. I used to do puzzles with a friend, who usually had a puzzle started somewhere in her house, but she had more flat areas, and is now gone. But if a puzzle caught my eye, you better believe Id be siting there with a piece in my hand trying to place it somewhere!

  47. Keren says:

    Puzzles are the best! (And yes, also a first born daughter – hmmmm…)
    My favorites are the Edward Gorey art 1000 piece puzzles. You may know his art from the PBS Masterpiece Mystery opening sequence. There’s a few different ones and they always have fun patterns and textures to work on throughout.

  48. Kristin says:

    I have a puppy who has developed a taste for puzzle pieces … good thing she’s cute! Just finished Galison’s “Avian Friends” and will start on “Cool Cats.” Love the colors and of course, cute animals. My mom and I like to work on these when my 3-year-old is napping on Sunday afternoons. 🙂 Will have to check out Liberty!

  49. Kate MHH says:

    When I was a child, the family favorite was Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers for puzzles. A current favorite is mystery puzzles- no picture of the puzzle is included, you read the mystery as presented in the booklet and make the puzzle blind to create the scene that you then analyze to solve the mystery. Very fun! Also, Eric Dowdle puzzles are always wonderful. They are a bit folk art in appearance, but the real fun comes when you find one of a place you love and even better when you can see an episode from “Painting the Town with Eric Dowdle” of that same place and meet the people featured in the puzzle.

    • Lorraine says:

      Love the Jane Mount Book Club Darlings puzzle. We did that as a family and framed it. (We framed puzzle mentioned in my previous comment, too). I just ordered the NYPL puzzle. Thanks for the link! And for the bulletin board tip! Now we can eat again on our dining room table 🙂

  50. Dorothy says:

    Love these! I have that Full Bloom puzzle framed on my living room wall! And when we were working on it the electricity went out during a storm and I finished it with a headlamp!

  51. Torrie says:

    We love puzzles! My husband and I have a tradition of doing puzzles of the cities we visit. They are by Eric Dowdle. It’s so fun to come home from a trip and then relive the experience through a puzzle.

    My sister-in-law put micro-puzzles (tiny 150 piece puzzles of famous paintings in a small tube) in our Christmas stockings, kind of as a joke, but we had so much fun with them we went online and bought more.

  52. Anna says:

    I used to think I didn’t really like doing puzzles, but someone gifted a Eurographics cupcake puzzle to our family during a super stressful time 5 or 6 years ago. We put it on a table, and it was something we could do together in bits and pieces as we wanted. It turned out to be a good thing for us to do together and talk about things.

    Now it’s usually just my youngest that wants to do puzzles. It’s a way for us to spend time together. Since he’s a 14 year old boy, he doesn’t always want to be hanging out with his parents. I take the time where I can get it. 🙂

    I like the Eurographics puzzles that have rows of similar items.https://www.amazon.com/EuroGraphics-Cat-Breeds-Puzzle-1000-Piece/dp/B002MYB704/ref=sr_1_4?crid=321IOFO8NYLSS&keywords=eurographics+cat+puzzles+1000+piece&qid=1579862736&sprefix=puzzle+eurographics+cats%2Caps%2C314&sr=8-4

  53. Janet Warren says:

    Have you come across Wasgij puzzles? The puzzle is based on the picture on the box, but is what comes next, or what can be seen by the people in the puzzle, or behind the artist. Definitely challenging, but usually amusing, too.

  54. Ruth says:

    We love the Thomas Kinkade puzzles. They are so pretty and our kids love the Disney/Thomas Kinkade ones too. We’ve currently got the 1,000 piece Pirates of the Caribbean puzzle on our dining room table. A great winter/dreary day activity!

  55. Kelly Veatch says:

    I am an avid reader and a school librarian. I love puzzles of all kinds, but I particularly collect book-related puzzles. I love these recommendations. Also, try these: Ravensburger A Stitch in Time; Ravensburger World of Books; White Mountain Old Book Store; White Mountain Puzzles Readers Paradise; EuroGraphics The Greatest Bookstore in The World; White Mountain Puzzles Local Bookstore; MasterPieces Once Upon A Shelf Collection (there are 4-5 in this collection and they are fun to work); Ravensburger Fairytale Fantasia. And, the most beautiful book related puzzle I’ve ever done is: Ravensburger Wild Kingdom, 2000 pieces. It is gorgeous when finished!

  56. Nichole says:

    Our family loves puzzles! I am also of the ‘conscientious first-born daughters’ kind, so sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything else until the puzzle is just finished already. But there’s still just something so homey like having a puzzle on the table.

  57. Inspired By Hermione says:

    Just before this post I’d started the Jane Mount ideal bookshelf universals puzzle! Finished in about 3 days- I spent four hours working on it on Tuesday!

  58. Megan says:

    I love puzzles too! They are great stress relievers. You can get so focused on the puzzle that you forget your worries temporarily. I like them during a heat wave too, when it is too hot outside. And I too have a dog who thinks puzzle pieces resemble kibble. She has slowed down in her old age though.

  59. Nancy says:

    I like the PuzzleTwist puzzles. They have a twist as the name of the site says. I’ve done several of the twist puzzles of different sizes, 350, 500 and 1000. Search the name Puzzle Twist and you’ll see a description of the puzzles and different types. Very neat. Love them a lot.

  60. Emma says:

    I’ve done and loved Ravensburger Stitch in Time and Fantasy Bookshop. Just bought Ravensburger The Writer’s Desk and Vermont Christmas Company Lighthouse Guests for the summer. Have Ravensburger The Christmas Library stashed away for next year.

  61. Beth says:

    I love the tactile feel of a wooden puzzle. Liberty are my favorites- they have a puzzle of the month club. Wentworth are great too. Finally I have a few of the stave puzzles. These are true works of art and are not traditionally shaped- instead using a lot of negative space and tricks to fit together.

  62. Kathy Rose says:

    My cousin and I recently worked the Galison Bibliophile Book Club puzzle that you mentioned in this blog. Although the subject matter was fun for us, the puzzle pieces were not well made. They were thin, and many of the pieces “fit” with more than one piece. We muddled through on pieces with colors, but since the border is mainly white, it was a source of frustration to get the correct pieces together. I would not recommend this puzzle.

  63. I LOVE doing puzzles in the winter but haven’t done any since we brought our youngest home 2 years ago (except for the one that was half finished when we went to get him and then took me days to get back to). And now that he’s almost 2 and into EVERYTHING, I was thinking it would be years before I could get back to puzzles but I think I came up with a solution behind a baby gate so I might have to try that soon! Especially because we gave up watching screens together in the evenings until Easter!

  64. Oooh, I love the idea of puzzling while audiobooking! What a great idea, it would be so soothing! Unfortunately, while I *love* puzzles, my husband can’t stand them 😅 I suppose I’ll get to say a bittersweet I-told-you-so when my brain is healthier than his in fifty years?

  65. Kimberly says:

    Thanks for the puzzle mat! I just picked up The Night Sky puzzle during a trip to the Grand Canyon, and can’t wait to get started.

  66. Patti says:

    I too enjoy working a puzzle, especially with my grandchildren. Nothing is more disappointing than to discover a piece is missing. If the puzzle is really special you can have the missing piece replaced. The Jigsaw Doctor, for a charge, will replace your missing piece. I also take a picture of the puzzle that shows the missing piece. I’m optimistic that I’ll find it, open springs eternal. Thank you for the headlight suggestion. It’s a great fix for those low light afternoons.

  67. Kristi says:

    Oh I love this! My millennial daughter and her husband are puzzle fanatics too. They always have one set up on their coffee table. The light isn’t great where I have my dining room table but I never thought of the headlamp in my husband’s bike gear! I love to puzzle and listen to books.

  68. Donna Bergholz says:

    Once you put together a Liberty puzzle, a puzzle where every single piece is a different shape, you will never go back to ordinary puzzles with only 4-6 shapes. The wooden pieces are tactilely and aesthetically so very pleasing, plus each Liberty puzzle has numerous “whimseys” each of which has a shape specific to the puzzle theme. Yes, the puzzles cost several times what an ordinary puzzle costs, but the experience of completing one is incomparable.

  69. Tracy Sherbrook says:

    Hello! You might also want to check out White Mountain Puzzle in New Hampshire. A lovely, family-run business with unique puzzles of excellent quality. They also sell the glue and frames for their puzzles! The new Valentine’s Day heart stamps puzzle is a LOT of fun and very beautiful and varied. My husband and I enjoyed doing this together during the dark, cold evenings of the north country.

  70. Kristin Fields says:

    To Anne and everyone else,
    If you are ever in Minnesota go to Minnesota’s Largest Candy Story which my daughter and I call The Yellow Barn (guess why?!) with the address of Jordan, MN. It is near Shakopee. Yes, it has a lot of candy, but it also has hundreds of puzzles for sale, from 24 to thousands of pieces with many brands. It is so fun to go there. But beware, you cannot use credit cards, only cash. (There are cash machines available there.)

  71. Nancy says:

    Recommendations please for best ways/purchases to sort pieces initially. Also do you recommend the puzzle roll up mats? I just bought my first adult puzzle and would like the option of being able to work on it in diff. rooms of the house.Thanks in advance.

    • Anne says:

      Nancy, the roll-up mats work just fine but I’m partial to our large bulletin board, which I can easily carry from room to room (and often do).

  72. Dorothy says:

    We love puzzles! They have been our savior in these crazy days. We are just now doing a puzzle called Jane Austen Book Club. It is so great! It is by a company that is new to us called eeBoo (you can buy their puzzles at eeBoo.com) We now own 10 puzzles by this company. I have no affiliation with the company, just love their product and the company is owned by women! Stay safe everyone!

  73. Jenny says:

    I’m surprised no one has mentioned this yet…my family and I love to do puzzles, but don’t usually buy them, we just get ones that are passed around. We love puzzles that we can put together not only by looking at the picture but looking at the unique shapes of the pieces. We find, however, that some puzzles contain the same 4 or so shapes and every piece potentially fits into just about every spot. These puzzles are not enjoyable for us. We like the ones that have tons of unique shapes. It’s surprising to me that boxes don’t say that they have unique shapes – or maybe some do and I just haven’t found that. Can anybody let me know what puzzle companies have unique shapes or how you distinguish between a “good” puzzle and a “bad” puzzle?

  74. Trisha says:

    I teach 5th-6th grade, and we have a puzzle table where kids can go and puzzle while I’m reading to them or if they have a little extra time. We do SO many puzzles. 500-piece is their sweet spot, where they can stay interested enough to finish in a week or so. If it takes too long, they lose heart.

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