Erin Hanson, Dawning Saguaro

 Artifact, 418 pieces. Another lovely Hanson image, heavy on the pinks. Dinosaur and other animal whimsies add some fun. 3/5

Starbucks NYC puzzle

 Par, 240 pieces. This seems to be a Par experiment--the cutting is a bit rougher than I expected (resulting in looser pieces) and it may be stack-cut. But it's still got the basic Par style and some fun in figuring out how things go together. 3/5

The Jamboree

 Stave, 430 pieces. Another delightful rental puzzle, with assembly that was somewhat guided by the big color areas but was still plenty challenging. 6/10

Why is this upside down, Google?

I figured this one out!

Bonus: autumn tidbit

Music Castle

 Elms, 946 pieces. Despite the size, the image had enough variety that this wasn't too difficult--pieces could be grouped and worked through. I like the image and the colors, and the music-themed whimsies were quite nice. 6/10

In the Meadow

 Platinum, 149 pieces. A fun Teaser-type puzzle with flowers and flower-like pieces that kept me guessing about what went where--trial and error was definitely required. 4/5

A Clearly Devilish Little Puzzle

 Turning Taxis, 33 pieces. This was a test puzzle graciously lent to me by the cutter. My opinion on acrylic: it's inherently less pleasant to me than wood, although interesting effects can clearly be achieved. My main concern is visibility (I am old). When there's enough contrast, the acrylic can be challenging in a good way with only shape as the guide for assembly. The total puzzle was about 3x2 1/2 in inches; I prefer somewhat larger pieces (these were somewhat bigger than a fingertip but not a ton bigger), again for visibility reasons. I liked the unpredictability of the jagged edge and not quite rectangular overall shape.

Landscape: The Parc Monceau, Claude Monet

Liberty, 507 pieces. A classic image with a number of large, complex whimsies. I especially liked the picnicking couple. 3/5

Hop to It

 Platinum Puzzles, 78 pieces. Difficult for its size because of all the cutouts and the repeating pattern. Similar to Stave's marbleized images. 4/5

Moroccan Garden, Thomas McKnight

 Nautilus, 476 pieces. Nautilus isn't my favorite brand--tends to be a bit too spiky--but this was a nice image with quasi-color line cutting that worked well for me. Not sure where the unassembled picture went though. 3/5

Phil Lewis, Flatirons

 Liberty, 433 pieces. A different cut than I've done before, with lots of spirals that match the mood of the image--good fun! 3/5

Aloha, Joseph Felher

Liminal, 383 pieces. Nicely colorful image with some multipiece whimsies, and a big "Aloha" that is right side up when flipped. 3/5