About my ratings

Perhaps because of my day job, I'm a tough rater. Everything 3/5 and above I consider worth the time and money. If I purchase on Etsy or a similar platform and the puzzle is as expected, I will give a top rating on the platform because of how seller ratings work, but here "as expected" is probably a 3/5 in most cases.

Friday, November 5, 2021

Paul Bond, Ode to a Zen Koan

 Artifact, 267 pieces. Nice image, some difficulty because of the similarly shaped pieces and a lot of sky. 3/5


multi-piece dragon



A Day of Sunshine, Renoir, Poetry Puzzle No. 457

Puzzlemonk, 477 pieces. Words from a Longfellow poem turned into whimsies: "O Life and Love! O happy throng/Of thoughts, whose only speech is song!/O heart of man! canst thou not be/Blithe as the air is, and as free?" The usual difficult cuts with hidden connectors and strange swoops and false corners. 4/5
the word whimsies make a good place to start assembly




Thursday, November 4, 2021

Old Glory

 Carol Ottenberg, 343 pieces. Cozy-style picture with lots of tan/brown, nice round connectors. 3/5





Ships at Dawn, Philip Franck

 Jardin Puzzles, 174 pieces. My first Jardin puzzle and a very nice one indeed, with a lovely swirly cutting style as well as a nicely colored image. 4/5






Backyard Gathering

 Stave, 700 pieces. I didn't figure out the rebus; I'm sure it's something incredibly obvious though. Really nice image with near-color line cutting. 8/10




binoculars

bird with feather inside

filling a birdfeeder?

geometric design and butterfly with swirl

birdwatcher, flower toucher?

another butterfly, bird with feathers inside, small bird singing

rebus: feet+oar+D 4+hens/birds? featured something?

caterpillar on leaf


Monday, November 1, 2021

Easter Bonnet, The New Yorker

Carol Ottenberg, 187 pieces. A nice smallish puzzle from a New Yorker cover. 3/5





Vikram Madan, Social Distancing

 Artifact, 228 pieces. Two-sided for some extra challenge; a fun puzzle with bright colors. 4/5



hedgehog drinking tea