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.

Monday, May 24, 2021

Lost Socks/Many fish

 Anthology, 70 pieces. A cute little puzzle from their subscription club, though I look forward to the promised higher piece count! 3/5




colorful fish, MGC puzzles, 44 pieces: This tiny puzzle was a gift from Anne Williams, the puzzle historian:





Holi Raja, Lynon Aksamit

 Liberty, 577 pieces. My name came up on the Liberty list! It looks like the list might be cycling a bit faster now, which is great; I only hope they return to the puzzle subscription pack soon so I'm not constantly waiting for my turn. Anyway, this is a beautiful image with a lot of symmetry and what looks like color line cutting because of how the image curls. 4/5













A Virus in the Time of Puzzling

 116 pieces, Jigsaw Art/Thom Spencer. Super difficult for its size because of the varied colors on the pieces, which made shape usually the only guide--and the shape was unclear! 6/10 Stave scale




Thursday, May 20, 2021

Spiral Puzzle

 Nervous System, 166 pieces. Another puzzle with plain and blue identical half spirals; could have assembled it in any configuration but like this best. 3/5




Sarah Jenkinson, Mandala #2

 Puzzle Lab, 200 pieces. I like the red/pink/orange palette here. 3/5




Lucky 8

 Buster Puzzles, 604 pieces. They only have one puzzle released yet--a second seems to be on its way--but they have definitely made a good start with this one, which is nearly Liberty-elaborate and has a cut that cleverly complements the image. Birds, fish, and multi-piece dragon whimsies. 4/5














Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Mira Fujita, Harlequin Pierrot Holding Rose

 Anne Belle Thompson, 210 pieces. A hand-cut particleboard puzzle with relatively large pieces and a decent hand feel, with extra interest from the irregular edge. 4/5