Author: Trish

Into reading, decluttering, budgeting, and doing jigsaw puzzles!
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Midsummer Night’s Dream

Midsummer Night’s Dream is a 256-piece wooden puzzle from Victory, and the artist is Lucy Grossmith. This is the first wooden puzzle I have purchased. I did one other one as a traveling puzzle a year or so ago and really enjoyed it, so I finally decided to invest in one myself.

I was really drawn to the image and knew it was something I wouldn’t want to attempt in a large piece count but thought it would be a nice challenge in the medium size. I was impressed with the packaging, although one piece came out of the box with a small chip broken off. I was a bit bummed about that because it is noticeable on the finished puzzle.

The process of building the puzzle was very enjoyable. It was a nice change from cardboard puzzles, and I am definitely open to doing more of them. I especially liked seeing all of the whimsy pieces, which are pieces that are shaped like something instead of just being a random shape. I took a picture of the back of the puzzle, and you can see the whimsies more easily from that. I loved coming across these pieces when doing the puzzle, especially all of the different rabbits.

I did end up contacting the company about the broken piece. They had me send them some pictures and said they are going to send me a replacement piece. Here is a pic of the piece that was damaged; a little chip came off the wing of the owl. I am not sure if the wing is supposed to be connected to the owl or if they are two separate pieces, so I am interested to see what they send me.

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Nantucket Second Chances

I don’t buy many books – I usually borrow them from the library using Libby or Hoopla – but Pamela Kelley is an auto-buy author for me. I always enjoy her feel-good stories, which are mostly set on Nantucket and have those fun beachy vibes.

Nantucket Second Chances is about Claire Shipman, who is going through a divorce and returns home to Nantucket to figure out what to do next. Did I mention she has a teenage daughter and is also pregnant again? As the divorce drags on, she decides to start selling her high end bags and shoes to make some extra money. She opens a little shop in the extra space owned by custom furniture maker Cody, and we get to follow along as she builds her business and develops a friendship (and maybe more) with Cody.

This was such a fun read. I really liked the characters, and the story was paced well and had just the right amount of drama for me. Highly recommended!

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English Cottage

English Cottage is a 1000-piece puzzle from eeBoo, and the artist is Victoria Ball. This was fairly challenging for me, but I still really enjoyed it. I just think the art is so pretty, and I always like this brand. Some people don’t like it because the pieces are a bit glossy, but it has never been an issue for me.

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Week in Review: July 12, 2026

This is going up a day late because I did not feel like getting on the computer yesterday. I had a pretty quiet week, but I did have a quick dinner with Suzanne on Friday and lunch/movie with Kim on Saturday.

My psychiatrist and I are still trying to figure out the new med I am on. I was taking a small dose twice during the day and a bit larger dose at bedtime. I was experiencing a lot of tiredness during the day, to the point where I was falling asleep at my desk. After reducing the daytime dose a bit didn’t help, we switched to me only taking the nighttime dose.

I thought it was getting better, but this morning I fell asleep at my desk again. I am going to give it a few more days and then contact her again to see what we can do. If this doesn’t change, I would like to get off the medication altogether. I already struggle with sleepiness due to diabetes and staying up too late sometimes; I don’t want to compound it with meds.

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The Story Bean

The Story Bean is a 500-piece puzzle from RoseArt, and the artist is Olivia Gibbs. This image of a bookshop is super charming, and the box it comes in is really cute, although a bit impractical for storage.

I love the feel of the pieces, but the fit was so loose and the connectors so similar that there were many false fits. The top section was especially difficult because of that an required a lot of reworking.

Here’s what the box looks like:

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For the Love of Austen Series

For the Love of Austen is a series of Austen retellings by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. There are currently three books; I don’t know if more are planned. I think these are such a fun take on Austen, and it is especially clever how they weave the books together by having the characters know each other in various ways.

  • Emma of 83rd Street puts Emma on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and follows her during her final year of grad school.
  • In Elizabeth of East Hampton, we see Elizabeth Bennet as a Hampton native and Will Darcy as a rich summer visitor.
  • In Anne of Avenue A, Anne Elliot finds Freddie Wentworth renting out her childhood apartment after her father is forced to give it up due to his financial circumstances. 

My favorite far and away was Anne of Avenue A. I loved the spins they put on the story, and I was so drawn to the characters. Another thing I appreciate about all three books is that we get to experience the perspective of both main characters; I think it adds a lot to the retellings.

If you are an Austen fan, I would definitely recommend this series!

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Puzzle Cafe

Puzzle Cafe is a 1000-piece puzzle from Magnolia, and the artist is Shanya Bharti. I got to do this as a traveling puzzle and I loved it! 💗

I was a little nervous about all of the pink, but I didn’t need to be. Each area had a different pattern or shade, so that part wasn’t bad at all.

There were a lot of fun sections in the puzzle, but my favorite part was doing the puzzles that are hanging inside the cafe windows. I learned from someone on Instagram that the puzzle pictured are actually by the same artist that created this puzzle. So meta! 🧩

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Very Hygge Holiday Series

I’m not sure how I came across the two-book series Very Hygge Holiday by Natalie Normann, but I am really glad I did. Normann is a prolific Norwegian author, with over 60 historical romance books published. This series is her first foray into books written in English.

In Summer Island, we meet Londoner Jack Greene, who comes to the island off the coast of Norway after inheriting a farm there. His plan is to sell it as fast as he can, but after experiencing life on the island and meeting Ninni Toft, he has to decide what he wants his future to be.

In Christmas Island, Jack’s sister Holly Greene comes to the island to get away from London while her future as a doctor is being decided. Upon arriving, she meets Tor, a grouchy, bearded recluse, and she is welcomed into the island’s holiday celebrations by the island’s other inhabitants.

I thoroughly enjoyed these books and would definitely recommend checking them out!

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Rainbow Buttons

Rainbow Buttons is a 750-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Lars Stewart. I always love a good rainbow puzzle, and this one did not disappoint! I did this over two nights, starting with the red, pink, and orange the first night. Then I finished up the rest of the colors going left to right the second night. So fun!

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Week in Review: July 5, 2026

Yay for a long weekend! Although due to a severe storm in our area, many people lost power, including me. I was taking a nap on Saturday afternoon and woke up in the early evening to find a serious storm taking place outside and the power out. I was on my sectional with the recliner fully reclined and, since it is electric, was unable to put it down. I didn’t want to break it by climbing over the end, so I had to crawl out sideways!

My phone was at pretty low power and our power banks were not charged, but luckily a friend who I texted recommended charging my phone in my car. So I went out and sat in my car for a couple of hours to charge my phone as well as one of the power banks. By 10 pm, I had gotten up to 40%, so I went inside. Thankfully, my power came back on at 2:30 am.

This morning, I went to Brunch Church, which is an annual combined service at our church where we sit around tables and eat brunch during the service. I really enjoyed it, although it got a bit loud and I was a little worn out mentally by the end of it because of all the noise. I had been planning to go the puzzling group at a local library this afternoon, but a large tree came down near them and I don’t know if they have power or not, but they did close for today.

I hope everyone else has had a good holiday weekend and that anyone who lost power will get it back very soon.