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Completing the Puzzle – October 2024

This was my second box of four puzzles from my Completing the Puzzle subscription. I enjoyed three out of the four, but that fourth one had me questioning whether I want to continue with the subscription! I have decided to give it another month and see how it goes.

The first puzzle I did was Sugar Spectrum from the brand Fred. It was 500 pieces, and the artist was Emily Blincoe. It is a classic rainbow style puzzle and was a lot of fun, as well as being pretty easy. I have done several puzzles of this style, and this one was a good representation of it.

My second puzzle was Le Cinque Terre, which was also from Fred and 500 pieces. This is the one that made me question everything. I really liked the image from Maurizio Santucci and Elisa Certi. I enjoy buildings and this one had adorable ones. At first glance, the sky and sea didn’t seem too bad, but they were actually horrible. I had to take the sky apart several times before finally getting it together – there were so many false fits that I almost gave up. When I finally finished the sky, I found there was one piece missing. Ugh!

I did give up on the sea. The parts with a design on them weren’t bad, but the plain blue pieces seemed to go together correctly until I realized I had two open spots but the two pieces I had left were different shapes than the openings I had. I did find one piece out of place and fixed that, but I couldn’t find the culprits that caused the mismatch at the end. I finally gave up and just left the pieces out.

I had another Fred puzzle in my box but decided to switch it up and do the MasterPieces 300-piece puzzle from Dean Russo called Mad Kitty. This one had large EZ Grip pieces that would be great for someone with arthritis or some other hand issue. It was random cut as well, which was fun. I love cats, so this image was great. I also enjoyed how colorful and chaotic the pattern was. Super fun!

The last puzzle I completed from this month’s box was Beach Trash, also from Fred. It was 500 pieces and the artist was Emily Blincoe, just like the Sugar Spectrum puzzle I did earlier. It was one I had seen online before but never quite liked enough to buy it outright, so I was glad to get the chance to do it this way. It was a good puzzle; the difficulty was medium low so I never got stuck or frustrated.

I find it interesting how I can have such a negative feeling towards the subscription when three of the four puzzles had absolutely no problems at all. That one bad experience almost overwhelms the positive feelings from the other three. But, like I said above, I am not going to cancel just yet. I am going to give it another month and see how it goes.

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Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is the first novel from Korean author Hwang Bo-Reum and was translated by Shanna Tan.  I was interested in the book first because I love reading books about books and bookshops.  The story centers on Yeongju, who used to be married and have a demanding career in Seoul, but abandons her husband and her job to move to a small residential neighborhood and open a bookshop.

As Yeongju runs her new shop, she explores different ways to bring in new customers and keep the shop open.  She makes several new friends along the way, and the bookshop becomes a place for people to gather together.  Throughout the novel, we are taken on a journey of self-exploration as each of the characters grows and develops in new ways.

This novel is part of a genre called “healing fiction” that has become a trend in Korean literature.  It does not have an action-filled plot, but instead focuses on comfort, empathy, courage, and solidarity.  I found it to be both contemplative and encouraging.  I am looking forward to reading more of this genre.

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Books About Books That I Recommend

I recently posted books about books that were on my TBR, and this time I wanted to post books about books that I have read and enjoyed. I just love reading books that have something to do with books, whether it be a book club, a bookshop, a library, or even the publishing world.

  • The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  • The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax
  • The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick
  • The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson
  • The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser
  • The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
  • The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
  • The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
  • The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore
  • The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson
  • The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay
  • The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson
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Catching Up – October 2024

It has been a busy few months, yet I’m not sure how much progress I have made on things.

Michael did have two work assessments, but still has one more scheduled. He is applying for jobs as well. I believe his job coach is now on board with our feelings that Michael would do best in an office environment and without customer interaction. Now the hard part is finding something close by and part time.

Michael’s health is good. He has been losing weight. He is also meeting with his therapist regularly and has really taken ownership of those sessions. I recently took him to the podiatrist, which we learned should probably have been done several years ago, and he gave him some suggestions to assist with his issues. The main problem is flat feet.

Last weekend Michael flew to Minneapolis with his dad and stepmom for his cousin Kyle’s wedding. It seemed to go fairly well, although he was glad to get home.

I am still working on my health issues.

Mental Health – I am very happy with my psych nurse practitioner. We tried increasing my sertraline to help with my anxiety, but it had some side effects that I didn’t like. So now we are trying buspirone, which is supposed to help with anxiety but also may help with some other issues I have been experiencing.

GI – My allergist determined that I do not need Dupixent. She said my condition would now be described as PPI responsive esophageal eosinophila. She wanted me to take the PPI for three more months and then see the GI doc. It took two weeks and several phone calls to get the prescription to the right place and to get the GI clinic to schedule my appointment. It was very frustrating and I had to escalate the issue at both doctors’ offices.

Dental – I have had a cleaning, two fillings done, and a root canal. Next up is a permanent filling over the root canal and an extraction. After that, I’m going to check what’s still available on my insurance and make plans for additional work to be done.

Diabetes – My diet went downhill for a couple of months, but I am doing better with it now. I was starting to feel really tired all of the time and even had some sleep disturbances which my PCP thinks may be related to my blood sugar. She ordered me a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, and I am looking forward to being able to track my blood sugar and hopefully be more in control of things.

Arthritis – The arthritis in my right hip has been acting up lately. My hip hurt so badly one day that I wasn’t able to put my right sock on, and I had to have Michael help me. After that, I bought a sock aid that Renee recommended, which is really nice. I also had difficulty standing for greeting at church last time I did it. I spoke to Pastor Shannon afterwards and asked if they had a tall chair that I could sit on while greeting. They do have one, and she agreed that I could use it for that.

In fun news, I have been spending my down time reading, puzzling, and streaming shows. I started a second Instagram account to post about books, since my first one has become mostly puzzles. I haven’t posted much on the book account yet, but I hope to keep adding to it.

In puzzle news, I bought a fun accessory – a desktop vacuum. It works great to clean up puzzle dust and even has a nozzle to get in the corners. I also framed my 2000-piece puzzle, Novel Avenue, and hung it above my couch. The frame I got is a bit flimsy since it was intended for a picture or a poster, not a puzzle, but it works for now.

Desktop vacuum
Novel Avenue puzzle

Last Saturday, Kim brought over her puppy Remus for our weekly lunch and a movie. He had just gotten fixed, so she didn’t want to leave him alone. At one point, he laid down on the couch in the same spot that her previous dog Sabbath had chosen when he was here shortly before he passed away. It was so sweet.

Remus
Sabbath

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Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

This intriguing novel by Rebecca Serle is the story of Daphne Bell and her lovelife. Each time she meets a man, she receives a slip of paper with the man’s name and a number which represents the amount of time she will spend with him. The number varies from person to person, but it is always right. After twenty years of this, she finally meets someone and the paper she finds has only his name. She is elated at first but soon begins to question her fate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The touch of magical realism adds a unique twist to the common story of a woman looking for love. Having read so many of these stories over my life, I appreciate when a book offers something unusual to the mix. When the book opens, Daphne seems almost resigned to the way life is for her, always knowing what will happen each time she meets a new love interest. But then she meets Jake and starts hoping for a more permanent future, which sounds great until she starts to realize the reality of their relationship doesn’t match the dreams she had of what true love would look like.

I have read two other books by Serle, both of which include aspects of magical realism as well: In Five Years and One Italian Summer. I highly recommend giving this author a chance.

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What I’m Reading – October 2024

What I’m Reading Now

Passions in Death by J.D. Robb – This is book #59 of her In Death series about Eve Dallas, a homicide detective in futuristic New York City. I always love these!

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern – I have enjoyed several books by this author. This one is middling for me so far.

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem by Bradley Jersak – I had put this book down a few months ago and recently picked it up again. I have read some other nonfiction in the meantime that I liked, so I’m hoping this will be easier for me to read this time.

What I Recently Finished

Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg – Berg never disappoints. I raced through this enjoyable novel about a woman who makes major changes in her life after the death of her best friend.

The Fifth Avenue Apartment by Pamela M. Kelley – This was a fun, lighthearted read about a woman who has been searching for what she wants to do with her life and how she finds a career that seems right for her. It was enjoyable. The author also released a bonus short story that set the stage for a possible second book.

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum – This book was recommended by someone on Instagram, and I am so glad I took a chance on it. It was very thoughtful and warm. I appreciated both the story and the lessons shared as the characters grow.

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon – Very well-written book that is part memoir and part informational discourse on the issues that arise for people who don’t fit or start to question the church. I really liked this book.

Natural Selection by Erin Hilderbrand – Nice short story about a woman in love who has things turned upside down on what is supposed to be a romantic trip to an exotic location.

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins – A fake relationship romance with a twist. Cute book.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio – Loved this magical realism novel about a woman whose life changes in an instant and how she copes with her new reality. I wrote a longer review of this a couple of weeks ago. Highly recommend!

What I’ve Added to my TBR List

I added a lot of books again this month. A lot of them are my standard fare, but I’m also trying to expand my horizons a bit:

  • The Anti-Heroes by Jen Lancaster
  • When We Were Friends by Jane Green (short story)
  • Smells Like Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman
  • Nantucket Summer House by Pamela M. Kelley
  • Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
  • The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
  • The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
  • More of Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
  • The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick
  • The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
  • Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick
  • The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick
  • Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
  • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
  • Summer Island by Natalie Normann
  • The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake
  • The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
  • Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman
  • Lethal Prey by John Sandford
  • Gryphon’s Valor by Mercedes Lackey
  • Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb
  • Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
  • Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman
  • Billy Straight by Jonathan Kellerman
  • UnClobber by Colby Martin

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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Happy Camper Multipack

Ceaco has a series of puzzles called Happy Camper, and I picked up this 5-in-1 multipack featuring some of those images. I started doing Happy Camper puzzles after I finished all of the Food Trucks that are currently out. Most of them are only 300 pieces, which makes for a short puzzling experience, but they are really cute, so I like them. I thought this pack would be a good way to get a bunch of them for a lower price.

I was not impressed with this pack of puzzles at all. Some of the images are cut off versions of the original puzzles, and the quality was terrible. The image was coming off the cardboard in a lot of places. A lot of the pieces were damaged and a couple had even lost the knobs entirely. The puzzles are cute, but I would recommend getting the individual ones instead of the multipack. Those are usually a bit better quality.

One thing I did enjoy was that for the last two puzzles I did (the vertical 300-pieces ones), I solved them without looking at the image while I was puzzling. It gave me a different experience to what I normally do, and I enjoyed it. It was fun figuring out where sections went as the puzzle came together. I don’t know if I would like to do this all the time; I think it could be quite frustrating on a larger, more detailed puzzle.

Here are the completed puzzles from the set:

Beach Camper, 750 pieces
Downeast Camper, 500 pieces
Canyon Camper, 500 pieces
Lake Camper, 300 pieces
Waterfall Camper, 300 pieces

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Books about Books on my TBR

I recently added a post to Instagram featuring books that I have on my Goodreads Want to Read shelf that are about books or bookstores. I have come across quite a few of this type recently and am looking forward to reading them as I usually enjoy them.

Here is the list of books pictured:

  • The Library by Bella Osborne
  • The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
  • The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak
  • The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
  • The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
  • Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
  • The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
  • The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
  • The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison
  • Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
  • What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama
  • Welcome to the Huyanam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum

I actually just started reading the last one on the list and am finding it very enjoyable so far.

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Poolside

Poolside from Cloudberries is a 1000-piece puzzle, and the artist is Matt Lyon. This is my first experience with this company. I have been interested in the particular puzzle for quite a while and finally added it to my collection.

I was nervous that it might be difficult, but it was actually quite fun. It has a lot going on to provide an interesting puzzle experience. At the end, I did have a number of solid pink and blue pieces that I had to sort by shape and try one by one, but there really weren’t too many of those.

The image was very crisp, the fit was good, and the puzzle has a nice matte finish. It also came with a very large poster that my cat was intrigued by and kept wanting to walk on! My friend Renee said that the image reminded her of Florida, which I thought was apt.

I would definitely do more from this brand. Highly recommend!

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Completing the Puzzle – September 2024

I recently saw a review of the subscription company Completing the Puzzle on one of the YouTube channels I follow, The Casual Puzzler. For a monthly fee, you can borrow puzzles to do and then return. Their standard subscription is for one puzzle at a time, and the next puzzle is sent once you return the first one (like the original Netflix model). The review I saw also mentioned an option to get four puzzles at a time once a month, and I decided to go with that to minimize trips to the post office.

When you create your account, you set your preferences for puzzle size and puzzle type. You can also add puzzles from their catalog to your wish list, and then they will prioritize sending you puzzles from your wish list if they are available.

I got my first shipment earlier this month and have since completed all of the puzzles. Each puzzle is in a zippered pouch and there are laminated pictures of the puzzle images. They are packaged in a zippered container that can be shipped as is. They included a return label that could be slipped in the clear pouch on the outside of the box.

The first puzzle I did was Wonder & Bloom from Galison. It is a 500-piece puzzle, and the artist is Victoria Ball. It was still in really good shape, although it was missing one piece. I emailed the company and they had me send them a photo of the puzzle and said they would remove it from rotation once I sent it back.

The second puzzle I did was Amish Country from Dowdle. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a larger piece count, but it was actually 300. That was okay since I have been doing more 300 piece puzzles recently. This one was less enjoyable because the puzzle had definitely been done many times. Some of the pieces had a very narrow area on them, and several were close to breaking and one was actually broken into two smaller pieces. It was still a nice image though.

The third puzzle I did was Tale of Two from Art & Fable. It was 500 pieces, and the artist was Maria Brzozowska. I have seen this puzzle online before and been intrigued by the image – it is quite whimsical and unique. I don’t really know what the title refers to; I wonder if it might be the two people in the lower right corner. The puzzle was well-loved – the pieces felt kind of soft from much use, but the fit was good and it was enjoyable to do.

The fourth, and last, puzzle I completed was Summer at the Amusement Park from Galison. It was a 500-piece puzzle, and the artist was Michael Storrings. I have done several of his puzzles and enjoy his style. I liked the fun details in this image.

I feel that this subscription was a good value based on my experience this first month. I am looking forward to what puzzles I get next month. There were several in their catalog that had been on my Amazon wish list, as well as some that I hadn’t seen before and liked. They have even added a few larger count puzzles recently (1500 and 2000 pieces).