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Pure Happiness

Pure Happiness is a 500-piece puzzle from Eurographics, and the artist is Gwen van Knippenberg. When I first saw this puzzle on Instagram, I immediately went to purchase it because I was so drawn to the artwork. I love the title because nothing makes me happier than curling up with a good book.

I love all of the details, from the contrasting fabrics to the maroon set of drawers to the black and white cat enjoying the fresh air. It feels so light and airy while also being cozy. And did you notice the little puppet theater on the table – so cute!

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Bird Bath Garden

Bird Bath Garden is a 1000-piece puzzle from Kodak, and the artist is Lars Stewart. This explosion of color was a gift from some friends for watching their cats for a few days.

It was fairly challenging since the colors are spread out over the puzzle. I do think it is probably the brightest puzzle I have ever done!

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Welcome to the Hive

Welcome to the Hive is a 250-piece wooden puzzle from Wentworth, and the artist is Catriona Crehan. This is another puzzle I was able to do through a traveling bundle from The Casual Puzzler.

This was a really enjoyable build. Just like the other puzzle from this bundle, the quality of the image and the pieces was excellent, even after being done several times by various people. I loved the bright colors and the fun whimsy pieces.

Here’s an image of the back of the puzzle:

And here’s a closeup of the whimsy pieces:

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The Spirit of Justice

The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance by Jemar Tisby is a historical survey of people who fought against racism and stood for justice. The book starts at the founding of America and takes us all the way up to the present day, giving real-world examples of opposition to racism. For each of these stories, Tisby shares the interaction of faith with activism as well.

Two quotes really stood out to me from this book, both from the first chapter:

There is a relentless drive in human beings, both inward and transcendent, that demands dignity and propels our progress–it is the spirit of justice. It is the conviction to continue the struggle no matter the odds or the obstacles. It is the heartbeat of people who hunger and thirst for righteousness. It will not concede. It will not let the evil of racism and inhumanity prevail. It will not quit until justice rolls down like a river.

This one is especially timely:

The gains of the past are not guaranteed to persist into the future. Victories can turn into losses. Rights can be rolled back. Time is not an inevitable march toward greater freedom and equality. Instead, each new generation must take up its responsibility to embrace the spirit of justice and maintain the struggle for positive change.

I really appreciated this book and learned a lot from it. It was a good follow-up to his first two books – The Color of Compromise and How to Fight Racism.

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Flowering Elephant

Flowering Elephant is a 244-piece wooden puzzle from Wentworth. I had the opportunity to do this as part of a traveling bundle from The Casual Puzzler’s Patreon.

I absolutely loved this puzzle! The colors were so vibrant, and the quality was amazing. It also had really interesting piece shapes – I especially liked the elephants.

With wooden puzzles, it is so interesting to look at the back. I really like the way the pieces line up in rows on this one:

Here’s a closeup shot of the piece shapes included with this puzzle:

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Christmas in July – Three Holiday Books

I read three Christmas books in July, ranging from sweet to funny.

One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery was a really fun story about Julie Parker, who is planning a quiet holiday with the younger man she is dating but instead ends up hosting a houseful of family and friends at their holiday cabin. Hilarity ensues as the holiday unfolds and personalities clash.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin is the story of Anais, who has become the owner of a rundown Paris hotel through her divorce settlement. She is working on getting it renovated in time for Christmas with the goal of finding a buyer, but will she change her mind after finding a mysterious hidden set of rooms?

In A Christmas Duet, Debbie Macomber introduces us to Hailey Morgan, an aspiring singer-songwriter who is currently working as a band teacher. To avoid her meddling family, she accepts a friend’s offer to use a family cabin for the holidays. Once there, she meets Jay, the mayor’s son and a former musician, and sparks fly.

I really enjoyed reading some holiday stories during the summer!

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Home of Canals

Home of Canals is a 1000-piece puzzle from Penny Puzzle, and the artist is Gaia Marfurt. I would give this one a full 5 stars across the board. The artwork is fantastic, and the quality of the puzzle is just as good!

I love the bustling Amsterdam scene with its interesting buildings, colorful flowers, and loads of bicycles. And it has just the right amount of sky and water to be enjoyable without overwhelming me.

I was able to use this for a puzzle challenge where the clue was either canal or bicycle. This puzzle was obviously perfect as it has both!

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What I’m Reading – August 2026

What I’m Reading Now

Common Goal by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #4) – I am flying through this series of hockey romances.

What I Recently Finished

  • The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance by Jemar Tisby
  • Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding (For the Love of Austen #2)
  • Anne of Avenue A by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding (For the Love of Austen #3)
  • Nantucket Second Chances by Pamela Kelley
  • A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
  • Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin
  • One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
  • Game Changer by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #1)
  • Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #2)
  • Tough Guy by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #3)
  • Halloween with Ilya by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #2.4) – short story
  • My Dinner with Hayden by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #2.5) – short story
  • Merry Christmas, Scott & Kip by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #1.5) – short story

What I Added to my TBR

  • Role Model by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #5)
  • The Long Game by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #6)
  • Unrivaled by Rachel Reid (Game Changers #7)
  • Time to Shine by Rachel Reid
  • The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid
  • The Day Our Lives Collided by Laura Pearson
  • Romancing Mr. Tilney by Sara Marks (21st Century Austen #7)
  • I Still Love You by Sara Marks (21st Century Austen #8)

TBR Stats/Goal Updates

  • I currently have 174 books on my TBR. Of these, 9 are nonfiction and 165 are fiction.
  • I have read 49 books so far in 2026. I had reset my goal for the year from 100 to 50, so I am almost there!
  • I have finished 1 nonfiction book so far this year. My goal is 6.
  • Here are some more stats from StoryGraph:
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Mermaid Cafe

Mermaid Cafe is a 500-piece puzzle from SunsOut, and the artist is Suzanne Etienne. I had purchased two from this brand to try it out, so I decided to do them back to back for comparison. After seeing how much puzzle dust there was on the first one I did, I pulled out my colander to sift this one, but it actually had a lot less dust.

This image was a lot of fun! I love the art style, and it was a pretty easy puzzle to do. I would definitely be open to more from this brand.

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Chinatown

Cinatown is a 500-piece puzzle from SunsOut, and the artist is Gwendolyn McShepard. This was my first experience with this brand. I really like this image because it has two of my favorite things to puzzle – buildings and text. It is random cut, but I didn’t mind that since the pieces weren’t very small. It did have the most puzzle dust that I have ever seen!