Retail Therapy: Puzzles for Book Lovers (part 1)

We booklovers tend to spend most of our “just for me” shopping dollars on books… but sometimes, it’s fun to branch out and consider book-adjacent little treats. So today, I’d like to share some of my favorite jigsaw puzzles, which are great in their own right, but also, especially great for book lovers!

Before the pandemic, I probably hadn’t done a jigsaw puzzle in over 10 years (or more). But during the pandemic, I got totally hooked, and ended up doing about one per week (and probably would have done even more, except I tend to get a bit obsessed when working on a puzzle and had to set myself some limits).

I’ve slowed down since then, so now it’s much more of an occasional hobby than a continuous activity — but I’m still always on the lookout for a great puzzle, especially when there’s a book-related angle to it!

For today’s Retail Therapy round-up, I’m focusing solely on bookish puzzles — and in fact, this is only part 1! I have so many bookish puzzles to share that I’ll just focus on one publisher this time around, and will be back with a part 2 in another week or so. I’ll also be sharing yet another post on non-book-related puzzles that I’ve found especially pretty or interesting or unique. There are a lot!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you click through a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Onward: Puzzles for Book Lovers, part 1!

Here are some favorites. Why not see if any appeal to you as well?

The puzzles below are all from the world of Laurence King Publishing. They make high-quality puzzles filled with intricate details and eye-catching designs.

The World of Jane Austen

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

The World of Shakespeare

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

The World of Dracula

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

The World of Frankenstein

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

The World of Charles Dickens

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

The World of the Brontës

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

The World of King Arthur

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

The World of Bridgerton

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org

These are just a few of their puzzles — they’re all amazing. Each puzzle has a lot of details from the world it portrays, and comes with a fold-out poster than includes a guide to all the places and characters hidden (or not so hidden) in the illustrations. The puzzles themselves have cleanly cut pieces with a satisfying snap, and are high quality and sturdy.

Keep in mind, there are plenty more from this “World of” series to choose from! Of the others I’ve found so far, some are related to books that I don’t particularly care for (The Great Gatsby), some are from worlds/series/books that I just haven’t read in-depth (or at all) yet, and some are on my maybe/someday list. Whether or not I’m interested in the actual subjects, the puzzles themselves look great!

Stay tuned — I’ll be back with more puzzle recommendations in my next Retail Therapy post!

18Aug2024

Just For Fun: A puzzle with a murderous twist

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Murderous Most Puzzling: The Clairvoyants’ Convention
500 Pieces
Chronicle Books

My amazing daughter gives amazing gifts… and this terrific puzzle is a recent example! She actually gave this to me last year, but the mood finally struck this weekend and I decided to dig in. So much fun!

This is a jigsaw with a twist. The inside cover of the box provides the setup to a mystery: Someone has been murdered at a convention of clairvoyants! The detective in charge needs our help — but to solve the mystery, we first have to solve the puzzle!

As a low-key puzzle snob (sorry…), I was wondering whether a 500-piece puzzle would be much of a challenge, since I usually stick to 1000 pieces or more. I needn’t have worried! The trick here is that there’s no picture provided as a guide, so the puzzle is solved without anything to refer to. I’m definitely not used to doing puzzles that way, and it was really a great brain challenge.

In the end, the finished puzzle is gorgeous to look at, with terrific artwork, bright colors, and so many interesting little details.

But wait! Once the puzzle is done, there’s still a mystery to solve! I’m not usually very good at deciphering visual clues, but after looking at the puzzle for a while, stepping away for a bit, and then coming back to it, I thought I had my answer.

There’s an envelope provided, but don’t open it until you’re ready for a clue (or you’re totally stuck, and need help). Opening the envelope halfway provides a clue… and then, fully opened, provides the full picture of the puzzle as well as the answer to the mystery.

I guessed correctly (*patting myself on the back*), although I wasn’t sure that what I guessed was going to be the right answer… but it was!

This was a really fun puzzle experience, and I had a blast doing it!

Beyond the puzzle image and the mystery challenge, I also appreciated the quality of the puzzle itself. The pieces are well-cut and sturdy, no fraying or split edges, and the fit is satisfying and precise. The puzzle comes in a book-shaped box that looks very cute on a bookshelf!

The puzzle creator, Stephanie Von Reiswitz, has a book of visual puzzles available, as well as another mystery-themed jigsaw puzzle… which may tempt me at some point down the line. It looks adorable!

Affiliate link: Buy now at Bookshop.org

12Feb2022

Just For Fun: A wonderful Austen puzzle!

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

The World of Jane Austen Jigsaw Puzzle
1000 Pieces
Laurence King Publishing

In book-adjacent news… I just completed this wonderful puzzle, and had such a good time with it that I had to share!

The fact that I loved it isn’t exactly a surprise — last year, I did a Shakespeare-themed puzzle from the same company, and it was fabulous too.

In the Jane Austen puzzle, the colors are vibrant, the pictures are detailed, and as you drill in, you see that the design includes characters from Jane Austen’s novels, as well as the houses, estates, and towns of her stories, and even certain specifics moments (such as Willoughby carrying Marianne after she twists her ankle (Sense and Sensibility) and Louisa jumping from the Cobb in Lyme Regis (Persuasion).

The puzzle quality is terrific too. I hate a shoddy puzzle — flimsy or badly cut pieces, or pieces that don’t snap into place or could fit in multiple places. Fortunately, this one is well-made, with sturdy pieces, no fraying, and a clean, crisp click when placed just right. For a puzzle fanatic, it’s just so, so satisfying to hear that click!

Note: As usual, my photography skills are sorely lacking. Trust me, the puzzle is much brighter and prettier in person!

The puzzle comes with a fold-out poster with a clear view of the total picture, and on the back, a guide to all the characters and details hidden in the puzzle. I definitely would have missed some without it!

Zooming in for a closer look at some of the details:

I have my eye on two more puzzles from this company: The World of Charles Dickens and The World of Dracula. I’ll hold off and order them when I need something to boost my mood for the day. Any of these puzzles would make great gifts for book lovers… or a nice way to treat yourself — you know you deserve it!

Affiliate links: Buy now at Book Depository – Bookshop.org

9Jul2021

Just For Fun: My new favorite puzzle!

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

The World of Shakespeare Jigsaw Puzzle
1000 Pieces
Laurence King Publishing

Departing from talking about books, books, and more books for a moment…

If you read my Monday Check-In posts, you may have noticed that I’ve become obsessed with jigsaw puzzles. Spending a year locked in your house will do that to a person!

I need to take a few beats to rave about how much I loved the puzzle I did this week. It’s The World of Shakespeare, and it’s wonderful.

This 1000-piece puzzle is bright, colorful, and highly detailed, pulling together different parts of the geography of Shakespeare’s time and world. But if you look closely, it also includes people and settings from both the historical time period and from Shakespeare’s plays — so you can find Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Caliban, and so many more. Some are pretty obvious, some are hidden among tons of other characters and features. It’s so much fun!

Note: Please excuse my shoddy photography. Next hobby goal: Learning to take decent photos!

*Ta da! Finished after 3 mad days of obsessive puzzling…*

The puzzle comes with a large-sized illustration to use as a guide… and what I really loved is that the back of the illustration zooms in and provides explanation of key people and places. I definitely would not have gotten them all otherwise!

The puzzle pieces themselves are sturdy, small (but not too small), and click together really well. There’s nothing worse than a shoddy puzzle — this one is terrific quality.

Zooming in for more detailed views:

If you’re a fan of Shakespeare, jigsaw puzzles, or both, I can’t recommend this puzzle highly enough! This company also has a World of Sherlock Holmes puzzle (which I’ll skip, since I’m not a Sherlock fan) — and one I can’t wait to get, the World of Jane Austen! My Austen puzzle should be arriving this month, and I’m sure I’ll be attacking it the second it gets here.

Affiliate links: Buy now at Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

17Apr2021

Help! Have I been doing jigsaw puzzles wrong all this time?

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

*Just a small selection of my 2020-2021 puzzle collection…*

By rough estimates, I have done about eleventy-billion jigsaw puzzles since the pandemic started.

I know, right?

But a random comment during a family dinner last night has me freaking out… because maybe my super-awesome puzzling skills aren’t actually all that impressive after all!

As we were chatting about puzzles — like people do — someone commented that once they take the pieces out of the box, they put the box away. And I was like… what??? But how do you know what it’s supposed to look like?

And they told me that they look at the picture before they start, but that’s it.

AND THAT’S HOW REAL PUZZLE PEOPLE DO THEIR PUZZLES.

Which basically implies…

I’ve been cheating all along!?!?!?!?!?!

It has never once occurred to me NOT to keep the puzzle box cover handy as a reference while working on a puzzle. Am I not supposed to? Are we supposed to just do our puzzles blind?

I’m shocked and dismayed and doubting my super puzzling abilities.

What do you think?

Has all my puzzling been in vain?