By the Book
48% of adults in the US profess to enjoy jigsaw puzzles, while 78% say they read for pleasure. I would love to know what the percentage is that relish both. I’m convinced that the crossover would be high! I myself often listen to an audio book while I puzzle, and when I’m done puzzling at night, I usually read an actual book to lull my wide awake puzzle brain into sleep. The hypnotic effect of my eyes moving back and forth on the page works better than melatonin!
Doing puzzles and reading are both excellent at improving brain functions. Did you know if you read regularly, you’re two and a half times less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia? In honor of the joys of both, I thought I’d feature book-themed puzzles!
The Japanese word Tsundoku means “to let reading materials pile up in one’s home and never read them”. Hmm…I don’t have THAT issue, thanks to my Kindle (but I may have a similar condition when it comes to puzzles), but the Book Nerd in this Workman Publishing, 1000-piece puzzle certainly may! I enjoyed perusing the book titles on the brightly-colored spines in this, which was my first attempt at the brand, but not my last as I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought I was well-read, but turns out I only read 14 of the titles illustrated! I did, however, see many of the movie versions of the titles. Not surprising when you hear that It is estimated that up to 51% of the movies and series we watch are based on, or inspired from, literature, with the books adapted most often being Les Misérables, A Christmas Carol and Dracula.
Book Nerd by Workman Publishing
Another Book Nerd found its way on my board – this 500-piece from SunsOut, I thought all that green was going to be hard, but there was variance in shading, as well as blue squiggly lines that helped me get a read on what went where. When I learned that the artist, Edwina Owens Elliott, has her degree in Fashion Illustration, it made sense, as this is one book nerd who is truly in vogue (and who looks very much like the artist herself)!
A couple of other fashionable women showed up in my next two puzzles! First, was Time For Myself, as 1000-piece puzzle by Educa. The volume of patterns in the design, made for a stimulating build. This hip chick is definitely into reading the classics, which leads me to my next puzzle…
…Literary Women, a 1000-piece by Cobble Hill featuring writers of classics. I went from bold patterns in the last puzzle to softer colors in this one. There were only subtle differences between the greens and golds, but just enough to be helpful.
The quotes were inspirational, with my favorite being from Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Most don’t know that the monster’s name was actually NOT Frankenstein – he is never actually given a name in the book, but he does almost name himself, when he speaks to his creator, Victor Frankenstein saying, “I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy.”
The only thing that makes me happier than a day at a puzzle store is A Day at the Bookstore as shown in this 1000-piece from Galison. Artist Michael Storrings is a favorite of mine, but the bricks in this puzzle posed a spine-chilling challenge!
A Day at the Bookstore by Galison
Those vignettes, however, made it worth it for me. This is a tinier bookstore than one of my favorites – Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, OR - which holds the record for the largest bookstore based on shelf space at one city block long. The record for the largest bookstore, based on square footage, is the Barnes & Noble on 5th Avenue in New York City.
As a huge book lover, I was drawn to this Book Lover – Something’s Amiss by PuzzleTwist. This was one of the more difficult I’ve done in this brand. It is very busy with 34 differences to spot and almost everything changed somewhat. Much like with a good book, I don’t want to spoil the ending by showing you the completed image, but it was worth the effort and here is a sample of a change made between the box and puzzle image. As you can see, most of the alterations were slight, so it is completely doable! The trivia questions inside were also entertaining. For instance, did you know the term “bookworm” was first used to describe insects that were living in and eating the bindings of books?
Sample from Book Lover – Something’s Amiss by PuzzleTwist
Why do I love books so much? I think it’s captured beautifully in The Magic of Stories by Mudpuppy, which is a 500 piece, sweet and fast puzzle to build.
The Magic of Stories by Mudpuppy
The fact that you can escape in a book is brought to life by how the young readers picture themselves as the grown-ups in the adventures they’re reading about. Anything is possible when the imagination is stirred!
Panels from The Magic of Stories
Before I close the book on this blog, there’s a virtual library of book-themed puzzles you can check out on Puzzle Warehouse (221 were listed under the search terms “Books & Reading” when I looked). Of these, others I have on my shelf include Rainbow Cats by Cobble Hill; Book Haven by Galison; Book Nerds by Gibbs Smith and Authorful Puns by Gibsons.
Wishing you all a happily ever after!
– Lisa @lisalovespuzzles
I am with you. When I am not puzzling, my nose is in a book. I have several puzzles of bookstores. I just purchased Academic Cat by Eurographics. The book titles are a hoot. I must find Book Nerd by Workman Publishing. It looks great. I only discovered Puzzle Warehouse in October and have been going crazy. The blogs are most enjoyable. Time to read before I turn in. I am near the end so it won't be an all nighter like the puzzle Thursday night.