Puzzle #18 - Vermont Christmas Company - French Village - 550 pieces

Puzzle #18 French Village by David Maclean 550 piece Vermont Christmas Company

I had put together the edges, or thought I had, then noticed it looked a bit off.  I counted and the right side had 21 pieces while the left side had 22.  I spotted where I had made my mistake.  

It actually appears more obvious (that it is not the correct piece) in the photo I took than it did in real life.  But then, my eyes are getting older and the camera 'sees' far better than me!!  :D

So then I was back on track - hadn't yet found the final edge piece, but everything fit where it should (so far).  :) 

Vermont Christmas Company has very nice puzzle pieces.  They feel good in the hand and are sturdy; a great size.  Easy to work with.  Some of the colors are a bit vague, but this puzzle overall could just be that way... the muted colors.  It is very pretty.  I enjoyed putting it together a lot.  In fact, Vermont Christmas Company puzzles are among my favorites, I believe I would have to say.  It also comes apart easily for putting away.  Better than any other puzzle.  And yet the pieces do click together and feel fairly snug.  So don't know how they manage that on both ends, but they find the good middle.  

Puzzle #18 French Village by David Maclean 550 piece Vermont Christmas Company puzzle.

Finished on March 2, 2022

Puzzle #18 - Vermont Christmas Company - French Village by David Maclean 550 pieces

Puzzle #17 - Buffalo Games - Cities in Color - Sights of Venice - 750 pieces

Puzzle #17 - Buffalo Games - Cities in Color - Sights of Venice - 750 pieces

The only issue I am having with this otherwise enjoyable puzzle is that twice now pieces (more than one together) have fit in a spot where they don't actually belong.  They are super close (which is why they visually look correct) but then other pieces that should go near don't fit and you have to determine which pieces fit but aren't right.  Frustrating.  And it isn't because I am forcing them or not paying attention to how things look.  I should have thought to take photos of the issue.  I will if I encounter it again. They are very nice size puzzle pieces, though.

Very fun puzzle.  Challenging but fun.  Good pieces overall except for those few issues with pieces fitting (remarkably well) in two different locations.  That was a tad bit frustrating.  However, overall, the pieces feel good in the hand, the colors are clear and discernible, and the picture was a lot of fun.   

Finished on March 1, 2022

Puzzle #17 - Buffalo Games - Cities in Color - Sights of Venice - 750 pieces

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan

Read February 2022

I really enjoyed this book, even more than the other I had read by this same author (The Keeper of Lost Things).  It was recommended to me by two friends and I ended up loving it as much as they did.  While there was one plot point that I guessed ahead of time, the story flowed well and I truly enjoyed the 'journey' with the characters.  I loved the 'live fully even in the midst of the hard stuff' message throughout.  This book grew on me and touched my heart. 

Marsha is a woman who has experienced much grief in her life.  She spends most of her time alone or with her dog, Haizum.  But then she strikes up a friendship with a bag lady who lives fully and speaks bluntly - and pushes Marsha to look past the self-set boundaries of her life.  It is a beautiful story of friendship and hope in the midst of grief. 

I rated this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Quotes from the book...

When the music ends for someone you love, you don't stop dancing.  You dance for them as well. 

You see, people are often so very much more than they seem to be. 

A Slow Fire Burning

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

Read February 2022 - Zoom Reading Circle

Well, I didn't care for this one so much.  The storyline felt too convoluted to me - hard to follow in many ways.  It was too dark and the characters were all unlikeable.  No fun to read - in fact, it was depressing.  Laura had such a bad life.  Yes, it was hopeful at the very end, but good grief... at what cost?  Theo was sort of likable but was also pitiful - and a thief.  Miriam was a victim, but also a horrible person.  Were we supposed to feel sorry for all of them?  This was just way too much 'yuck'.  I wish I hadn't read it.  :( 

My score was 2.5 out of 5 stars.  Zoom Reading Circle scored it a bit higher at 3.6.  

Quotes from the book...

Nobody felt eighty.  

She overreacted to slights, that's just how she was, and knowing a thing about yourself didn't stop it from happening. 

Paula Hawkins: On Creating Characters

Ikigai

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Read February 2022 - Well Read Book Club

I wondered how I would feel about this book in comparison to The Year of Living Danishly (which I loved!!) especially since it talks about keeping ‘busy’ as being the secret to happiness. But it is not the American form of ‘busy’ and is more in line with the "Danishly" book than you might imagine since it means 'keeping busy by staying actively involved with community, keeping your brain and body working, etc'. 

Ikigai has to do with a person's 'reason for living'.  Finding that 'reason' is the secret to a long and happy life.  Filling ones life with purpose, staying active (mentally and physically) and having a sense of community all play into the concept of Ikigai.  The authors of this book researched The Blue Zones - areas in the world where the life expectancy is the longest.  They then interviewed residents of a Japanese village that is home to the largest percentage of centenarians in the world.  From those interviews they present nuggets of wisdom and practical tools for how to live a long and satisfying life.  

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Quotes from this book...

The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.  

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.  

He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how. 

Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Read February 2022

A beautiful young British woman has married the man of her dreams and is now embarking on a honeymoon cruise along the Nile River in Egypt.  Hercule Poirot, seeking a holiday respite, is drawn into a murder investigation after the bride is murdered.  There is a huge cast of characters and all are both interesting and suspicious.  :)  

I wanted to read something that included Egypt - this came to the top of the list. Although, as it turns out, Egypt didn't really play all that much into the storyline, other than being the setting.  And I think some of the names of places and temples might now be known in other ways - I wasn't always familiar with them.  

This book was far more enjoyable, to me, than And Then There Were None.  It was a really good character-driven mystery.  Throughout the course of the book I found myself suspecting first one character, and then another - a sign of a well crafted mystery!  A good, light, interesting read... and truly not dated, really, considering it was written 85 years ago! Agatha Christie certainly deserves her title of Queen of Mystery!

I rated this 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

Quotes from the book...

She came ashore playing a role, even if she played it unconsciously.

And sometimes, Madam, that is all one can do - accept the consequences of one's past deeds.  

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall

Read February 2022 - Well Read Book Club

The Book of Hope is the next installment in what I hope will be a full fledged series of books by Douglas Abrams with famous and inspiring people on how they approach life.  I read The Book of Joy by the Dalia Lama and Desmond Tutu last January with Well Read Book Club and this year we followed that magnificent book up with The Book of Hope.  BOTH books are phenomenal and I would recommend them to all! 

As with The Book of Joy, I read the hardback version (filled with photos) but also listened to the audible version.  The Book of Hope is actually narrated by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams, which was tremendous.  I appreciated how she didn't mince words about where we are with climate change, but did offer hope - much like David Attenborough in A Life On Our Planet.  She shared lots of data about how hope also helps people health wise, academically, with family success, etc.  

Not to be missed is The Message of Hope from Jane at the back of the book and the further reading section.  

I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

CBS Sunday Morning - Jane Goodall's message of hope

The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall - Book Trailer

Puzzle #16 - MasterPieces Inside Out Field’s Department Store - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #16 - MasterPieces Inside Out Field’s Department Store - 1000 piece puzzle 

So after that last one was a bust (Alan Giana Scenic Beauty by Spilsbury - Dream Landscape - I pulled this one out.  I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew!  It is 1000 pieces and the border was not easy!  But I like the image and I want to see it through.  I'll go back to a 500 after this for a breather.  Or even a 300.  I do like Master Pieces puzzles but this will be the first 1000 piece of them I have done.  Those pieces are small!  And some do fit together in ways that aren't true... so will have to watch that carefully.

I did persevere and finished it.  It was enjoyable and definitely a challenge.  I was disappointed to discover that there were 7 missing pieces (I thought...) However, I found out the next day, as I was putting the puzzle back in its box, that I was only missing 1 piece.  The other pieces had gotten jostled and tucked underneath my puzzle caddy.  So, it was really only missing 1 piece, not 7.  Much better!  :)   

Overall, this one was mighty fun to work - so many things to look at in the puzzle.  Each floor of the store had different shops and people and interesting elements.  I think I would like to do more of the 'Inside Out' series of puzzles.    

Finished on February 23, 2022

Puzzle #16 - MasterPieces Inside Out Field’s Department Store - 1000 piece puzzle