The 8 Best Puzzles I Did This Year
I do lots of end-of-year posts.
The best books I read in 2023.
The books I read to my girls in 2023.
The things that worked for me in 2023.
My favorite products in 2023. (Even BART’s favorite products of 2023!)
But until now I’ve never done a “Best puzzles of the year” post.
What an oversight!
As a major puzzle lover, I kind of want to make this an annual tradition, but for now I’ll content myself with starting with my favorite puzzles I did in 2023 and see if its worth repeating next year.
The 8 Best Puzzles I Did This Year
Sultanahmet Neighborhood Puzzle
500 pieces
This was a new-to-me puzzle brand and I loved the slightly plastic-y feeling pieces (no tearing cardboard!), the magnetic close box and the resealable bag for the pieces. Plus, it was so vibrant and happy. This was a huge puzzle win. (I also ordered the 1000 piece Infinity Fields of The Netherlands puzzle from the same brand. This one looks more challenging but I’m excited to break it out this year!).
Kaleido-Wild Puzzle
500 pieces
I did this one early in the year and it was a perfect Sunday afternoon puzzle (a 500 piece puzzle is a few hours of work for me). I loved the bright colors and the design of it which reminded of my all-time favorite puzzle.
A is for Bee Puzzle
1000 pieces
Oh, I absolutely loved this puzzle. I’m very drawn to puzzles with squares like this where you can work on one at a time. (I listened to The Anthropocene Reviewed while I worked on it – the moment I looked at the box while working on this post, I could hear John Green’s voice narrating in my head!)
Novel Neighborhood Puzzle
1000 pieces
I have such clear memories of working on this puzzle last spring while I listened to audiobooks that would later end up on the 2023 Summer Reading Guide. I love that when I see a puzzle it immediately reminds me of what I listened to while I worked on it.
Vintage Pencils Puzzle
1000 pieces
Oooh, I loved this one. It gave me the same vibes as this Mix Tapes puzzle and this Vintage Radio puzzle. And the gold foil on some of the pieces? Extra fun!
Bookish Cats Puzzle
500 pieces
In 2022, my sister gave us this Festive Furballs puzzle and we loved it so much that another cat puzzle seemed in order. And one with bookish cats? I was all in. My girls and I had the best time doing this puzzle together.
1000 pieces
I did this colorful Halloween parade panoramic puzzle in October and I loved it so much. Make sure you have enough space on your work surface, because this one measures between 3-4 feet long! The pieces are so thick and fun to work with.
Yuletide Glam Puzzle
500 pieces
This puzzle from a small puzzle brand was an absolute delight and immediately cemented itself in the category of “Christmas puzzles I’ll do every year.” Lots of fun details and truly delightful puzzle piece shapes. (The designer of this puzzle is the same designer who did the 2023 Halloween Reading Calendar!). Also, special note to my first ever mini puzzle which was from this same brand and also a Christmas puzzle!
I think you and I have very similar puzzle tastes! I have done many of these and loved them. The Halloween parade puzzle is one of my top favorites I’ve ever done, I thought it was so fun. I just added that alphabet one to my cart – thanks for the recommendation. If you want another cat themed puzzle, I just did a Galison one this weekend called Wintry Cats and it was a great one!
We have the Yuletide Glam and the Bookish Cats puzzles and they are both so fun! My 11-year-old is a huge cat fan, so we also have the Galison artsy cats and wintry cats 🙂 Another Spaghetti Tree one that we really enjoyed was their United States map!
I ordered the Halloween one when I first saw you post about it, and we enjoyed it very much! I’ll be taking a look at your other favorites!