For many people, the idea of pulling out a puzzle on their lunch break or at a café while waiting for a friend seems a little ambitious. But what if that puzzle was only 90 to 100 pieces and small enough to fit in your pocket or bag?
Recently, I've noticed a rise in micro and mini puzzles - tiny pockets of joy that you can take with you anywhere - and I can't wait to start a collection of them.
I did a little deep-dive into the psychology behind why puzzles make us feel so good, and what I found out makes me love them even more. Every time we find the right piece and slot it into place, our brain gets a little sense of reward and accomplishment. There's also something really satisfying about having one clear task in front of you, especially when so much of our day is spent looking at screens, notifications and thinking about a million things at once.
And that's where I think mini puzzles really come into their own. You don't necessarily need an entire afternoon set aside to get that little moment of satisfaction. Ten minutes, a handful of pieces and a cup of coffee can be enough.
PieceHouse, a beautiful New Zealand brand known for its amazing quality and stunning artwork, offers its popular Alfresco design in three different piece counts: 100, 500, and 1000 pieces, meaning you can enjoy the same artwork in whichever size suits your mood.
The 100-piece version is portable and comes with a little baggie to keep the pieces safe, making it perfect for taking to a café, meeting friends, or packing in your bag for your lunch break. If your friends are running late, you can squeeze in a few minutes of puzzling for a quick little dopamine hit. And unlike starting a 1000-piece puzzle, there's a pretty good chance you'll actually finish it before your coffee gets cold!
The other brand that we've got in recently is Kingdom of Threads, the beautiful bookish puzzles that I absolutely cannot get enough of. At 250 pieces, they sit somewhere between a mini puzzle and a traditional puzzle, but they're still small enough to take with you and finish in a relatively short sitting.
They're packaged in the cutest little book-shaped boxes, complete with sprayed edges, and feature official artwork from some of our favourite book series. As someone who loves both books and puzzles, these were always going to get me. They're perfect for when you want something a little more challenging than a 100-piece puzzle without committing your dining table to a 1000-piece project for the next few days.
Maybe mini puzzles won't replace your weekend 1000-piece project, but they're such a fun way to fit puzzling into the moments in between. Whether you're waiting for a coffee, travelling, on your lunch break, or simply looking for a screen break, these tiny puzzles prove that you don't need a huge dining table or hours of spare time to enjoy the hobby.
I feel like this is just the start of the rise of mini puzzles – especially here at Book Hero. I love the idea of mini puzzle advent calendars, or what about a pack of seven mini puzzles, one for each day of the week? A little puzzle to do with your morning coffee? Or a 1000pc mini puzzle for the ultimate challenge? The options here are endless and I am here for it.
Keep an eye out for more little nuggets of joy that we have coming soon!