Activities, games, puzzles, and crafts for a rainy day including NEW national park puzzles and more from The Reader’s Catalog

"Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall,"—Longfellow, The Rainy Day, 1843 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

“Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Rainy Day,” 1843 Whether it’s a beach holiday, a camping trip, or a staycation, there’s sure to be a rainy day. Why not prepare for some time indoors with our rainy-day activities? From vintage puzzles and word games to journaling, crafts, and more—we have gifts to keep everyone from kids to grandparents entertained this summer.  National Parks Vintage Posters and Map of National Parks: 1,000-Piece Puzzles The completed puzzles measure 20" by 28". Each puzzle comes packaged in a handsewn muslin bag holding the pieces inside an illustrated 10" tube, making it an attractive keepsake in or out of the box.  Shop Now Birds of Western North America and Birds of Eastern and Central North America; 1,000-Piece Puzzles These puzzles come with QR codes developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology which allow you to listen to the birds’ songs and calls on a smartphone while working on the puzzle. How it works: Just download the free Bird QR app and scan the QR codes to hear their song. Games and Puzzles Cinephile: a card game for film nerds, movie geeks, and cinephiles With 150 cards and multiple ways to play, this “stylish and addictive card game” (GQ) is the perfect choice for everyone from casual moviegoers to bona fide film nerds. When we asked one of our editors and resident cinephiles at New York Review Books what they thought about it, we learned it’s their go-to gift.  Under $25 The World of the Tudors: 1,000-Piece Puzzle From the Wars of the Roses through plagues, plots, executions, and more, the Tudor period is the most dramatic and turbulent in English history. As you build this detailed puzzle, journey through time to identify Shakespeare, Sir Francis Drake, Henry VIII’s six wives, and dozens of other renowned figures. For the Anglophile Literary Listblitz This literary take on a traditional trivia game awards points to the player who can identify the most books and authors using the fewest clues, list as many answers as possible, or correctly identify the feature that unifies a list. With 300 questions covering authors, titles, characters, and quotes, any book lover can compete. Under $25 Bird Trivia Put your knowledge of the avian kingdom to the test with Bird Trivia. The game may be played on three levels, depending on the players’ knowledge: difficult (ask the question only), medium (ask the question with all four multiple-choice options), and easy (ask the question with only the two highlighted choices). Science and Nature Art Trivia This fun and educational game poses 140 multiple-choice questions about global works and artists from all eras; topics range from ancient to contemporary art, fine arts to traditional crafts, museums and galleries to street art. Made with FSC-certified paper sourced from responsibly managed forests and recycled materials.  For the Art Lover   Metallic Color Pencils This set of twelve metallic color pencils adds a shimmering dimension to any drawing. Made with high-quality linden wood, the pencils feature a soft, thick lead for precise drawing and long-lasting performance. The twelve metallic colors are: hot pink, lavender, pale pink, aqua, turquoise, pale blue, blue, blue-violet, pewter, platinum, gold, and silver. Packaged in a blue metallic tin.  Pens and Pencils STET! A Game for Language Lovers, Grammar Geeks, and Bibliophiles Whats’ wrong with this sentence? If that misplaced apostrophe leapt right off the page, this is the game for you. Based on the New York Times bestseller STET! contains 100 sentences that await you, the copyeditor, to correct—or to STET (a copyeditor’s term that means “let it stand”). This is a witty, informative, challenging, and fun card game for language lovers. For the Grammarian The Moth: A Game of Storytelling The Moth on NPR is all about true stories told live, and this game is designed to prompt a volley of sharing and listening between players. Created by the program’s storytelling experts, this interactive card game encourages lively conversations, sparks creativity, and improves public speaking abilities. This game adheres to two basic Moth principles: the story should be true, and it should feature the storyteller. For the Homebody Handmade Memory Game with Vintage Imagery—French version The tiles and boxes of these memory games are entirely handmade by the artist and graphic designer Sarah Caplan. Each unique set consists of pairs of tiles housed in a handmade box. This is the version française of the game, containing many images with French historical and cultural significance. Some are well-known (a Framboise label, the Arc de Triomphe, passengers boarding an Air France airplane, a château), while others (a radish, a giraffe, a hot air balloon) are not so obvious. A fun spin on the game is to require players to explain the meaning of the image. Exclusive to Us Handmade Memory Game with Vintage Imagery Images on the tiles include a curated assortment of illustrations and old photographs that the designer Sarah Caplan has collected for years—mostly antique ephemera, including animals, people, famous world sites, fruits and vegetables, flowers, modes of transportation, insects, random objects, and vintage scenes from daily life. Far more than a game, it is a decorative object of great charm. The individual tiles may be displayed on tabletops or mantelpieces, as part of centerpieces, or wherever a touch of visual whimsy and sophistication is needed.  Exclusive to Us New York City Subway Map: 500-Piece Puzzle This puzzle provides a bird’s-eye view of the NYC subway system: all 472 stations on twenty-five routes, spread along 665 miles of track. Games and Puzzles Bugtastic Bingo Butterfly, ladybug, spider—what’s your child’s favorite bug to spot in the garden? This classic family game of bingo has been reinvigorated with lively, colorful illustrations, as children and their adults immerse themselves in the world of insects, eagerly waiting to yell out BINGO! Kids The Chess Deck Learn about chess tactics and test your skills with this oversized deck of fifty cards from the New York Times bestselling author of How to Win at Chess, International Master and YouTube’s top chess teacher Levy Rozman (aka GothamChess). For the Homebody Mythology Trivia This dapper box is filled with 140 multiple-choice questions that cover myths and folklore—from gods and heroes to magical beasts and monsters—from cultures around the world, including Egyptian, Greek, Norse, Native American, Japanese, Senegalese, Chinese, Slavic, Haitian, and more.  For the History Buff The Shakespeare Game The winner of the 2022 Independent Toy Awards Board Game Category, The Shakespeare Game is a labor of love and scholarship. The illustrations, text, game, and design have been carefully researched, and the consultants have impeccable credentials. The booklet that is enclosed with the game is beautifully conceived, produced, written, and illustrated.  Shakespeare Set: A Family Game The three families of staff members who tried this game had similar experiences. The game quickly turned from competitive to raucously cooperative—players constantly jumping in to identify or object to sets— not as easy or as obvious as one would think. Most impressive: the youngest players were as successful as the adults. Children Shakespeare’s Britain: 1,000-Piece Puzzle The beautiful image on this 1,000-piece puzzle is a pictorial map of Britain as it was in 1583, with the geographical settings of Shakespeare’s history plays labeled. The map is decorated with symbols and icons of towns and abbeys, castles, battlefields, forests, and heaths, and includes a panoramic inset of London showing the Globe Theatre, and another inset of Stratford-upon-Avon. Also on the map is a list of Shakespeare’s plays with British settings. For the Anglophile Scripps National Spelling Bee Bingo Have fun with words with this twist on bingo from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Each card contains a word and asks players to correctly spell it, define it, name its origin or part of speech, find its correct synonym, and use it in a sentence. Spaces on the bingo boards match up to prompts like “spell,” “define,” “synonym,” and more. If you get a question right, you cover the corresponding space on your bingo board.  For the Grammarian Story Map of Ireland: 500-Piece Puzzle All Irish literature might well be able to trace its roots back to the places and events depicted on this map. This pictorial map of Ireland was part of a series of “story maps” produced by Colortext Publications in the 1930s and 1940s. This puzzle features historical facts about Éire’s major battles, discoveries, and cultural events; basic geographic details, including elevations; and intricate borders and title decorations adapted from illuminated manuscripts.  For the Homebody Go! My Adventure Journal This travel journal is filled with thought-starters, so kids (ages four to nine) can capture important memories about their trip—like cool things they spot, new things they try, and people they meet. Journals and Notebooks Scrabble™ Vintage Bookshelf Edition This luxurious bookshelf edition of Scrabble™ has updated stylish packaging, with game components stored in a fabric-bound “book” and slipcase. Typography and graphics are inspired by the original 1948 game. Elegant storage and premium game components create a classic to be enjoyed for years to come. For the Homebody William Blake’s Shakespeare Playing Cards “Shakespeare, in riper years, gave me his hand...”—William Blake Take your imagination on a visit to the British Museum while enjoying a game of cards from the comfort of your home. This elegant set of playing cards features some of William Blake’s most beautiful illustrations of Shakespeare’s subjects. Blake, a visionary painter and poet of late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century England, was inspired by characters from some of Shakespeare's most famous works.  Shakespeare Build-Your-Own Kaleidoscope This STEM kit is an exciting two-part project for young artist and scientists, aged seven and up. Straightforward instructions show how to construct a working outer-spaced-themed kaleidoscope. The instructions are illustrated, detailed, straightforward, and easy to follow. The kit includes, a sturdy cardboard kaleidoscope tube, eleven space-themed disks, three refractory mirrors, fifty trinkets that reflect light, a stand, and a storage box. Children Classic Paperback Covers: 1,000-Piece Puzzle This intricate puzzle features Richard Baker’s realistic paintings of classic paperback book covers from the 1960s and ’70s, across the literary canon. Each “book portrait” shows the original front cover in detail. Games and Puzzles Traditional Potholder Loom NYR staffers and their kids—representing three generations—count themselves among those who loved/love making potholders. This writer fondly remembers spending an entire summer (in the 1950s) with loom and loops. Another staffer, the mother of a Brooklyn fourth grader, reports that her daughter is “obsessed.” For the Homebody The Real Women of Greek Myths: 1,000-Piece Puzzle In this beautifully detailed jigsaw puzzle, rediscover the lives and stories of the women of Greek myths, from Medusa and Medea to Helen, Eurydice, Aphrodite, Phaedra, Artemis, and others.  For the History Buff The World of the Harlem Renaissance: 1,000-Piece Puzzle Step back in history to one of New York City’s most vibrant eras as you work on this jigsaw puzzle picturing the artists and the thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance. The box includes a fold-out poster of the completed puzzle and a glossary of various scenes within the puzzle.  Under $25 Vintage Map of Paris: 1,000-Piece Puzzle The perfect gift for a flâneur: a virtual stroll around the City of Light. Assembling this bird’s-eye view map of Paris is an enjoyable way to (re)familiarize yourself with the twenty arrondissements and their gardens, boulevards, theatres, monuments, and more (the abbatoirs are thankfully covered by the map’s label). Each major building and site is identified in the key on the lower part of the puzzle. The city in this map is the post-Haussmann Paris.  Vintage Inspired Vintage Map of London: 1,000-Piece Puzzle “The streets of London have their map; but our passions are uncharted. What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?”—Virginia Woolf, Jacob’s Room Assembling this vintage map is an enjoyable way to imagine yourself amid the bustling city and its many sights: the parks, museums, avenues, theatres, and monuments of the London of yesteryear, with charming illustrations of buildings and their cheery occupants. Vintage Inspired Vintage Map of New York City: 1,000-Piece Puzzle The perfect gift for a New Yorker, or a New Yorker at heart: a virtual stroll around the city that never sleeps, as it was in 1926. Assembling this vintage map of New York is an enjoyable way to imagine yourself amid the bustling borough of Manhattan in the roaring twenties: the parks, avenues, theatres, attractions, and monuments of New York City of yesteryear. Each major building and site is identified in the key on the lower part of the puzzle.  Vintage Inspired The New York Review of Books Umbrella “It is the habitual carriage of the umbrella that is the stamp of Respectability.” —Robert Louis Stevenson Now you can keep dry and show your love of the written word in even the harshest weather conditions with our sturdy and attractive The New York Review of Books umbrella.  NYR Merchandise You are receiving this message because you signed up for email newsletters from The New York Review of Books, NYRB, or The Reader’s Catalog. You can choose the types of mailings you wish to receive. Update preferences   The Reader’s Catalog 207 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016-6305 Preferences  |  Unsubscribe