The party game I can't stop thinking about is yours for $31.46 (save $18.54)

PLUS: I bought a godzilla and I'd do it again.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold blue type), meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.

Right? The world is so calm and peaceful, what is there even to say? Nothing, so let’s get straight to the deals!

QUICK HITS

📙 One of my favorite books ever is on sale for Kindle for just $1.99: The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. Suggestion: Don’t judge it by its title, and don’t read the summary; just dive in. It’s epic and heartbreaking and funny and astonishingly well-written. (Sorry, I know this is a repeat, maybe a re-repeat, but I can’t shut up about this book.)

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🪀 As a grown man with a bit of disposable income, I have the right to buy whatever I damn well please — including a huge radio-controlled Godzilla that stomps, lights up, makes appropriately terrifying sounds and breathes fire (well, steam) from his mouth. When I first saw it in a TikTok video, I figured it would cost $100 or more — it’s that impressive — but it’s only $45 from the likes of Target and Walmart. (Currently out of stock at Amazon.) Bought in on the spot. Call me an overgrown man-child, but I freakin’ love this thing. Can’t wait till my grandson is old enough to knock down model cities with it.

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📱 Quick survey, merely because I’m curious: Are you an Android user or an iPhone user? I’m in the latter camp, but want to make sure I don’t lean too heavily into iPhone-only deal stuff.

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My all-time favorite escape-room-in-a-box game can be yours for $31.46 (save $18.54)

Fun fact about me: I used to own and operate a zombie-themed escape room. (With real zombies, y’all. It was a hoot.) Needless to say, I love escape rooms, but I’m also a big fan of “escape rooms in a box” — basically puzzle-based games that follow a theme and/or story: murder to be solved, virus to be eradicated, that kind of thing.

Some of these I’ve enjoyed more than others; my absolute favorite to date is The Fifth Column from Puzzling Pursuits. We played it with some friends on New Year’s Eve and had a blast. Everything about it screams quality: the presentation, the quality of the puzzles, the instructions/hint system, etc.

So if you’re looking for a change from boardgames, card games, and the like, I can’t recommend this highly enough. (Puzzling Pursuits offers several other boxes as well, but I haven’t had the chance to try the others yet. The Fifth Column is their latest.)

For a limited time, Deal Secrets readers can save 10% on any order with promo code SECRETDEAL. The Fifth Column normally sells for $50; it’s currently discounted to $34.95, so the promo code knocks it down to $31.46. Great game-night activity for you and your friends!

(Pro tip: Take advantage of the option to print your own copies of a few of the clues; that’ll make it easier to package up the game when you’re done and let someone else play it.)

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PLAYLIST

📺 The Diplomat S2 (Netflix): The first season of this smart, funny, riveting political drama deserved every accolade it received, and the second is just as good. You know how there are some actors who absolutely electrify every scene, even the simplest ones? Keri Russell is in that small cadre. Rick’s rating: A

🍿 The Purple Rose of Cairo (Free on Hoopla, Pluto, Tubi): During a recent sick day on the couch, I wanted something easy, comforting, familiar. I haven’t watched this movie — one of few written and directed by Woody Allen but not starring him — in probably 20 years, but, wow, it’s as wonderful as I remember. Whimsical, funny, sad, and hopeful, it’s a love letter to cinema, with Jeff Daniels absolutely crushing it in his breakout role. This lies in the pantheon of movies I consider nearly perfect.

(While you’re at it, check out another mostly forgotten Allen gem: Love and Death. Bet you didn’t know he made a film about 19th-century war-torn Russia! It’s smart, silly, unexpectedly deep.) Rick’s rating (both movies): A

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Thanks for reading Deal Secrets! Questions? Comments? Shoot me an e-mail. I’ll do my best to respond to all inquiries! Want to show your support? Buy me a coffee!

There's also my book: Everything I Need to Know, I Learned Playing Pickleball. And check out my curated book list at Bookshop.org, which donates to local bookstores with every purchase.