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Sunday deal roundup: Free Star Wars comics, a $60 Amazon Echo and more

Including free ebooks for kids, heavily discounted bestsellers, a $14 exercise-mat kit and more.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
4 min read

Well, friends, we made it to the end of another week. I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy and home -- and finding things to do during these crazy but often downright boring times.

With that in mind, I've rounded up a whole mess of cheap or free reading material, along with a few essentials and, for those making exercise part of the home routine, a great deal on a floor mat.

Weekend free stuff

First up, the freebies! (And be sure to check out my regularly updated list of the best free entertainment to keep you busy while quarantined.)

barnes-and-noble-free-ebooks-for-kids

Score loads of free ebooks for kids from Barnes & Noble.

Barnes & Noble

Bestselling books up to 80% off

Also at Amazon today, around 100 bestselling books are on sale, including the first book in the Outlander series, Ron Chernow's excellent Hamilton biography and the latest from Ta-Nehisi Coates and Colson Whitehead. One particularly great pick: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch for $2.99.

Humble Book Bundle: Spring Clean Your Life, starting at $1

humble-spring-clean-your-life-bundle

Pay just $1 for these five books, or at least $15 to score 15 more.

Humble Bundle

I love Humble Bundles, which give you oodles of books, games or the like and help charity at the same time. The Spring Clean Your Life bundle, for example, lets you name your own price for up to 20 books on self-improvement, goal-setting and happiness. A portion of your payment will benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.

You can pay as little as $1 to get five of the books or pony up at least $15 to get the whole collection. Lots of good stuff here, with a  combined value of over $300.

Amazon Echo third-generation smart speaker: $60, plus $10 in Kohl's Cash

Looking to upgrade an Echo Dot to something that sounds bigger and better? For a limited time, and while supplies last, Kohl's has the Amazon Echo third-generation smart speaker for $59.99. Amazon proper currently has it on sale for the same price (as part of a larger Echo sale), but the Kohl's deal nets you $10 in Kohl's Cash -- basically free money to use at the store between April 12 and 19.

I do have to wonder, though, if it makes sense to buy just a speaker when for the same price, you can get the Echo Show 5, which includes a screen. I'm guessing the Echo speaker sounds better overall, but certainly the Show is much more versatile. Your thoughts?

Build out your home gym with this six-piece exercise mat for $13.60

everyday-essentials-interlocking-exercise-mat

Great buy at just $13.60.

Walmart

Working out at home? Trust me when I say you'll like having a dedicated (and protected) area for weights, HIIT, yoga and all that. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Walmart has the Everyday Essentials 24-square-foot exercise mat for $13.60. Regular price: $20.

These are great. You get six 1/2-inch-thick interlocking foam tiles with edge pieces, which connect to give you a 24-square-foot workout area. If you do a lot of cardio and think you might want thicker mats, those are on sale as well, and for only a few dollars more.  

Expired Deals

Magazine subscriptions starting at 99 cents (Update: Expired)

Do yourself a favor and pick up a magazine -- even if it's a digital one you read on your phone or tablet. Right now, Amazon is offering heavily discounted digital magazine subscriptions, with many starting at just 99 cents (although most of those are for just three months).

For example, you can get three months of Men's Health or Runner's World for 99 cents, or a year of Family Handyman or Reader's Digest for $3.75. Great way to see if you like reading magazines in digital form. I do!

Duracell rechargeable batteries: $4.87 (Update: Expired)

duracell-rechargeable-4-pack
Duracell

Tired of spending money on disposable batteries for your remotes, flashlights and the like? Switch to rechargeables. It's rarely been this cheap to do so: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon has a Duracell Rechargeable AAA four-pack for $4.87. Regular price: $13.95. The catch, of course, is that you'll also need a charger. Assuming you don't have one, here's a top-rated AmazonBasics battery charger for $15.30.

This article was previously published. It has been updated with current deals and pricing. 


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