Game 01
Reality Called In Sick
Things keep turning up in the wrong decade. Spot what doesn’t belong in a postcard, a hotel menu, a Christmas receipt. Sixteen puzzles, every date sourced.
A puzzle book for grown‑ups stuck in bed after surgery.
For when resting gets really, really boring.
Mysteries, one‑page escapes and wrong‑decade puzzles, sorted by how much time you’ve got. Every answer is at the back.
Coming soon to Amazon as a 92-page paperback, 8.5 × 11 in. The free pages are ready now.
92-page paperback, 8.5 × 11 in, every answer included.
- 16 time-travel puzzles
- 8 one-minute alibis
- 6 case files
- 1 mystery that runs through the whole book
- 3 one-page escape rooms
- 3 co-op mysteries
- a 5-minute panic game for two
- 8 rounds of Two Truths and a Time Lie
- 6 sudoku
- 5 secret-message word searches
- every answer at the back
Every page is sorted by how much time you’ve got.
Low Battery · 2–5 minTwo minutes. Tops.
Half Charged · 10–15 minOne proper puzzle.
Fully Charged · 20–40 minBring it on.
Multiplayer · with a visitorBring a visitor.
Pick a page by how much time you’ve got.
Some days you want a two-minute win. Some days you want an escape room. Black tabs on the page edge find your section with the book closed.
2–5 minutes
Low Battery
For the gap between the soup and the next episode. One thing to catch per page, done before the kettle boils.
- Wrong-decade spots: three things that weren’t invented yet
- One-minute alibis
- Read the Room picture phrases
- Time Machine Lineups
- Coloring pages and Recovery Bingo
10–15 minutes
Half Charged
One proper puzzle with a satisfying click at the end. Meet the Usual Suspects and work out which of them ate the last pudding cup.
- Wrong-decade documents, including the 1958 diner
- Case files with exactly one culprit
- Secret-message word searches
- Bold-box sudoku
20–40 minutes
Fully Charged
Got a whole afternoon and nothing in it? These are the long ones, built to be finished in one sitting.
- Three one-page escape rooms
- The hardest wrong-decade documents
- The two toughest case files
- Time-capsule sudoku
With a visitor
Multiplayer
Something better for visitors to do than ask how you’re feeling. Most are talking games, so one pencil is plenty.
- Defuse the Remote: one sees the remote, one has the manual
- Co-op mysteries where each player holds half the clues
- Same Wavelength
- Two Truths and a Time Lie
- How Well Do You Know Me?
Flip through it.Three games made for this book.
Real pages, printed big on 8.5 × 11 paper with room to write.
The coverRecovery Mode92 pages, sorted by how much time you’ve got.
Get 6 free pagesBuy on Amazon
Coming soon to Amazon. The free pages are ready now.
Paperback 92 pages, answers included
Game 02
The Final Case
Someone forged Reality’s sick note. Eight clues hide at the bottom of puzzle pages, and each one uses that page’s answer. Cross off suspects, then fold the original note to reveal who did it.
Game 03
Defuse the Remote
The TV remote is about to lock onto golf. Forever. The patient sees the remote, the visitor has the manual, and nobody sees both. Five minutes. Talk fast.
Try one. It takes about a minute.
Spot the three things that hadn’t been invented yet. Peggy’s letter is dated August 1955. Pick anything that couldn’t be there yet. Careful: some things that sound modern were perfectly fine. The game is called Reality Called In Sick, and the book has sixteen of them.
Found 0 of 3. Pick anything that couldn’t be there yet. Keyboard: use the arrow keys.
?
Your first find goes here, with the real date.
?
The second one.
?
And the last.
You’ve got the knack.
That’s Reality Called In Sick, the star of the book: sixteen of them, from a 1912 postcard to a 1984 Christmas receipt, every date checked against a named source.
Flowers wilt. The grapes are gone by Tuesday.
This keeps them busy for weeks, and the Multiplayer games give visitors something better to do than ask how they’re feeling.
- Write your message on the gift page at the front.
- Add a good pencil. Recovery deserves a good pencil.
- Once it’s out, ship it straight to their address.
- Visiting? Play Defuse the Remote together.
Get 6 free pagesPrint them and tuck them in a card today.
Stuck? Scan the page
Hints that nudge, never spoil.
Puzzle pages have a small code in the corner. Point a phone camera at it and help arrives one step at a time. No app, no sign‑up, and the book works fine without it.
- 1NudgeA gentle push in the right direction.
- 2CloserA bigger clue that leaves the last step to you.
- 3AnswerOnly when you ask for it twice.
Plus extras: the stories behind the dates, a countdown for Defuse the Remote and an evidence board for the Final Case.
The fine print, which is good news.
Exactly one answer
Every case file, co-op mystery and sudoku was checked by computer: exactly one solution, and in the case files every clue is needed. No guessing, ever.
Every date is sourced
Each wrong-decade item is dated against a named source, and the full list is printed at the back of the book.
Fits any afternoon
Pages are sorted by time, from two‑minute spots to forty‑minute escapes. Nothing is timed unless you pick a game that is.
Honest about what it is
A distraction from boredom, not a treatment, and not medical advice. Rest comes first. Puzzles come second.
Good questions, short answers.
Who is it for?
Adults recovering from surgery, an injury or an illness, and anyone with more free time than they asked for. The humor is adult, and the puzzles run from two‑minute quick wins to forty‑minute escapes.
Can I buy it now?
Not yet. It’s coming to Amazon soon. In the meantime, 6 real pages are free to print right now.
Where can I buy it?
On Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as a paperback, once it launches.
Where can I buy it?
On Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, as a paperback.
How hard are the puzzles?
Each section matches how much time you have: Low Battery (2–5 minutes), Half Charged (10–15), Fully Charged (20–40), plus Multiplayer games for visitors. Short doesn’t mean simple: even the two‑minute pages make you think. Start wherever you like.
Do I need a phone or the internet?
No. Everything is on paper and every answer is at the back. The QR codes are optional extras for hints and a few bonus games.
Can two people play?
Yes. The Multiplayer section has co-op mysteries where each player holds half the clues, Defuse the Remote, Two Truths and a Time Lie, and Same Wavelength.
What if they can’t write much yet?
Several games are mostly talking, like Defuse the Remote and Same Wavelength. A visitor can hold the pencil.
Is it good for an older reader?
The time-travel puzzles cover a century of everyday history, from a 1912 postcard to a 1984 receipt, so people who remember those decades have a real edge. Body text is a standard book size, and the grids and pictures are printed big on 8.5 × 11 pages.
What size is it?
A 92-page paperback, 8.5 × 11 inches, printed in black and white with room to write.
Is this medical advice?
No. It’s a distraction from boredom, not a treatment. Always follow your care team’s advice.
Recovery is boring. This isn’t.
Get 6 real pages free: a wrong-decade postcard, two one-minute alibis, six picture phrases, a family of suspects and their first case, and a 1925 hotel menu. Answers included.