Episodes
Monday Dec 11, 2023
Talking about Book Subs & Discords with Sara
Monday Dec 11, 2023
Monday Dec 11, 2023
It's not hoarding if it's pretty books!
This is a show many months in the making! Turns out coordinating a podcast with someone in Australia is not as simple as you would think. But it finally worked out and here we are!
I wanted to talk to Sara because she runs a fairly awesome bookish community that would've been wiped from existence if she didn't raise it from the ashes. And now, it's alive and thriving and about 200 people strong.
In this episode, we're talking about monthly book subscription boxes, special edition books and how they appeal to the collectors in us, and of course, the discord that brings it all together.
Check out below for all the info we discussed! If I missed anything, reach out and let me know and I'll update it.
Until next time!
Links and Info Discussed
- Here are the links where you'll find the top 4 monthly book subscriptions we discussed. If you're really curious, every site has a catalog/past book database where you can see the offerings they've had in the past. If you want to really dive into it and have more questions, the link to the discord is below. Every subscription is going to have a waitlist you have to sign up for, some of which could be as short as a few weeks to as long as 10 months. So keep that in mind!
- Fourth Wing was brought up a lot. So you can find more info on the book itself right here.
- If you want to check out all the absolute madness that happened when it first came out, along with the first run copies that were going for over $500 (you know, the one I could've bought for $15 but I cancelled it..) Then go ahead and check that out right here.
- Bonus: Here's a really good round up on all the special editions of Fourth Wing that are out there! (For reference, the 3 that I have are the holiday edition, Waterstones', and Fairyloot's)
- And here is Sara's Fourth Wing collection!
- Sara mentioned a copy of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan that she just HAD to have, despite it being in Italian, a language that she does not even SPEAK. If you want to check out La figlia della dea della luna and see if it's worth it, you can do so here.
- We discussed Sword Catcher by and how superior Illumicrate's version of the book was (the version Sara has) when compared to Fairyloot's version (the one I had). If you want to see the difference, then here is Illumicrate's, and here is Fairyloot's.
Here are our Top 5 Books of the Year! After editing the show, I realized that maybe I should've gone with books that actually came out this year, as oppose to books I've read since some are a few years old. But too late now! Here they are, along with the books that we did not like!
- Sara
- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (by S.A. Chakraborty)
- Bonesmith (by Nicki Pau Preto)
- Sword Catcher (by Cassandra Clare)
- Divine Rivals (by Rebecca Ross)
- Yellowface (by R.F. Kuang)
- Silver in the Bone (by Alexandra Bracken) (did not like)
- Los
- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (by S.A. Chakraborty) (freaking READ IT!)
- A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking (by T. Kingfisher)
- Legends & Lattes (by Travis Baldree)
- Fourth Wing (by Rebecca Yarros)
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (by V.E. Schwab)
- The Jasad Heir (by Sara Hashem) (did not like)
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (by Gabrielle Zevin) (did NOT like)
- Lastly! Here is the invite link for the main topic of our conversation, the Fairyboot Discord! Remember, do not be a jerk. Sara WILL cut you.
- Head over to https://themanthechefthedad.com/links/ where you'll find a bunch of different ways to help me out via affiliate links and referrals. Remember, all you have to do is get to Amazon via one of my links for it to register to me.
- https://designingbyknight.etsy.com -- Here is my Etsy Sticker Shop! Now updated with holiday designs, bookmarks, and magnets! It's leaning more towards book centric stuff, but I'm looking to focus on gaming a lot more next year.
Where to Find This Week's Guest
- You can follow Sara on Instagram @OldKingdomandBeyond
Contact The Talking Place
If you'd like to contact the show, say hi, all that jazz, you can do so below!
- Voicemail - 407.906.TALK
- Instagram - @ManChefDad
- Email - TalkingPlacePod@gmail.com
If you're looking to join me for an episode, don't be shy and get at me at the above links and we'll chat!
Friday Sep 01, 2023
Talking with Matt about Starfield on Xbox
Friday Sep 01, 2023
Friday Sep 01, 2023
FOR ALL, INTO THE STARFIELD
The time is finally upon us! After years of development and hype, fans of Bethesda Game Studios are getting their hands on Starfield! I sit down with Matt (Ve6a5, in Future Monkey lore) and talk about the excitement and expectations we have for the game! He also gives us his impressions on his first hour of play time, discussing space combat, character creation, and more!
As of this episode, Starfield is live with early access that can be granted by purchasing an upgrade or a premium edition. You can play it on release day (September 6th) by purchasing a standard copy on Xbox or PC, or with day one access on Xbox Game Pass.
Stay tuned to future episodes where I'll invite Matt back along with other guests and maybe even some voice mails where we'll follow up with our time spent in the game after a few weeks!
Until next time!
Links and Info Discussed
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- Starfield main page
- Starfield reviews on YouTube
- Starfield Metacritic Scores
- Check out the EZFM Discord (my home away from home) where we'll have a channel dedicated to Starfield.
- The following are Amazon Affiliate links that when clicked on will help me out with a percentage of the purchase! Physical edition of the upgrade comes with a steelbook and other goodies, but you can also purchase it digitally to get early access before it's official September 6th release date!
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- Starfield standard edition: Xbox | PC
- Premium Edition Upgrade: Xbox
- Xbox Limited Edition Wireless Headset
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- Head over to https://themanthechefthedad.com/links/ where you'll find a bunch of different ways to help me out via affiliate links and referrals. Remember, all you have to do is get to Amazon via one of my links for it to register to me.
- https://designingbyknight.etsy.com -- Here is my Etsy Sticker Shop! I managed to get it up and going in the time between posting this show and the last one. Go me! Check it out and favorite it to see updates. I'm focusing on more gaming centric designs next.
Where to Find This Week's Guest
- 3thoughtcreative.com - Is Matt's company he co-founded. Go check it out to see what he and his talented team are capable of. If you're interested in hiring them, they have a contact form on their site.
Contact The Talking Place
If you'd like to contact the show, say hi, all that jazz, you can do so below!
- Voicemail - 407.906.TALK
- Instagram - @ManChefDad
- Email - TalkingPlacePod@gmail.com
If you're looking to join me for an episode, don't be shy and get at me at the above links and we'll chat!
Saturday Aug 26, 2023
Talking with Al about Podcasting and VR
Saturday Aug 26, 2023
Saturday Aug 26, 2023
Another show, another Al, part 2... or 3?
It's been sooooo long, I figured it'll be cool to have Al on again. We talked a little about podcasting and what it's like to handle the technical stuff about recording. And after a sweet, sweet interlude, we got into some VR talk. The main focus was children and how they are not supposed to be using VR headsets. But are they? Who knows! Not me, but I may have some ideas here.
Until next time!
Links and Info Discussed
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- The American Journal of Ophthalmology put out this article back in 2020 about VR headsets being safe for children. This is the rundown of it, the full article is linked at the bottom of that page.
- Assessing the impact of VR headsets on kids under 13 is another in-depth look at how much no one has really gone in-depth on this.
- I'll update this bullet point with the link we researched which led to the decision of letting our kid use a VR headset.
- For the record, I'm not here saying you should let your kid use VR headsets. If you as the parent do not feel comfortable, then don't let them use one. Be a responsible grown up and monitor what your kid Is doing with time limits and parental controls.
- Xbox Family Settings App
- Nintendo Switch Parental Control App
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- Head over to https://themanthechefthedad.com/links/ where you'll find a bunch of different ways to help me out via affiliate links and referrals. Remember, all you have to do is get to Amazon via one of my links for it to register to me.
- https://designingbyknight.etsy.com -- Here is my Etsy Sticker Shop! I managed to get it up and going in the time between posting this show and the last one. Go me! Check it out and favorite it to see updates. I'm focusing on more gaming centric designs next.
Where to Find This Week's Guest
- @RetroRentsAl - Al's Twitter
- @TheRetroRents - Al's podcast on Twitter
- Where to find/download The Retro 'Rents
- The latest episode of The Retro 'Rents
Contact The Talking Place
If you'd like to contact the show, say hi, all that jazz, you can do so below!
- Voicemail - 407.906.TALK
- Instagram - @ManChefDad
- Email - TalkingPlacePod@gmail.com
If you're looking to join me for an episode, don't be shy and get at me at the above links and we'll chat!
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Talking with Al about Life and Books
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Another show, another Al
Look, I'm not going to gloat or make a big deal here, but this show is out EXACTLY when I said it would be out! And it's right on time with when my player said to expect my next episode. Sorry, this may seem like small potatoes to people but it's a big deal in my book! But enough about me, what is going on this week?!
I had the pleasure of having Al back for another show! He is one half of The Retro 'Rents, and if you don't know him, the links are below.
This episode we were both catching up with a lot of off time. Both his and my show were on hiatus' and we discussed the reasons behind that. How life has just been relentless with keeping us busy and away from the microphones. But if I had to choose a central theme for the show, it would be books.
We got into the conversation about reading and it just went on from there. Lots of recommendations were given (and linked below) and I have zero regrets. It was a great time as always when chatting with Al and I'm glad he stuck around for another show.
Which btw, I know I said in the intro I'm going to put together his episodes, but I back tracked on that and now you'll be getting two shows with Al instead of one. You're welcome!
Until next time!
Links and Info Discussed
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- The Book of Choyer - YouTube channel featuring Total War cinematic battles and Warhammer lore.
- Total Warhammer 3 - Al's current gaming obsession
- Who is Brandon Sanderson?
- Great article about Brandon Sanderson, his secret projects and how they shattered the record for the highest contributed Kickstarter, and why he refused to sell them on audible.
- More on why Brandon Sanderson is such a force in the fantasy genre.
- From Sanderson's site - What is The Cosmere? (This is what Al was talking about currently reading)
- Books Discussed (Amazon affiliate links):
- The Sundering (Warhammer Chronicles) - The omnibus Al mentioned he was reading.
- The Cosmere (nearly 40 books! More info here) by Brandon Sanderson
- Tress of the Emerald Sea (Book 1 of Sanderson's Secret Projects) by Brandon Sanderson (after more research, I'm totally jumping in here. Particularly, these editions of the secret projects)
- A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
- Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
- Storm Front (The Dresden Files book 1) by Jim Butcher
- Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles book 1) by Kevin Hearne
- Hounded: By the Fae's Fated Mate (The North Shore Fae book 1 by A. S. Green
- Head over to https://themanthechefthedad.com/links/ where you'll find a bunch of different ways to help me out via affiliate links and referrals. Remember, all you have to do is get to Amazon via one of my links for it to register to me.
- Lastly, I opened up an Etsy Shop! https://designingbyknight.etsy.com It has a bunch of digital things on there, but I am currently in the process of adding a bunch of stickers that I'll be printing AT HOME! I'm excited and I'll definitely be doing a show talking about it once they go up.
Where to Find This Week's Guest
- @RetroRentsAl - Al's Twitter
- @TheRetroRents - Al's podcast on Twitter
- Where to find/download The Retro 'Rents
- The latest episode of The Retro 'Rents
Contact The Talking Place
If you'd like to contact the show, say hi, all that jazz, you can do so below!
- Voicemail - 407.906.TALK
- Instagram - @ManChefDad
- Email - TalkingPlacePod@gmail.com
If you're looking to join me for an episode, don't be shy and get at me at the above links and we'll chat!
Saturday Jul 01, 2023
Talking to Myself About Books, Games, and Life
Saturday Jul 01, 2023
Saturday Jul 01, 2023
NEW INTRO MUSIC, WHO DIS?
Welcome to the unofficial beginning of season 2 lolol. I mean, it's dumb, but I feel like that's where I'm at here. New intro music, updated and ridiculously awesome art, it's like a breath of fresh air being blown in to get the *checks watch* nine months worth of dust off everything.
NINE MONTHS! Nine freaking months since my last show. Almost to the day. I mean, technically, yeah, this CAN be considered the 31st of June if that were a thing. But it's not a thing. It's JULY 1st OMG it's almost Christmas!! Ok ok ok, I know, I know. Halloween is first, but whatever! ANYWAY. What's up, how ya been? That's good, that's good. Look, I know it's been a while so I got you a little somethin'.
It's a NEW SHOW! YESSSSSsssSSsSss everyone so happy happy! No, I haven't lost it. I've been busy and going on little sleep for the past week so I think I'm feeling it now. But anyway, let's get to the actual show notes. Geeze, I hope you weren't really reading all of this mess. I'm sorry.
Look, here's what I talked about in this episode. I went on about how much I absolutely adored Hogwarts Legacy. How it was enough to remind me why I loved gaming since I had taken another break from it. Then I got into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the first time of many I'm sure. And peppered throughout all of that was life talk. What I've been doing and not doing. How I pretty much gave up social media, and some other stuff.
There you go! You probably don't even have to listen to the show now, huh! Hahahahaha no that was a joke, please listen.
Oh yeah! Coming down the line, you will definitely hear Al from the Retro Rents returning for an episode or two, so look forward to that! And I have a few others penciled in after so here's to trying to do this thing again!
Until next time!
Links and Info Discussed
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- Look, I'm going to be completely honest, I totally forgot if there was anything worth linking. But hey! If you want to help support me, You could do a few things now:
- Head over to https://themanthechefthedad.com/links/ where you'll find a bunch of different ways to help me out via affiliate links and referrals. Remember, all you have to do is get to Amazon via one of my links for it to register to me.
- Also, I opened up an Etsy Shop! https://designingbyknight.etsy.com is it. There's nothing crazy on there yet, but hopefully I'll keep it updated with some cool stuff.
Contact The Talking Place
If you'd like to contact the show, say hi, all that jazz, you can do so below!
- Voicemail - 407.906.TALK
- Instagram - @ManChefDad
- Email - TalkingPlacePod@gmail.com
If you're looking to join me for an episode, don't be shy and get at me at the above links and we'll chat!