Hobbies, Family, & Geekery from a Stay-at-Home Dad
Changing hobbies like I change my underwear ALRIGHT! I think I have a system going, so here’s the first show out the gate. I KNOW, OK?! I’ve said it too many times before. But life be crazy, yo! Anyway, I’m trying, and that’s the best …Read More….
Forever Judging Special Edition Books by their Covers Another book show! I know, I know, it’s like I don’t know what else to talk about these days. But hear me out! Or better yet, hear US out. I’m joined today by Sara, whom you may …Read More….
Number 5! I… wha-what do you mean I already had a number 5?? That’s preposterous! How DARE you accuse me of such an overlooked detail. Anyway, as I was saying. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is number 5 of my top 5 (and only 5) books I read in 2024. It was close between this and another one, but because I’m sticking to my guns and only picking 5 books and not deviating because I’m a professional, I won’t even mention the other one.
Addie LaRue has an intriguing and mysterious story, and characters that you can’t wait to see what they do/how they interact next.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab is a fantasy novel that released back in October of 2020. Just a few months shy of when the earth stood still and life changed forever. I could only imagine what it would’ve been like having this story fresh in your head when all that was going on was happening. A girl among us with immortality, living through yet another dark time in human history. I wish I read it then.
But nope! The first time I attempted to read this gem was in August of 2022. How do I know? Because I remember posting about it.
I remember how excited I was to get into it after hearing so many things and loving the premise. The fire to read more had just sparked aflame, and I knew this was one of the ones I really wanted to get through. The post stood out because (SPOILER) I never wound up reading it lol. I was struggling to find time to get through actually reading stuff with my eyes, as weird as that sounds. I didn’t have desire to sit there for it and preferred (and still do) audiobooks. So I ditched it until I was able to get the audiobook.
Fast forward to 2023 and it was time! With a year dedicated to reading, I was even able to plan it out and pick this one as my October read. It deserved it as it has been sitting on my TBR list for so long. Yeah, I know, I know. Just one book for October?! Trust, I had like 4 lined up that I wanted to get through. But I knew me and I know how October is in this house. It’s usually the tip over the edge of the snowy cliff where I begin to flail uncontrollably down the mountain that is the last 3 months of the year. ANYWAY. I’m happy I made this my pick because it’s the perfect read for October. I know a lot of books are great for sitting on the couch with a blanket and a hot coffee, and a brisk cool breeze coming through the windows (it’s Florida, we had one or two cool breezes). But this one is PERFECT for it. It’s the mood you always wanted.
The one thing I was afraid of was it not living up to the hype I had in my head for it. I knew it could’ve very easily not been this epic thing that I was expecting it to be (I’m looking at YOU, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Geeze that’s a whole other post on its own. Woof.) But it wasn’t the case! Addie LaRue has an intriguing and mysterious story, and characters that you can’t wait to see what they do and how they interact next.
“Because time is cruel to all, and crueler still to artists. Because visions weakens, and voices wither, and talent fades…. Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end… everyone wants to be remembered”
There’s so much to talk about and so much to say but it’s hard to do so without spoiling anything. So keeping it simple, with only what you would read on the inside flap of the book: You’re following Addie through her long life, seeing her ups and downs and how she copes with being an immortal. That’s not all though.. Everyone she encounters or interacts with instantly forgets of her entire existence once they break line of sight with her. So it is not enough that she has to live forever, she has to do so alone. The story takes place in current day (2014), with a good portion of the book being flashbacks to her childhood (early 1700’s).
I want to talk detail, but I won’t! Instead, I’ll just say I wasn’t ready for the level of investment I had with these characters. I was rooting, I was booing, I was all over the place. Not only that, but the pacing and structure was so good, it was incredibly easy to see it all playing out like a movie or show. I do that a lot, but sometimes a book isn’t worth going through a casting process in your head, let alone scene by scene. But no, here, I could think back and play it out as if I just watched it on tv last week.
Also, go ahead and tell me you don’t have a casting process in your head when you’re reading a book. Say it. You and I both know you’d be lying.
I wasn’t planning on going this elaborate on these reviews. I’ve been much more self conscious when it comes to time reading and listening to things like videos and podcasts, so I try to aim for lengths I would appreciate. So whatever I create, I have been trying really hard to keep them very easy to consume. With that said, even though there’s more I want to say about this book, I’ll stop here. The longer I draw it out, the more difficult it is to stay spoiler free too, so it’s a good trade off. I will say though that in terms of page count, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was the thiccest book I read in 2023. Yet, I went through it like butter on a hot grate. It was such a great read that I’m so happy I was able to experience. Get it on your list and check it out if you haven’t already!
Buying info:
REMEMBER! Amazon links are affiliate links that will give me a small tiny kickback! If you are interested in signing up for an Audible membership or a Kindle Unlimited membership, please use these links as I will get an even larger tiny kickback! So thank you!
- Hardcover – Standard and Special Edition – The standard is, well, standard. But the special edition (which used to be exclusive to Target but is not anymore) has a few cool extras in the form of six bonus pieces of art, a letter from the author, and a ribbon bookmark! Always love those. The art would be worth it, I say. Because art is actually a substantial focus of the story. So I would go for the special edition if you were wanting one of these!
- Paperback
- Audiobook – If you’d like to sign up for an Audible Premium Plus Membership, or do a free trial if you haven’t yet, be sure to use my link right here! – The audiobook is how I read this. The narrator was great and delivered on Addie’s voice perfectly. If you’re an audiobook person, you won’t be disappointed. Note: This is not an Audible exclusive, so it should be available via your local library using the Libby app! (which I highly recommend despite whatever kickback I may get from an Amazon link) So if you don’t have a library card, wth are you doing?!
- Kindle ebook – If you’d like to sign up for Kindle Unlimited, be sure to use my link right here!
- Special Editions and covers – Blackwells (free shipping) and Waterstones also at Waterstones is The Illustrated Edition – Both Blackwells and Waterstones have the blue hardback cover that is UK exclusive. But Waterstones seems to be the only place you can still find the special Illustrated Edition! That’s the one I have, which is pictured above at the top of the post. It has everything the special edition hardcover has (ribbon bookmark, six art pieces, author letter), but also has a foiled naked hardcover, and stenciled edges! Check out my picture below to see what it looks like. If you are interested in buying a copy and care about such things, I would strongly suggest picking this up! I got mine from Book Depository for like $25, you know, before Amazon decided to shut down a good thing 😤. Now, if you’re crazy like me, you’re going to have to import it from the UK.
As mentioned in 2023: A Year of Reading, and Another Book Post about More Book Posts!, I was pretty busy last year with books. So I’m taking the time to catalog it now! I sat here for a bit trying to decide how to order …Read More….
Alright this is me, attempting to keep a proper blog this year. And much to my consistent ways of doing things, I am already getting ahead of myself by writing this post after I’ve already written the two that are coming after it. Yay, ADHD! …Read More….
You know me, I am all about my hobbies and interests. Call it whatever you want – passion to be cultured.. Devotion to a specific art medium… ADHD mixed with vigorously with OCD. Seriously, sometimes my brain is so shaken up it’s as if James Bond ordered a martini with it. Point is, it doesn’t matter how you slice it. When I’m into something, I’m INTO it. Full throttle, pedal to the metal, the only time I pump the brakes is weeks/months down the line. And it’s usually due to either not having anymore money to fund it, or my wife telling me I need to get myself under control because she doesn’t know how much more she could handle. I know I’m in over my head when it’s the latter bringing the former to my attention.
ANYWAY. Books are great, aren’t they?!
Look, it’s weird if you’re not into it, I understand. Yeah, everyone reads. But at the same time, no one reads. I get it. We met up with some friends before the holidays and I was asked what I’ve been into lately. There was a pause. Not dramatic or awkward or anything, but just long enough for me to have a little back and forth with myself. You know that back and forth. I’m sure you’ve been there. Debating that on one hand, knowing the answer would be weird and would require further explanation. But on the other hand, also knowing full well my infatuations with my current hobby of choice is justified and to many is not weird or looked down upon. So it would be totally ok for me to go with it because hell yeah, it’s awesome! I’m not here sneaking pictures of women’s feet for my personal use or anything (if that offends you, I’m sorry. Your business is your business, I’m not judging! Just don’t be a creeper, ok?).
“So what have you been into lately?”
“Books!”
Nope. Felt just as weird as I thought it would’ve came across.
I don’t know, I guess I just feel self-conscious about it. I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m not reading smut or anything. Ok, wait, back that up… I’m not only reading smut (again, if that offends you, I’m sorry. I’m not judging! Also, send me recs for my wife 😉). I’ve read some spicy things here and there, but that’s besides the point. What I’m saying is that as a man, it feels weird to come out saying I’ve been into reading and collecting pretty books. Maybe that’s just a personal hang up? I don’t know. My reasoning behind this is that there aren’t a lot of dudes in this scene. There’s a few! But 98% of my interactions and observations are women. Nothing wrong with it! I’m completely comfortable with that. But at times, I do feel as if everything is marketed and geared towards women, while I’m there feeling ashamed to say how freaking awesome some of these books are.
Ok ok ok, I got a little ahead of myself there. Let me be more clear with what I mean by books. I forget, just because you’re reading this doesn’t mean you follow me in what I’ve been up to.
2023 was a good year in hobbies for me. Well, hobby. It was one of the first few days of the new year when I told myself that I wanted to read more. I was about 2 months deep into discovering monthly book subscription boxes (woooo boy, what a mistake! That’s going to be another post), and remember how much I absolutely loved to buy and collected books, I realized I hadn’t really read anything in a long time. By that point, I had a few books under my belt. Already jumping the gun on wanting to fix my lack of reading. Then I got the Goodreads Yearly summary and that really cemented it for me.
Every. Single. Year. I make myself a goal for reading on Goodreads. And consistently, year after year, I ignored the ever loving hell out of that goal LOL. It was embarrassing! I never even tried to be honest. I just never made time to sit and read anything. I wanted to change that and really push myself to commit to 2023’s goal though. And to help me was a few things.
One, was being tired of gaming. At that point, for years it seems, I was just a collector of games rather than an actual gamer. I never took the time to play anything I bought. I was excited for stuff and always kept up and wanted to play – hence always buying things! But push came to shove, I never sat there to play anything longer than a few matches of Fortnite. I knew I needed something else. I knew I wanted to focus on something else entirely to freshen up my excitement and restart my dopamine drip.
Two, I also wanted to have something my kids can look at one day and be intrigued by. I have always been a gamer all my life. But thanks to the digital age, the only thing I really have to show for it now are my consoles and my weird obsession with buying Limited Edition controllers and accessories. 95% of my gaming collection is digital, aside from the physical Switch games that I try to purchase. But I wanted something else. Something that could inspire them and give them something to be amazed by once they matured enough to appreciate things. Having numerous bookshelves full of all sorts of books felt like a good way to do that. Correct, at the age they’re at now, they could not care less. But when they do care… Oh, the worlds and universes and characters they will have at their fingertips. I always had a book in my bag when I was growing up. I’m hoping the appreciation falls down the line.
The last thing to help propel me into this year of reading was my wife. She and I always agree that we love to read and we prefer the feel of a book in our hands over something on the tablet. She said she wanted to read more as well and I knew this was a hobby we could enjoy together. Knowing she preferred to have a book in her hands, I knew there was a better chance of her actually sitting there and enjoying something if she had more options at her disposal.
So I started a journey! Could I have found a cheaper way to go about it? ABSOLUTELY. Would it have been as eye catching or nearly as addicting? Probably not! But there I was. A whole year that I knew I wanted to dedicate to reading and books, and two awesome special edition book subscriptions to take advantage of. And OMG did I ever.
This has gotten longer than anticipated so I’ll cut it off here. Know, that I’m not done with this subject though! I’m going to come back with my top reads, and my book of the year! Maybe I’ll even dedicate a post to these monthly subscription boxes that I’m talking about and why they’re such a big deal. But..
Until then!
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 …Read More….
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, …Read More….
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
Contact The Talking Place
If you’d like to contact the show, say hi, all that jazz, you can do so below!
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!