Book vs. Movie: The Old Guard

Hello book nerds!

Oh my. It’s been a while since I posted my first book vs. movie post! Well, in my defense, the last couple of months has been a whirlwind. But I’m here now, taking a break from rigorous reading, and finally writing this blog post!

Let me begin by saying this entry is a very special one. It’s special because I LOVED the movie. By “loved” I mean, “I got too invested and watched it more than five times AND I still think about it until now.” Yep. That’s exactly what I mean. And if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you would know I’m not joking. (Because I’m really not, I swear this movie got me HOOKED.)

Our subject is The Old Guard. The graphic novel is written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Leandro Fernández, while the Netflix adaptation is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

You might have heard of this already. It was a hit (and received many praises) when it was released this July 2020 on Netflix! I went in and watched the movie without knowing a lot about it, and then I came back a different person. I mean? Queer immortal warriors?? With found family trope, great action scenes, poignant themes, and a fun soundtrack?!? HELL YES. It’s everything I never knew I needed. I also adored it so much that I listed down seven reasons why you should watch The Old Guard. (Loved writing this one!) I also loved it so much that I hosted Netflix parties to watch it with some friends over at bookstagram! (That was really fun!)

Anyway, after partially getting over the movie (I say partially because I’m pretty sure will never get over it), I read the graphic novel! And of course, I just had to compare the two afterwards.

5 Things To Do When Reading Starts to Feel Like A Chore

No matter how much we love reading and/or blogging about books, we’re bound to feel the pressure of it one way or another, sooner or later.

I learned this the hard way back in August and September. I read more than 20 books those months (when I usually just read 5-7 books a month), just so I could keep up with my e-ARCs and blog tours and other various releases. It was fun, that much I can say. However, I could also feel myself so close to burning out (especially because I work graveyard shift) and just feeling like reading is a chore. It was somehow taking a toll on my mental health, too, and I hated that. As a book lover, and as someone who has relied on books for escapism and joy and peace, I hated feeling as if reading was a chore.

So after August and September, I decided I needed to do something to stop. I needed to break the cycle and get back to my happy place. Now, here I am sharing a few tips with you!

Here are five things to do when reading a book is starting to feel like a chore:

Interview: Sophie Gonzales, Author of Only Mostly Devastated

Hello book nerds. I’m back with a new author interview, and I’m very excited to be sharing this particular one today!

I read Only Mostly Devastated a few months back and admired it so much. And with the author’s announcements of her next books for 2021, I wanted to take the chance and chat with her!

Fortunately, Sophie had the time to answer a few questions for all of us nerds! We talked about her latest book, Only Mostly Devastated, bi representation in the media, her upcoming 2021 books, and more.

Rainbow Crate Unboxing: Paranormal Paramours September 2020

Hello book nerds! Seems like it’s been a while since my last unboxing post here, huh?

I tried not to avail book boxes because of a lot of recent shipping delays, plus life has been hectic these last few months that I wasn’t able to show the few ones that I received. But now I’m back with a new unboxing and it’s a special one! It’s my first ever rep box from Rainbow Crate!

Rainbow Crate is a new subscription box, focusing on queer books! Yes, queer books! How awesome is that? I loved their concept the minute I heard about them. I’ve been a subscriber since July, but then I made it to the rep team. I was so excited!

So here I am, about to show you the September box! Here are the contents!

Rainbow Crate September 2020 “Paranormal Paramours”

🌈 Gideon the Ninth glass tumbler
🌈 Timekeeper enamel pin
🌈 Our Bloody Pearl pillowcase
🌈 Monthly Collectible – Ox and Joe from TJ Klune’s Wolfsong
🌈 Featured e-book – The Key of Arcandus by Lauren Sefehik
🌈 Featured book – Cemetery Boys by @aidenschmaiden
🌈 with signed book plates and the secret book item: a metal bookmark resembling Yadriel’s portaje
✨ Spoiler card art print by @ace_artemis_fanartist
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We’ve got several awesome items here, but that Gideon the Ninth tumbler is so cool, it’s probably my favorite! And of course, I’m so happy to see Cemetery Boys as the featured book! It’s one of my favorite reads this year and it’s the perfect Halloween read! (See my review here!) Apart from the hardcover book, Rainbow Crate also has a featured e-book we can enjoy!
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I couldn’t have been more proud and happier about this box! It was so good! How about you? What item caught your eye?

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Rainbow Crate “Self-love O’clock” now on sale!

Don’t miss out the November box! The featured book has To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before vibes, but make it gay and super body-positive! Fandom items include Autoboyography, I’ll Be The One, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the featured book, and more!

Pro-tip: You can DM me on any of my social accounts for a discount code you can use!

Learn more here!

ARC Review: Master of One // A YA queer fantasy packed with action and yearning

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Title: Master of One
Author: Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
Genre/s and tags: Young Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Heists/Adventure, LGBTQ+
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: November 10, 2020
Content warnings: Violence, murder/mentions of murder, torture, manipulation
Goodreads synopsis: 

Sinister sorcery. Gallows humor. A queer romance so glorious it could be right out of fae legend itself. Master of One is a fantasy unlike any other.

Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into noble’s coffers, picked soldier’s pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer.

But Rags could never have guessed this “relic” would actually be a fae himself—a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things just get stranger from there…

With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other.

I received an e-arc via Edelweiss in exchange for honest review.
Thank you so much to one of the authors!

Listen, Master of One is one of my most anticipated reads for 2020! So when one of the authors said they’ll send me an e-arc, I almost cried. I was so excited for this book! I mean, heists, faes, plus queer romance?! It caught my attention indeed.

Filled with action, yearning, and a dark and intriguing plot, Master of One will surely leave you wanting for more.