Spotlight Sunday: Swag Bucks

So I thought that it would be fun to start a little weekly event called “Spotlight Sunday” where I feature something that I come across and I think that EVERYONE should know about, something that I think is under-appreciated, something that I find interesting, or something along those lines. And now you also can participate in my weekly "Spotlight Sunday" by grabbing my button!

<a href="http://averysbooknook.blogspot.com/"<br>target="_blank"><br><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsW_IuFz81PkSTQMr77MxXMujLEYU4sm_NjMK3ChmcFQ8uWvjVRCaKVner_UlLrs1yElwbKPH6kvs7fhy_rG0OoTY8hx10KJCohTp6GSEfw2GQICU7pyIcdapkIwz0B0ELKYf-BGrXwV0/s1600/spotlight+sunday.jpg" <br>alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

Okay, so I have to tell y'all about something cool I discovered about a few months ago.  Swag Bucks (and no worries, I am no way affiliated with Swag Bucks ;) ). I just think that this is something that not a lot of people are aware of and they totally should be!

So here is how Swag Bucks work (the simplified version), it is a site where  you can earn points by using its search engine tool, when you use this you have the chance of winning points (usually I win between 7-12 points from using this tool, but in some cases you can win upwards of 50 points and on Fridays is Mega Swag Bucks Day and you can win up to 1000 points from one search! Super simple!).

You can also participate in the daily poll on the website, initially you will receive 1 point for doing this, but as your time as a member grows, so will your awarded point value (I now receive 2 points for doing this and I have only been a member for about two months).

You can also win points by participating in "Trusted Surveys", this function can award major points (upwards of 150 points), but a downfall is it can take a lot of time (40 minutes) and sometimes it is hard to actually qualify to participate in a survey (Swag Bucks always tells you what the chances are that you will be able to participate in a survey (ie. 60% or 3%)- don't let this get you down though! I totally participated in a survey the other day that I only had a 3% chance of qualifying for and I ended up with 150 points in the end... Score! Oh, and I should mention, just by vising the "Trusted Survey" page you are awarded points.

And now the fun part... The points! So it doesn't take very long at all for those points to add up and once they do! Well, let me tell ya... You can get lots of cool free stuff (and this is legitimate, I swear, I have been awarded 3 prizes already. No one asks for your credit card number, they ACTUALLY do send you the prize, you don't get tons of random spam in your inbox and whatnot). For instance, if you live in the States you can get a necklace, school supplies, and whatnot. Seeing as I am Canadian I am only able to get gift cards, but heck, that is a-okay with me!

So you may be wondering, what does this have to do with books? Well, using my points I have been buying myself Amazon.ca $5.00 gift cards for 450 points (you can also get gift cards to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk using this method). $5.00 may not seem like very much if you think about it, new hardcover releases that are typically $20.00 at a bookstore are $15.00ish on Amazon, add a free $5.00 gift card to that and you are getting the book for half price, only $10.00 (and who doesn't love a good deal?)!

Now, they do carry $50 Amazon gift cards for 5,900 points, but why would you buy one of those for that price when you can buy 10 $5 cards for 4,500 points? See! Saving on book purchases and saving on points!  ;)

And if you buy as many books as I do you know that it can quickly add up ($1000 Amazon bill... Oops! ;) ), so this is a really great way to save money. Best of all, it's free to join, its for realsies, and it is super easy to use! I def. think that everyone should take advantage of this!

If you want to try out Swag Bucks click HERE! 

PS. Don't forget to check out MY FANTABULOUS FIRST GIVEAWAY!  

Spotlight Sunday: Aprilynne Pike

So I thought that it would be fun to start a little weekly event called “Spotlight Sunday” where I feature something that I come across and I think that EVERYONE should know about, something that I think is under-appreciated, something that I find interesting, or something along those lines. And now you also can participate in my weekly "Spotlight Sunday" by grabbing my button!

<a href="http://averysbooknook.blogspot.com/"<br>target="_blank"><br><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsW_IuFz81PkSTQMr77MxXMujLEYU4sm_NjMK3ChmcFQ8uWvjVRCaKVner_UlLrs1yElwbKPH6kvs7fhy_rG0OoTY8hx10KJCohTp6GSEfw2GQICU7pyIcdapkIwz0B0ELKYf-BGrXwV0/s1600/spotlight+sunday.jpg" <br>alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

This week I have decided to shine a spotlight on author Aprilynne Pike!

 

The other day when I blogged about the soon-to-be-released book in Aprilynne's "Wings" series, "Illusions", I noticed that there were a few comments that people had yet to read the series, and as I think that it is such a great series (that everyone should read), I thought that I would let people know exactly what the whole dealio is. 

"Wings" is the first book in the series, followed by "Spells" and the aforementioned "Illusions". Here are just short little summaries of each of the books:


 From Amazon: "Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words. 

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings. 

Laurel's life is the very definition of normal . . . until the morning when she wakes up to discover a flower blooming from her back. As it turns out, nothing in Laurel's life is what it seems. Now, with the help of an alluring faerie sentry who holds the key to her true past, Laurel must race to save her human family from the centuries-old faerie enemies who walk among them."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Amazon: ""I can't just storm in and proclaim my intentions. I can't ‘steal' you away. I just have to wait and hope that, someday, you'll ask," Tamani said.

"And if I don't?" Laurel said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Then I guess I'll be waiting forever."

Although Laurel has come to accept her true identity as a faerie, she refuses to turn her back on her human life—and especially her boyfriend, David—to return to the faerie world.
But when she is summoned to Avalon, Laurel's feelings for the charismatic faerie sentry Tamani are undeniable. She is forced to make a choice—a choice that could break her heart." 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Aprilynne's website: "Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I love about this series is that it is quite a different take on  faeries. Instead of being humanoid's, they are actually all living breathing plants that can walk and whatnot (seriously, it may sound weird, but it isn't). Because they are plants their wings are not like typical butterfly-ish wings, but they are actually large blooms (like the covers of "Spells" and "Illusions" I suppose). Furthermore, depending on what they eat, their hair can change colour (lots of green= green roots)... I kinda based my little Fairy/Elf doll heads off of this idea.

What I also really like is the storyline in general... In this story, age much faster than humans, and when Laurel looked like a 2 or 3 year old human, she was actually a 7ish year old fairy. Laurel is shocked when she finds out that she is a fairy hidden within the human world (her parents opened their door one day and found Laurel at age 2 or 3 trying to climb out of the basket that she was placed within, they then brought her in as their own)... Because of the age differences between humans and faeries, she learns that she is not a fifteen year old human girl but an almost twenty year old faerie. Furthermore, she learns that it was her choice to be placed within the human world ( faeries are educated at a very young age, they have an adult intelligence at 7 or so years of age), so when she was a 7 year old faerie (3 year old human), in order to help her people she chose to be placed within the human world and have all of her faerie memories erased. One of the memories that she has erased is of Tamani, her best friend who is in love with her. When she does come to terms with her past, Tamani is ecstatic because he believes that they can finally be together, however, Laurel has a human boyfriend David that is she unwilling to give up (I think that she is being a booger and needs to drop David ASAP). Does that make sense? Hope so! Anyways, it is a super unique take on the whole genre of faeries and unlike anything I have ever seen/ read before- so therefore, it is awesome!

One downside, in my opinion, is that the characters are 15 (well, as I mentioned Laurel is technically older than that, but as she has been raised as a fifteen year old human it is the age/ way she knows how to act)! Does anyone else out there ever feel weird about reading love stories about 15 year olds?!? I mean I wasn't 15 all that long ago, only like what(?) 5 years ago... But I sometimes just feel a bit uncomfortable reading about them and their little love lives.

Also, a little side note... The movie rights to this book were purchased by Disney. There has been discussion of Miley Cyrus playing Laurel (not going to lie, I hope that she doesn't, I think that someone like Evanna Lynch who plays Luna Lovegood in the "Harry Potter" movies would be much better).

Anyways, if you have yet to read this series, shame on you! ;) I swear it is really good and that the majority of you will really like (if not love) it!

PS. Don't forget to check out MY FANTABULOUS FIRST GIVEAWAY! 

Spotlight Sunday: The Buried Life TV series

So I thought that it would be fun to start a little weekly event called “Spotlight Sunday” where I feature something that I come across and I think that EVERYONE should know about, something that I think is under-appreciated, something that I find interesting, or something along those lines. And now you also can participate in my weekly "Spotlight Sunday" by grabbing my button!

<a href="http://averysbooknook.blogspot.com/"<br>target="_blank"><br><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsW_IuFz81PkSTQMr77MxXMujLEYU4sm_NjMK3ChmcFQ8uWvjVRCaKVner_UlLrs1yElwbKPH6kvs7fhy_rG0OoTY8hx10KJCohTp6GSEfw2GQICU7pyIcdapkIwz0B0ELKYf-BGrXwV0/s1600/spotlight+sunday.jpg" <br>alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

This week's feature? The fantabulous "Buried Life" over on MTV! 

This show follows 4 friends as they try to cross off everything on their list of "100 Things to Do Before You Die" (some of the items that are included on their list were, "ask out the girl of your dreams"> Duncan and the gang ended up sneaking into the Country Music Awards and he was able to ask Taylor Swift out, another one was "streak and get away with it"> unfortunately they were not able to get away with this because they were arrested, but they were able to cross off something else on their list, "spend a night in jail")...

After completing one of the items on their list they then help someone else cross off something on their list (for instance, one homeless man living in the sewer system of California hadn't seen his daughter in over a decade and the boys took him to see her, in another case a young teenage girl who suffered from depression wanted to educate her community on mental health issues, the boys helped her hold a big event that raised a lot of awareness and they then presented her with a scholarship to her dream college as she was unable to afford to attend it).

Its real/ unscripted and for that totally amazing- this ain't no Jersey Shore folks. I love this show for so many reasons: 1) it is so heartwarming 2) it is really funny without ever losing its serious undetone 3) the boys (I love you Jonnie and Duncan) and lastly, 4) it is so original and I have never seen anything like it.

This show makes me wonder... What would I put on my "100 Things to Do Before I Die" list? Well aside from the typical, fall in love, get married, get my Ph.d and things like that, I have a kinda hard time thinking about what else I would include on it... But here is my attempt (at a short list, I don't have time to make a list of 100 items ;) ). Oh yes, and in no particular order...

1) Write a book
2) Work at a zoo
3) Raise an baby animal (it seems like it has been forever since I have had kittens to raise, I wants some more!)
4) Go to an author signing/ meet my favourite author
5) Go to Comic-Con
6) Go back to Florence, Italy and actually eat Italian food this time (ie. no McDonalds)
7) Work at a bookstore
8) Participate in an archaeological dig over the summer
9) See guinea pigs or hamsters running around in their natural environment (seriously, have you ever thought of this? Like we see mice running around here in North America and don't think anything of it, imagine going to Peru or Asia and seeing guinea pigs and mice running around! I think it would be cool)
10) Discover Atlantis

What would you put on your list?



If you decide to participate in Spotlight Sunday and write about pretty much anything you want, comment on this post with your link!

PS. Don't forget to enter MY FIRST FANTABULOUS GIVEAWAY! I only need 6 more followers until I hit 100 and I will biggasize the prize once again! 

Spotlight Sunday: The Vampire Diaries TV Series

So I thought that it would be fun to start a little weekly event called “Spotlight Sunday” where I feature something that I come across and I think that EVERYONE should know about, something that I think is under-appreciated, something that I find interesting, or something along those lines. And now you also can participate in my weekly "Spotlight Sunday" by grabbing my button!

<a href="http://averysbooknook.blogspot.com/"<br>target="_blank"><br><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsW_IuFz81PkSTQMr77MxXMujLEYU4sm_NjMK3ChmcFQ8uWvjVRCaKVner_UlLrs1yElwbKPH6kvs7fhy_rG0OoTY8hx10KJCohTp6GSEfw2GQICU7pyIcdapkIwz0B0ELKYf-BGrXwV0/s1600/spotlight+sunday.jpg" <br>alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

 


Okay, so I just thought that I would start off this week's "Sunday Spotlight" with a little video which YOU MUST WATCH if you have never watched "The Vampire Diaries" before. Or heck, even if you have, rewatch it in all of its amazingness!



I know I may sound crazy saying this, but "The Vampire Diaries" book series is one of the worst book series ever in my opinion. I read the first book in the series way back when, when I was in grade ten maybe (?) and I thought it was pretty terrible, but I always like to finish series, so I continued on with it. And I found that it just kept getting worse and worse. Last year when the television adaptation of the series came out I fell head over heels in love with it. If you had watched some of the first episodes of the series and thought that it was a typical mindless teen drama and stopped watching it, shame on you! This show keeps getting better and better with every episode- especially now in the second season. So this summer I decided to reread the series, you know, give it another chance because a) it had been quite a few years since I had last read the books and b) maybe the TV show would have changed the way I looked at the books. But alas... NOPE! I barely, barely, made it through the first book (seriously, I dreaded every moment of reading it).

It's just so gosh darn weird why I can't get into the books... What I have come to the conclusion of is that the "Twilight" book series is much better than "The Vampire Diaries" book series, but "The Vampire Diaries" TV show is a gazillion times better than the "Twilight" movies.

So you may be wondering what is so great about the show... Well first off, the plot line. Everything in it is so interwoven and relates back to previous or future episodes. This isn't the type of show where they just through in a bunch of random stuff to fill up an hour long time space, everything is so meticulously thought out and well planned.

Second? The characters. In the beginning I was a total Team Stefan member, I just thought that he was so gosh darn good-looking and that Elena was totally lucky, however, towards the end of the first season and this season I have totally done a 180 and I am a full blown Team Damon member. Like yeah, Stefan is good-looking, sweet and not a psychopath (and you know, those are always good characteristics to find in a man), but Damon? He is also good-looking, a total psychopath/ ultimate bad boy (dare I say he outshine Jace in the bad boy category? Blasphemy, I know! And he is so much like Clay- from Kelley Armstrong's series- in being a lovable psychopath), and when he is a sweet guy (which isn't often), he is a really, really sweet guy (see the video clip at the end of this post- but beware, it does contain spoilers from this past Thursday's episode- November 4th). And also, the other characters are really amazing/ greatly developed, like Caroline (the low self-esteem/ bitchy/ slightly paranoid friend), Alaric (the rugged teacher/ bad-ass vampire hunter/ overall sweet guy), Jeremy (the but-I-have-to-be-involved-in-everything-you-are-doing-like-little-brothers-are-supposed-to-do little brother/ the [probable] future bad-ass vampire hunter/ cute [former] emo-boy), Katherine (the jealous ex/ most bad-ass vampire/ is not afraid to kill anyone standing between her and her being with Stefan once again) and Bonnie (the best friend/ developing-in-powers-witch/ with a grudge against all things vampire).

Third? All of the fantabulous magicky aspects of it! Vampire? Yes please! Witches? Don't mind if I do! And now... Werewolves? Uh huh! And wait...! "The Originals", bad-ass vampires who made every other living vampire?!?

I must admit, I think that this may just be my most favourite TV series ever. I mean, I love "Supernatural", "The OC", "Veronica Mars", "Gossip Girl", "Grey's Anatomy" and shows along those lines... But "The Vampire Diaries"? I am seriously super excited/ looking forward to every Thursday just so I can watch this show... Heck, if I miss an episode of "Grey's", it isn't the end of the world, I can deal... But if I miss an episode of "VD"? I have to watch it ASAP (and let's be honest, I have been watching every single episode 2-3 times the week it is aired [thank you CTV.ca], plus I rerererewatch it on the DVD box set).

So if you do not watch the show because a) you read the books and thought that they were terrible, then have no fear! The show is nothing like the books, because mainly, it is actually good! I was one of those people who dreaded the books and look at me now! This show practically defines my life (or at least makes me super excited for every Thursday)! b) you roll your eyes thinking that it is either just like "Twilight" or a rip-off of "Twilight"- let me tell you, this show is nothing like the "Twilight", for one, it is really good (and does not contain any cheesy "climb on spider-monkey" lines), and secondly, this book series was out in the early 1990s! At least a whole decade before Stephanie Meyer had ever had a dream of sparkly vampires sitting in a meadow. c) you have too many other shows to watch on Thursday (its understandable, there is "Grey's", "Private Practice" and now "Nikita")- who cares! Drop any one of those and I am sure that you will find this show to be a gazillion times better. 

And now? I present you with maybe the best moment of the entire series [remember this is from the November 4th episode- so if you haven't watched it yet and don't want it to be spoiled, go no further!]...

(I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DAMON!)... Did you see his little tear? No worries! Elena will eventually come to her senses and drop your emotional brother, realizing that you are the one she is meant to be with forevs! (and might I add that I was also bawling at this point too)



If you decide to participate in this weeks "Spotlight Sunday", link your post below in the comments!

PS. Don't forget to check out MY FANTABULOUS FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!

Spotlight Sunday: Rachel Hawthorne

So I thought that it would be fun to start a little weekly event called “Spotlight Sunday” where I feature something that I come across and I think that others should know about, something that I think is under-appreciated, something that I find interesting, or something along those lines.

And what have I decided to feature on my first Spotlight Sunday (be prepared- by next week I will have a button so that you can participate too)? Author Rachel Hawthorne of course! In high school I used to always read her books like “The Boyfriend League”, “Caribbean Cruising”, “Snowed In”, “Thrill Ride” and whatnot.  They were just really fun little YA romantic comedies to read and you know what, I really did like them a lot (I didn’t find them to be too mindless and whatnot) and I would consider purchasing some of them.

Anyways, last year (?) or the year before that I became aware that Rachel was writing a series about werewolves (you know the time, when “Twilight” first started exploding and a gazillion vampire and werewolves stories came out) and I was really excited, because let’s face it, I don’t think that there can ever be too much vampire or werewolf stories (I know, I am slightly crazy)... Anyways, I quickly went out and nabbed the first book in her new series from my library and read it within a couple of hours, and let me tell you, I was hooked. I remember that my little sister was gone to the city for the day and I knew that my library didn’t have any of the other books in the series yet, so I made my sister go to the bookstore and get every book in the series for me. Maybe one of my best book purchasing decisions ever ;).  

So you may be wondering why I am featuring Rachel Hawthorne? Well a) I love her books and b) I don’t know if all that many people are aware of a great werewolf series that they are missing out on. They are really short and simple reads (but not in a childish way- well, at least I don’t think so, but then again I am a sufferer of Peter Pan syndrome and will therefore always be a child at heart... But I think that a thirty year old would love them just as much as a thirteen year old might).

And now? To the books of course! May I present... Rachel Hawthorne’s “Dark Guardian” novels!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Moonlight (Book 1)- this is my second favourite book in the series  

“Kayla is a nature lover, the all-American beauty who can’t understand why she is so drawn to distant, brooding Lucas. Adopted as a young child, she has no way of knowing that she’s inherited a terrifying- and thrilling- gene that will change her life forever.

Lucas is dangerous, gorgeous... and a werewolf. As leader of the Dark Guardians, shape-shifters who gather deep within the state park, he has sworn to protect his pack. But when Lucas finds his true soul mate, his love could put them all in harm’s way.

As Lucas and Kayla struggle with their feelings for each other, a greater danger lurks: Humans have discovered the Dark Guardians and are planning their destruction. Kayla must choose between the life she knows and the love she feels is her destiny.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Full Moon (Book 2)- this is tied as my third favourite book in the series

“Lindsey is wild and reckless, a natural rebel- maybe because her entire life was laid out for her even before she was born. Her parents are among the most powerful members of the Dark Guardians, an ancient tribe of werewolves, and they arranged Lindsey’s betrothal to Connor long ago. The next full moon is coming all too soon, and then her commitment to Connor will be final- no turning back. She should be happy... so why can’t she stop thinking about gorgeous, brooding Rafe?

When a dangerous threat on the pack escalates, so do tensions between Connor and Rafe. A fight over Lindsey is imminent, but will it be to the death?”  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

 

"Dark of the Moon" (Book 3)- this is tied as my third favourite book in the series 

"Brittany is determined to prove herself to the Dark Guardians. And yet she's been keeping a devestating secret: she hasn't experienced any of the intense, early signs of change that mark a Dark Guardian's tranformation. The only intense feelings she has are for Connor- and she's kept that a secret too. But she knows that she'll never truly have Connor's love if she's not a Shifter like him.

At the first full moon after her birthday, her greatest fear is realized: She doesn't transform. Brittany is so desperate to become a wolf that she'll go to extremes she never thought possible... and put all the Dark Guardians in incredible danger." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Shadow of the Moon" (Book 4)- this is my favourite book in the series 

"Hayden was born a werewolf, a Dark Guardian. But her ability to sense the feelings of fellow werewolves has made her life unbearable. She runs away, only to be tracked by charming, mysterious Daniel, a newcomer to the pack and the one Shifter immune to her powers. As she reluctantly follows him home, Hayden finds herself falling dangerously in love... 

But even as her feelings for Daniel deepen, Hayden begins to wonder if he is who he claims to be. Where did he come from and why has no one ever seen him transform? When they stumble upon the body of a Shifter still in wolf form, her worries grow. Someone is killing her kind. Is her handsome tracker really a hunter? And is Hayden now his prey?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

So I really think that this is a series that is worth checking out! 


So lookie! I made a blog button that you can grab and join in the Sunday fun!

<a href="http://averysbooknook.blogspot.com/"<br>target="_blank"><br><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsW_IuFz81PkSTQMr77MxXMujLEYU4sm_NjMK3ChmcFQ8uWvjVRCaKVner_UlLrs1yElwbKPH6kvs7fhy_rG0OoTY8hx10KJCohTp6GSEfw2GQICU7pyIcdapkIwz0B0ELKYf-BGrXwV0/s1600/spotlight+sunday.jpg" <br>alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

PS. Don't forget about my SUPER FANTABULOUS FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY for your chance to win!