Last Chance to Enter the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway!

Time's almost up to get your entries in for the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway! Entries are still relatively low, so there's a great chance of you winning one of the three prize packs! I've also got extra prizes for Facebook Likers and Twitter followers, so you have a huge chance of coming away with a prize! Head over to the kickoff post and enter right now! Form comes down at midnight tonight (Pacific time), so the clock is ticking!

A Letter of Appreciation

Dear Things Liz Loves followers,

I want to express my dearest thanks for all your support of the blog up to this point. Your help spreading the word about us has helped this blog grow more quickly than I could have expected. I appreciate your loyal readership and hope that you will continue to support the blog in the future.

There are some personally catastrophic things going on right now, and it is unfortunate that this blog will have to suffer because of that. Unfortunately, the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway will be the last Things Liz Loves giveaway for a while. I've recently become a single mother, and I just don't have the money to foot the bill on any contests for a while. I will continue to do my best to do regular posts and reviews, and any publisher sponsored giveaways will happen, but personally sponsored giveaways will be on hold for the time being.

I hope that you all will be understanding and bear with me through this difficult time. I can't tell you how much it would mean to me to still have my blog friends to count on. Thank you for helping make Things Liz Loves what it is.

Liz

Thursday's Picks (20)

Welcome back to Thursday's Picks! I'm going to give you the low-down on what to watch out for in movies, books and DVDs in the next week. I want to know what you guys are looking forward to! Leave me a comment or make your own Thursday's Picks post!

Also, don't forget to enter the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway! There's only 4 days left to enter!

This Week on Thursday's Picks: Drive Angry, Love and Other Drugs, and Demonglass

Time Travel Tuesday: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy fans, unite! I know at least half of you bloggy buddies were fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seems like a kind of prerequisite for book lovers to be into Buffy. Even the old school, camp-fest Kristy Swanson movie brings back fond memories.

First, we'll talk about the movie that started it all. The film was written by the always amazing Joss Whedon and starred Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer and Paul Ruebens (aka Peewee Herman), with a supporting cast that included Hilary Swank, David Arquette and cameos from Ben Affleck and Ricky Lake. I loved this movie when I was a kid. I thought it was so cool that an airhead, self-centered shopaholic cheerleader could grow the eff up and handle herself against an army of the undead. The movie was made back when Luke Perry was super hot, so that was a bonus. I really got a kick out of the scenes with Paul Ruebens. He was hilarious throughout the film, especially at the end. This movie was on heavy rotation when I was a kid, and I still make it a point to watch it anytime I catch it on TV. One of my favorite lines from the film: "Grueller, it's me! Buffy! Remember? At my birthday party? You drank all the blueberry schnapps and luged on my mom?" Below, you'll find the old school trailer, complete with Luke Perry voice over narrative, and the epic Paul Ruebens death scene. It's great stuff.

Paul Ruebens gets staked and dies....

...and comes back to die some more after the credits.


Next up is the TV series, also written by Joss Whedon. I've seen every episode of this series at least twice. The beginnings were humble and packed with era-dating goodness, but the show grew into something that no one could expect. The series was EPIC. They pulled off a musical episode without losing any of their edge. It kicked off the successful careers of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan and David Boreanaz. It had reoccurring appearances from Seth Green, Nathan Fillion and Eliza Dushku. There were epic battles with humongous forces of evil, and Buffy and her friends handled it year after year. They destroyed the portal to Hell, for crap's sake! And don't get me started on the eye candy. I, to this day, nurse a serious crush on James Marsters as Spike. What can I say, I like my men tall, thin and inherently evil. This show is so great that I still hit up some episodes on Netflix. It's a shame that it had to come to an end. There's talk of a new Buffy movie, but I hear Joss Whedon will not be a part of it. I don't know if I can say I'm excited to see a Buffy movie with no Joss. He made the movie and show what it is. Although, if they pull off a series cast reunion for the movie, I might throw caution to the wind and see it anyway.

The best fanmade Buffy season one trailer ever made.

It could be bunnies! From the musical episode, Once More With Feeling.

A montage of Spike getting the crap kicked out of him.

Smoking is a disgusting habit, but that doesn't make this video any less hot.


Get your Buffy fix by picking up the movie and series DVDs from the Things Liz Loves Amazon Store below.

Swagbucks Birthday Celebration = BONUS Swagbucks for YOU!

As you all know, I'm an avid Swagbucker. I visit the site nearly every day to collect Swagbucks and earn prizes. I recently scooped up a $5 Amazon Gift Card, which I'm using to supply prizes to my beloved followers in the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway. Swagbucks is already paying you guys! As an easy option for extra entries, I put signing up for a free Swagbucks account on the entry form. Now Swagbucks is sweetening the deal.

Swagbucks (the best place on the web for free stuff) is turning 3, and the celebration they have planned for the 28th is going to be HUGE! It'll feature a bunch of Swag Codes, a new look and feel for the Swagbucks Blog and the launch of two new features, one of which will redefine the way you use their search function. You definitely won't want to miss it, so be sure that you're on the site bright and early the morning of the 28th for your chance to earn big and be a part of the biggest birthday celebration on the web! Swagbucks.com is a site where you can earn 1,000s of free products for doing the things you do every day. Whether it's searching the web, watching videos, playing games, shopping or more, Swagbucks has a way for you to be rewarded with free stuff. No strings. No gimmicks.

So I recommend checking out Swagbucks this week. You can even use the code "3rdBirthday102" to get a free 50 Swagbucks just for signing up! The code is only good for this week, so head over ASAP to get your free Swagbucks. Don't forget to put your Swagbucks username on the form for the Valentine Giveaway to get your extra entries! Just follow this link and put in the code before Saturday. Hope you guys win tons of free stuff!

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen
Written by Lauren Kate
Release Date: December 8, 2009
Published by Random House
NOT a publisher requested review

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Summary (courtesy of Barnes and Noble):

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce—and goes out of his way to make that very clear—she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

A decent offering that had sparks of wit and potential for excitement, but otherwise left me unfulfilled. Full review after the jump. WARNING: SPOILERS!

Thursday's Picks (19)

Happy Thursday, Blog Friends! I hope the week has been treating you well! I also hope you've been shamelessly promoting the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway, because I REALLY want to add a fourth prize pack to the mix at 200 followers! So now we're back for Thursday's Picks, the weekly feature where I tell you the best upcoming books, movies and DVDs coming out in the next week. This week's are a special treat for me, so get ready for some awesome sauce! You can tell me all about your Thursday Picks as well...I actually love it! Leave me a comment or make your own post!

This Week on Thursday's Picks: I Am Number Four, Get Low and Darkest Mercy

Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway Kickoff

Happy Valentine's Day, my lovely blog buddies! It's officially time to kick off the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway! Here are all the details!

This contest is open from now until midnight (PST) on February 28th, with winners being announced March 1st. Up for grabs are 3 prize packs at the blog and a mini-prize on the Facebook page and Twitter page. Here's the prizes:

Prize Pack One: The Greyfriar

This pack comes with an ARC of The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffiths (review here), a few pieces of autographed swag (signed by April Lindner and Flynn Meaney) and a Never Lose Your Bookmark from Things Liz Makes.



Prize Pack Two: Jane

This pack includes an AUTOGRAPHED ARC of Jane by April Lindner (review here), some autographed swag signed by April Lindner and Flynn Meaney, and a Never Lose Your Bookmark from Things Liz Makes.



Prize Pack Three: Pick Your Fix
This pack includes YOUR CHOICE of any of the books available on the list below, autographed swag and a Never Lose Your Bookmark from Things Liz Makes. I'll ask you which book you want when you win.
Books Available:
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall
Need by Carrie Jones
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 2
Prom Nights from Hell compilation featuring Stephenie Meyer
Vampire Kisses: The Beginning by Ellen Schreiber
Blacklisted by Gena Showalter
Vacations from Hell compilation featuring Cassandra Clare

Facebook Likers and Twitter Followers are eligible for a random drawing where they could win their choice of signed swag from April Lindner or Flynn Meaney.

If we break 200 followers, I'll add another winner for a swag pack and a surprise ARC!

Want to increase your chances of winning? There are plenty of ways! Extra entries are available for being an email subscriber to the blog, liking the Facebook page, following me on Twitter and adding me on Goodreads. You qualify for extra entries for spreading the word as well. Write a blog post or link to this page on your blog's Contest page using the banner I made, post a contest button in your sidebar (available on the Contests page) or tweet about the contest (once every 48 hours, of course). Use the sample tweet below to make it easier to track your entries.

I want to win the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway on Things Liz Loves! http://bit.ly/b9ML0k @mizzlizzbeck

You can also get TONS of extra entries for signing up for Swagbucks using this link, or making a ChunkyBling, Things Liz Makes or TLL Amazon Store purchase using the buttons below. Just leave a link to your online receipt on the form or forward the email receipt to me. Note: if you sign up for Swagbucks, you get 35 Swagbucks to start with, so you're well on your way to some free stuff! And it's FREE to sign up!









Just fill out the form below to enter. Note: You must be a follower or email subscriber to this blog (it is a follower love giveaway, after all), at least 13 years or older and have a US shipping address for the main contest. International followers are eligible for the Twitter and Facebook giveaways. I wish the whole thing could be open internationally, but money is tight at the moment. Please forgive me, international followers! I'll have a gift card contest for you guys soon. If you don't see the form below, you can find it here.

The Big Valentine Contest is Almost Here!

I hope you guys are ready, because it's almost time for the Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway! I'm ready to give out a bunch of killer prizes! We're talking autographed swag, ARCs galore, Things Liz Makes goodies and more! We will have 3 winners here on the blog, and a mini-winner on the Things Liz Loves Facebook page and Twitter. There's going to be TONS of ways to get extra entries for the main prizes, so it will be a real battle! I can't wait for it all to go down! Go ahead and grab a banner or sidebar button on the Contests page, because those are extra entries waiting to happen! The contest officially begins on Monday and will run till the end of February. Mark your freaking calendars, because it's going DOWN!

Thursday's Picks (18)

Hello again, bloggy buddies! Sorry for the lateness of today's post, and for totally bailing on Time Travel Tuesday again. If you knew how crazy this week has been, you would understand, so take my word for it. Anyway, it's Thursday again, so it's time for Thursday's Picks. Below you'll find the skinny on my recommendations for the book, film and DVD releases of the week. I love your feedback, so tell me what sparks your interest this week! I have a button you can grab on the sidebar if you want to do your own post, so feel free to do so. I didn't get much feedback on the new format, so I'm just going to assume you like it and stick with it. Enjoy!

This Week on Thursday's Picks: In Her Skin, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Desires of the Dead

Musical Mondays: Clockwork Angel

I've decided to participate in a meme from another blog for once and start writing a Music Mondays post. Music Mondays is hosted by Tipsy Reader, and here's the rules:

So what’s “Musical Monday”? Just pick the book you’re currently reading (or just finished), then think of a song or album that best matches the book. Even hitting shuffle on your musical player will do the trick. I don’t know about you, but songs pop into my head all the time when reading books, or the perfect song will start playing while reading it and it feels like two atoms exploding in my brain! Plus, it’s a fun way to introduce artists that others might not know about.

And here's my offering! I haven't started a new book yet, so the one I just finished gets the pick:

Clockwork Angel

The Song:

Criminal by Fiona Apple

If this song isn't part of the Will Herondale soundtrack, I don't know what is.

My search for that YouTube video brought me to this amazing girl's covers of several songs, including Criminal. Holy smokes, that girl is good! Check out Hannah Mulholland here. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

No Thursday's Picks this week....

Sorry, I know it's Thursday. But, the movie picks for this week are dismal (ugh, that Justin Bieber movie makes me want to boycott movies all together), and the same goes for DVDs. I bailed on Time Travel Tuesday to read so I could get an extra review out, so I hope you guys aren't mad. Instead of writing a whackness-filled Thursday's Picks post, I'm just going to tell you guys about some exciting things going on here at Things Liz Loves.

New Sponsor
We have a new affiliate sponsor here on the blog! Big welcome to Chunky Bling, which is an online jewelry retailer that specializes in chunky jewelry. They have a really nifty custom watch tool where you can choose a watch face and a band to make a totally original watch. Check out what they have to offer by clicking the banner on the right sidebar, or the banner below. Bloggers: if you're interested in entering the Chunky Bling affiliate program, let me know and I'll get you the info.


Super Sized Valentine Follower Love Giveaway
I've been pulling together a selection of prizes for the big Valentine's giveaway. I know you guys are excited about this one! There will be lots of ways to get extra entries and increase your chances of winning, so get ready to spread the word. This contest will be for followers only, so start telling your friends to follow the blog in preparation for winning! All the buttons and banners I made are over on the Contests page for you to grab.

New Things Liz Makes Items
I'm hard at work making more items for the Things Liz Makes Etsy store. If you guys have been holding out for bags, check into the store early next. I'll be posting a couple of listings of cute bags, including one of those awesome book bags I gave away back in November. Browse the store and see if there's anything that tickles your fancy...I may be posting a coupon code around Valentine's Day! Just click the Things Liz Makes tab and follow the link to the store.

I hope you guys are all doing well. Back to reading to get some more reviews posted!

Review: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Lost Hero
Written by Rick Riordan
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Publisher: Hyperion
NOT a publisher requested review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars




Summary (courtesy of Barnes and Noble):

     After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:
   Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
   To storm or fire the world must fall.
   An oath to keep with a final breath,
   And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
     Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods.

An enjoyable book that is easy to get wrapped up in, but clings a little too tightly to the Percy Jackson series to really stand on it's own. Full review after the jump. WARNING: SPOILERS!