Did you know?

It's "I feel nauseated."

NOT

"I feel nauseous."

If you didn't, now you know!

Nauseous : Causing nausea; sickening.

Nauseated : To be feeling, or having been caused to feel nausea.

I saw Sarah Dessen! + other excitement.

Do you see this?! That would be the autograph of the one and only Sarah Dessen. I stood in line for a little over an hour for this signature. Was it worth it? Heck yes! Not only did I get to watch her Q&A session, but I also MET her. We talked about the weather. Sounds funny, but it was still an amazing minute or so. (DC felt like it was 80 degrees, and the humidity was so bad that you just felt sticky and disgusting ALL DAY.) I also managed to get my picture taken with her, but I refuse to post it publicly because I look like I'm drowning in the humidity, and my hair was super frizzy at that point. But if it wasn't already apparent, I was, and still am, totally excited about it! It was also my first author signing, so that made it even more special.

But really, it was fabulous. The National Book Festival in DC was jampacked with tons of book lovers, cool posters, book sales, book bags, and so much more.

The bonus? Toni Morrison's signing tent was directly next to Dessen's, so I got to see her, too! Talk about amazing.

In other fabulous news...

I GOT MY POTTERMORE EMAIL!

Oh, how long I waited for you, Pottermore!

But seriously. I've been waiting forever. Since before summer ended. And now that I have it.... I got sorted into Ravenclaw. Needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed, but certainly not surprised. I have no doubt that if, in fact, Hogwarts were real, I'd be sorted into Ravenclaw. It's just that my heart will always belong to Slytherin (and Draco).

Other than that, it's super cool! A bit less interactive than I pegged it to be, but who knows? Maybe it'll shape up.

Are you on Pottermore yet? We should be friends!

--------------

* Sorry for the lack of updates around here! As you can see, I'm very, very busy procrastinating on schoolwork. And when I'm not procrastinating, well... I've got a lot of schoolwork! I'm trying to read in the meantime, but I'm afraid it's going a bit slowly. But I'm still here, I promise!

TGIF! (19)

TGIF is brought to us by Ginger at GReads!

It's a way for bloggers to celebrate the end of the week with a nice re-cap of their weekly posts and to answer a random question.

Reading Challenges: Did you sign up for any this year? How has your progression been?

I signed up for my first challenge this year! Amanda hosted the awesome Bout of Books read-a-thon right before school started up for me, so it was a great week for me to squeeze in a last bit of reading before my life became hectic. My progression was less than stellar, but I did what I could. I plan to participate in more read-a-thons in the near future.

-----------------------------------------------

Waiting on Wednesday

I WANT GUEST POSTERS! *

Top Ten Tuesday

-----------------------------------------------

Waiting On Wednesday (22).

Waiting On Wednesday is from Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

One crazy road trip that's a mix of rejection, redemption, and romance.

When sixteen-year-old Luke's book, Hallelujah, becomes a national bestseller, his publishing house sends him on a cross-country book tour with his older brother, Matt, as chauffeur. But when irresponsible Matt offers to drive Luke's ex–soul mate, Fran, across the country too, things get a little crazy. On the trip, Luke must loosen up, discover what it truly means to have faith, and do what it takes to get the girl he loves.

I liked John's Five Flavors of Dumb (see my review here). It wasn't the best read, but I'm willing to try another of his books. And this one's clearly about a road trip, and I'm a total sucker for those kinds of stories.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I feel as though everyone has read but me.

Top Ten Tuesday is brought to us by The Broke and the Bookish.

TOP TEN BOOKS I FEEL AS THOUGH EVERYONE HAS READ BUT ME

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. The blurbs just haven't ever caught my interest, but I constantly see other bloggers swooning over some of the male characters. If they're that good, I feel like I should check 'em out. But then I see the summary again and turn away.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Seriously, people. This one isn't even out yet and I would need more than two hands to count the number of people I know that have already read this. Can I just say it's driving me CRAZY? I cannot express how much I'm anticipating this one. Really, I can't. MUST HAVE!

The Vampire Diaries series by L. J. Smith. I know absolutely nothing about these except, again, there are swoon-worthy male characters and everyone loves the TV show. Don't get me wrong - I love vampires. I guess I just never saw the appeal.

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Do I really need to explain this one? (Please don't advise me to try it; I couldn't get past the first thirty pages.)

Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles. West Side Story meets Romeo and Juliet? Eh..... As "hot" as they may be, they just sound rather cliche.

I Am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore. I started this but never had the desire to finish it.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I've heard it's incredible.

Crank series by Ellen Hopkins. I know, I know. They're practically staples in a YA library. And as much as I love verse novels, these never caught my interest.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. Might as well throw in Supernaturally, too.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. Never could get into this.

Wanted: Guest Posters!

Remember when I said I was going to be busy with school in the upcoming weeks? Well, school's about to become a bit more hectic for me. Paper due dates are looming, job interviews are right around the corner, studying cannot be put off, and summer work needs finishing.

I realize most people in my position would take a break from their blog, but I'm not willing to do that. So how am I going to keep The Grammarian's Reviews running?

... Guest posts, of course!

It makes perfect sense to me. While I can still post some days, all of you fabulous bloggers can help me to fill in the rest (and gain more recognition, to boot!). I'm all for promoting other bloggers, and I have to admit that I do need a little help here.

You're probably wondering how this works. Am I assigning topics or letting you run freely? Just imagine your lovely post sitting right here:

Are you imagining it? Good.

If you can see it, I will post it.

However, I do have just a few requests:

Keep it YA! - While I have talked about Adult fiction on this blog, it is primarily a YA haven. So please keep that in mind.

I love grammar. - If you haven't yet noticed, I do a feature very near and dear to my heart, called Grammar Bit (link!). I haven't had one in a while, but there are currently 13 bits available to help people with their grammar woes. My point: If you'd like to do any sort of post pertaining to grammar, I'd love you forever.

Please be respectful. - I'm more than willing to promote your blog on my own blog, but please be respectful of the books or authors or whatever mentioned in your posts.

Basically, anything goes. Have you been wanting to discuss your favorite cover but it won't fit into your own blogging schedule? Do it here! Want to get the word out about a book you think deserves more recognition? Do it here! I'm open to your ideas - after all, it's going to be your post!

If you're still interested, fill out this form.

-------------------------------------------------------

Many of you keep asking me for topics, so here you go!

GRAMMAR

- Grammar pet peeves: which grammatical mistakes bug you the most?

- Come up with your own Grammar Bit!

- Why do/don't you care about grammar?

BOOK TALK

- Favorited/Hated cover(s).

- Promote a book you love that you think doesn't get enough recognition.

- Book peeves: What are some of your biggest book peeves when it comes to YA books?

- Books that have really good sequels.

- Talk about a specific genre you really enjoy and want others to know about; why should they give it a try?

- Versus: Vampires vs Unicorns, Love Triangles vs Single Relationships, Insta-love vs Actual Romance, etc.

TGIF! (18)

TGIF is brought to us by Ginger at GReads!

It's a way for bloggers to celebrate the end of the week with a nice re-cap of their weekly posts and to answer a random question.

Book Disappointments: Have you ever come across a book you were so stoked to read, but it failed miserably in your eyes?

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks.

Talk about a disappointment. I shouldn't have watched the movie first.

-----------------------------------------------

New Anna & the French Kiss scene!

National Book Festival: Who's going?

REVIEW! Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

-----------------------------------------------

National Book Festival: Who's going?

National Book Festival
September 24, 25
On the National Mall, DC


Any and all info you could possibly want about it can be found here.
But, you should know right now that a few awesome people are going to be there: Sarah Dessen, Cassandra Clare, Toni Morrison...

I know I'm going to be there! Are you?

REVIEW! Amy and Roger's Epic Detour.

AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson

Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move across the country and needs Amy to get their car from California to Connecticut. There’s just one small problem: Since her dad died this past spring, Amy hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger, the nineteen-year-old son of an old family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute . . . and dealing with some baggage of his own.

Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father’s death were not what Amy had planned on this trip. And traveling the Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado mountains, crossing the Kansas plains, and visiting diners, dingy motels, and Graceland were definitely not on the itinerary. But as they drive, Amy finds that the people you least expected are the ones you may need the most — and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.

My rating: 4 stars.

MY THOUGHTS:

Very, very, VERY slow. Almost agonizingly so.

Luckily the events make up for the pacing. This is one of the first road trip books I've read that actually, well, portrays a road trip. Sounds crazy, I know. But there are so many books out there about trips that don't do so much with the detailing of said trips. But Amy & Roger's definitely does. From eating out of the back of their car, to making up names, to driving on deserted roads, to coming upon a grand estate - you get it all. Even the trips to the mini-marts and gas stations. And I love that, because you actually feel as though you're on the trip with them. The sense of winging it and taking chances is refreshing and invigorating.

The interactions between Roger and Amy are very real, and not at all how you'd expect a road trip novel to go. The story is still predictable, but it's not unbelievable. It's not The Greatest Trip of All Time right from the start. That being said, the predictability doesn't really match up. The romance is ... sudden and, again, although predictable, seems insufficient. And not treated very well. It feels like it's thrown in purely because it's a road trip novel, and what's a road trip novel without newfound, budding romance between two unsuspecting strangers?

Nevertheless, Amy & Roger's is definitely a cute, uplifting read. The inclusion of mixes, receipts, pictures, etc. is very cool.

New ANNA & THE FRENCH KISS scene!

You know that story we all know and love? Of course you do. And if you don't, that means you haven't yet read Anna and the French Kiss.

So this beloved story has a newly released scene, thanks to the wonderful Stephanie Perkins. Also, there will be another new scene next month, too. How awesome is that? (I'll tell you: REALLY RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!)

Trust me: you want to go read it. It's nerdy. It's cute. It's so Anna and Étienne.

You can find the scene here.

TGIF! (17)

TGIF is brought to us by Ginger at GReads!

It's a way for bloggers to celebrate the end of the week with a nice re-cap of their weekly posts and to answer a random question.

Books to Television: Which books would you love to see made in to a tv series or movie?

How am I supposed to list these?! There are so many I'd want to watch as either tv series or movies.

Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.

Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr. 

 TOUCH series by Laurie Stolarz.

The Half-Life of Planets by Brendan Halpin and Emily Franklin.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.

Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty. (Although this would possibly ruin my image of Marcus Flutie forever.)

Secret Society Girl series by Diana Peterfreund.

.... And many, many more.

-----------------------------------------------

Waiting on Wednesday
Ladybird, Ladybird giveaway! *
Where in the world is...?

Ladybird Ladybird giveaway!

Ladybird Ladybird by Abra Ebner

Samantha was born under a full moon to a mother already dead. Revived by doctors and given to her unloving father, Samantha was raised a cursed child, her only friend the ghost of her mother who speaks to her through keys that open a secret box under her bed.

From the inside out, Sam burns with life, a fire so vivid it keeps her peers at a distance, all except one. Leith, a quiet farm boy with a broken heart and demons of his own, enjoys the seclusion his classmates grant him, but the seclusion is all too familiar to Sam, drawing her interest.


For the first time in their lives, fate pushes them together, but when their worlds collide . . .


. . . fires burn. 

Book trailer:

So why am I showing you this?

1. This book looks heartbreaking. And the cover's pretty. But honestly - a ghost using keys to interact with the living? How awesome is that? I'm really, really excited for that aspect.

2. There's a giveaway involved!

Crimson Oak Publishing will be giving away five $50 American Express gift cards in celebration of Ladybird Ladybird's release.  If you want to enter for your chance to win, go here and for "Referred by Blogger," enter The Grammarian's Reviews. (Please and thank you!)

Then tweet it, retweet it, whatever you can. I'm sure a lot of people could use a $50 gift card.

Waiting On Wednesday (21).

Waiting On Wednesday is from Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

Going Underground by Susan Vaught

Del is a good kid who's been caught in horrible circumstances. At seventeen, he's trying to put his life together after an incident in his past that made him a social outcast-and a felon. As a result, he can't get into college; the only job he can find is digging graves; and when he finally meets a girl he might fall in love with, there's a sea of complications that threatens to bring the world crashing down around him again. But what has Del done? In flashbacks to Del's fourteenth year, we slowly learn the truth: his girlfriend texted him a revealing photo of herself, a teacher confiscated his phone, and soon the police were involved. 

I'm suffering from severe cover-love for this; you know something crazy is going down.

Where in the world is...?

No, not Carmen Sandiego.

Where in the world am I?

If you haven't yet noticed - which, if you follow this blog, you should have - all posting seems to have ceased. Why, you ask? Well, unfortunately for me (and many others), school has resumed. That's right - summer is over and I've kissed my recreational reading time goodbye.

Does this mean I've stopped reading and blogging entirely? No.

I will still be reading and blogging. Just at a slower pace. I know things seem to have come to a halt rather quickly, but I promise I'm still setting up posts and reading when I can. I've got a lot of work to accomplish though, and that needs to take priority.

I hope you'll all bear with me.

(Is there anything exciting in the bookish world I should know about? I'm so out of the loop now.)

TGIF! (16)

TGIF is brought to us by Ginger at GReads!

It's a way for bloggers to celebrate the end of the week with a nice re-cap of their weekly posts and to answer a random question.

Making a Difference: Which book(s) would you put in the hands of today's teenagers in hopes of making a difference in their lives?

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I really think that would be my number one choice. I'm not sure anything could top that. It may not be "classic" literature, but it's powerful nonetheless. It's not just a teen read. It's so much more than that. To play off of the title, let the book speak for itself. It's got a strong message, and gets it across in the most relatable way.

This is a must-read.

-----------------------------------------------

Waiting on Wednesday
REVIEW! The Day Before

Bout of Books read-a-thon: end!

In My Mailbox