My blog turns two! What I read this month
It’s hard to believe but my blog is now two years old! You might have noticed that reviews have been few and far between of late, and that’s partly because I’ve been focused on my music, partly due to school, and partly due to helping out with the #LoveOzYA blog in my role as a…
Read MoreReview: The Hate U Give
Title: The Hate U Give Author: Angie Thomas Publisher: Walker Books About the book: Starr, 16, lives in two worlds: the rich high school where she attends school, and the poor neighbourhood where she was raised. When she is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her best friend, the two worlds collide, and…
Read MoreReview: The 91-Storey Treehouse
This week’s book review of The 91-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton is brought to you by my 11-year-old brother Book Boy Jr. Title: The 91-Storey Treehouse Author: Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (Ill.) Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia About the book: The 91-Storey Treehouse is the seventh exciting instalment of the Treehouse series. In…
Read MoreBig news: I’m joining the #LoveOzYA committee
I’m really excited to share the news that I’ve joined the #LoveOzYA committee as its first teen member. #LoveOzYA is a movement aimed at promoting YA fiction by Australian authors to Australian readers. You can find out more about #LoveOzYA here. The committee is a group of volunteers who do their best to help spread…
Read MoreReview: Wonder
This week’s review is brought to you by my little brother Book Boy Jr (aged 11). Title: Wonder Author: R.J. Palacio Publisher: Random House Children’s Publishers UK/ Penguin Books Australia About the book: Wonder is a book about a boy named August Pullman who was born with a facial abnormality that makes him look different. This…
Read MoreReview: A Study In Charlotte
Title: A Study In Charlotte Author: Brittany Cavallaro Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins Publishers) About the book: When Jamie Watson, descendant of Dr. Watson, moves to a school in America on a rugby scholarship, he doesn’t expect to run into Charlotte Holmes, descendant of Sherlock Holmes, and he certainly doesn’t expect to be accused of…
Read MoreReview: Karl, The Universe And Everything
Title: Karl, The Universe And Everything Author: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia About the book: Why do books smell like books? Why are some people always late? What causes earworms? If you have ever wanted to know the answer to any of these questions, the science behind these questions, and many more is…
Read MoreAdventures in music #3: My first EP!
Yesterday, I received CD copies of my first EP. It’s called ‘Joe Visser, EP No. 1’ and features six original songs. ‘Playing With Fire, one of the songs on the CD, was recently shortlisted for an ACMF National Songwriting Award. I didn’t win this year, but I was very excited to have made the finals.…
Read More12 books on my Christmas wishlist
It’s that time of year again! I love Christmas because I usually get a whole new stack of books to read. It’s never easy making a wishlist, but I’ve narrowed it down to eight fiction and four non-fiction books this year. Santa, take note… One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus I’ve read…
Read MoreReview: Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
Title: Turtles All The Way Down Author: John Green Publisher: Penguin Books Australia About the book: Aza Holmes is a 16-year-old teenager diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. She often goes into what she calls ‘thought spirals’, times when she can only think of one thing, and cannot stop thinking about it. When her best friend’s father goes…
Read More