Welcome to my blog…
where each month I recommend a young adult novel!
Hi, I’m Graeme from New Zealand – yes that small island nation in the southwest Pacific Ocean (yes near Australia – well not as close as you may think, NZ is some 1,500 kilometres or 900 miles east of Australia – and no you can’t drive across a bridge to get there).
Growing up I wanted to be a teacher…until I met other children. After finishing high school I returned to Wellington (where I was born) and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Media Studies.
I moved to Auckland in 2008 to complete a Diploma in Film and Television Production. After working in a completely unrelated field I completed a Diploma in Information and Library Studies via distance learning.
Currently I work as a Heritage and Research Specialist for a public library. Previously I was a library assistant for an academic library.
My interests as well as reading include film, theatre, popular culture, baking and travel.
I also run a travel blog, Exploring my own Backyard, in which I detail my adventures around my home country of New Zealand and further abroad.
I have been running this blog since November 2014.
Past Book Club Picks:
February 2021: How it all blew up by Arvin Ahmadi
January 2021: Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
December 2020: My true love gave to me: Twelve winter romances
November 2020: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
October 2020: Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli
September 2020: When We Were Lost by Kevin Wignall
August 2020: The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
July 2020: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
June 2020: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
May 2020: The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer
April 2020: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
March 2020: Dear Evan Hansen: the novel by Val Emmich
February 2020: Between Us by Clare Atkins
January 2020: Alex in Wonderland by Simon James Green
December 2019: Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
November 2019: Looking for Alaska by John Green
October 2019: I am Change by Suzy Zail
September 2019: Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
August 2019: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Play by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany
July 2019: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
June 2019: Ten things I hate about me by Randa Abdel-Fattah
May 2019: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
April 2019: 1914: Riding into War by Susan Brocker
March 2019: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
February 2019: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
January 2019: Cruel Summer by Juno Dawson
December 2018: Born Scared by Kevin Brooks
November 2018: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
October 2018: Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff
September 2018: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
August 2018: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
July 2018: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
June 2018: If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
May 2018: Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
April 2018: Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
March 2018: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens by Becky Albertalli
February 2018: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
January 2018: American Street by Ibi Zoboi
December 2017: What Light by Jay Asher
November 2017: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
October 2017: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
September 2017: Words in deep blue by Cath Crowley
August 2017: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
July 2017: The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis
June 2017: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
May 2017: Bugs by Whiti Hereaka
April 2017: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
March 2017: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
February 2017: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
January 2017: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
December 2016: Let it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, & Lauren Myracle
November 2016: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
October 2016: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
September 2016: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
August 2016: A Work in Progress by Connor Franta
July 2016: Crank by Ellen Hopkins
June 2016: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
May 2016: Gone by Michael Grant
April 2016: A Rose for the ANZAC Boys by Jackie French
March 2016: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
February 2016: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
January 2016: The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
December 2015: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
November 2015: Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
October 2015: I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
September 2015: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
August 2015: The Giver by Lois Lowry
July 2015: Monster by Walter Dean Myers
June 2015: Paper Towns by John Green
May 2015: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
April 2015: The Boy in the Burning House by Tim Wynne-Jones
March 2015: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
February 2015: Beth & Bruno by William Taylor
January 2015: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
December 2014: Cloaked by Alex Flinn
November 2014: The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
