Author Archives: Risa

2026 and the January blahs

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Risa

January is a blah month and we doubled-down on the blah-ness this year, drifting into our 5th week of never-ending winter as we tromped through the snow to put away the Christmas decorations and take down the lights. And now, … Continue reading →

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Books of 2025 in the rearview mirror

Posted on January 8, 2026 by Risa

2025 may have been a sucky SUCKY year in terms of, well, everything on earth, but it was a banner year for reading for me. I read 61 books, a new PB, and only about a half dozen fell into … Continue reading →

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Busy, not Busy: Nov/Dec

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Risa

I owe you an apology for the length of this post. It seems I procrastinated on the November post right up until it was time for December, and presto! I have 10 books to cover in order to finish off … Continue reading →

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Humans have many sins to atone for

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Risa

The sins accumulate just in the course of this month of reading. Japan, Russia, and USA ruin Korea. China ruins itself. The catholic church ruins young, unwed pregnant woman and steals their babies (pro-life indeed). White people think it’s ok … Continue reading →

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Birding Bonanza Part III – Census

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Risa

For my 3rd birding walk* with Chris, Bird Whisperer, he invited me to go along while he conducted the census for PEPtBO. I should explain. In addition to catching and banding birds for 6 hours, beginning at sunrise, the station … Continue reading →

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Birding Bonanza Part II

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Risa

The plan: A 2-hour birding tour* with Chris, this time to Beaver Meadow Conservation Area, a local wetland habitat. Beaver Meadow is not a hiking adventure. Instead you walk a trail for about 1/2 km to a viewing platform that … Continue reading →

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Please Come to my Human Croquet Garden Party

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Risa

Things I don’t understand: Quantum Physics and the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Things I love: coming-of-age books about girls. This month I read four books on all of these things. How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, by Chad Orzel For … Continue reading →

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Birding Bonanza

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Risa

Way back on May 15th 2025 (yes, yes, I know, I am a master procrastinator), I was thrilled to be going on a short birding walk with Chris, a very talented birder. Chris proposed that we simply walk around The … Continue reading →

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August is a murder-free month

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Risa

I’m excited to report that I didn’t have to resort to a reading reboot, and managed to steer clear of murder mysteries for a whole month! This is a bit surprising to me, because it was a high-anxiety month full … Continue reading →

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July 2025 is a dreary and depressing month

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Risa

I read a lot more than I thought I did, given my mood for most of this rainless month. Most of these books irritated me. Or, was I already irritated because of the incessant heat wave and drought, and most … Continue reading →

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