Author Archives: Risa

Mercedes Lackey and First-Book Syndrome

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Risa

Arrows of the Queen, Mercedes Lackey It has been far, FAR too long since I read a fantasy book.  I suspect book clubs are getting in the way. Not many books selected by my fellow book clubees are fantasy books. … Continue reading →

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Murder on the Zombie Express

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Risa

My Life as a White Trash Zombie, by  Diana Rowland You might reasonably be tempted to assume this is a zombie book, but you might also be pleasantly surprised to discover that it is technically a mystery novel. Sure, one of … Continue reading →

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What’s going on in the White House? This book won’t tell you.

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Risa

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, Michael Wolff Is Michael Wolff a daring, insightful journalist or a water-cooler gossip? Is Fire and Fury an illuminating exposé of the Trump White House or a trashy retelling of stories we … Continue reading →

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Annihilate your brain

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Risa

Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer Annihilation is a very weird book, but it doesn’t start out that way. It starts out just everyday-weird, like a kind of scifi mystery leading you to mildly wonder what could be causing the unusual things … Continue reading →

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Homo Deus: A way too long history of tomorrow

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Risa

Homo Deus, by Yuval Noah Harari In keeping with the argumentation style of this book, let’s jump straight to the conclusion. Rating: Skip it. I can only presume that Harari bases Homo Deus on a solid foundation of clearly articulated … Continue reading →

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Middlemarch, the Anytown of the 1830’s

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Risa

Middlemarch, by George Eliot I don’t want to review this book per se. There is a LOT to say, but I’m not really qualified, and there are George Eliot scholars out there who can do a much better job. In … Continue reading →

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What in the name of bloody hell just Happened???

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Risa

What Happened is Hillary Rodham Clinton’s account of the 2016 Presidential campaign and the events leading up to her shocking election-day loss to a complete idiot. Personally, I believe what happened was the result of a 40 year campaign of … Continue reading →

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Hawaii Day 7 – A Cornucopia of Reef Fish

Posted on February 10, 2018 by Risa

Unless you live in the tropics, snorkeling along a coral reef is like being in a life-sized tropical fish tank. Everything you’ve ever seen in an aquarium is IN THE OCEAN with you. I have already forgotten more of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Hawaii Big Island, Travel | 2 Comments

Hawaii Day 6 – Museums, Shopping and Olympics

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Risa

We declared today a shopping day, which is code for we didn’t want to drive anywhere. We spent the first part of morning buying an SPF shirt for Jeff, a ring for me, and a surprise for Mitchell that I … Continue reading →

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Hawaii Day 5 – Life’s a Beach

Posted on February 8, 2018 by Risa

Cruise ship day, so we decided to get out of town… After five days in Hawaii, we FINALLY put on bathing suits and went to the beach! (I know, I know ..) We (“I”) decided to try Manini’owali Beach in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Hawaii Big Island, Travel | 1 Comment