Author Archives: Risa

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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The scifi-fantasy-history-fiction Books of June

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Risa

Four books this month and not a murder mystery in sight! Instead: a book of scifi shorts, a sort-of historical fantasy, a non-fiction history, and a fictional sort-of romance. Apparently a month when I felt the need to shake things … Continue reading →

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Reading Ups and Downs

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Risa

April was a hard month for me on the writing side and May was challenging on the reading side. So I just combined them together and captured these 8 books. Actually, we’ll call it 7 1/2, but you can be … Continue reading →

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