Author Archives: Risa

So much for “easy reads”

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Risa

This month is brought to you by word Agency. Let’s dive right in. The Sleeping Car Porter, by Suzette Mayr What stood out most for me in this book was how effectively Suzette Mayr describes the state of extreme exhaustion. … Continue reading →

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My 2024 Reading Challenge

Posted on January 27, 2024 by Risa

Inspired in part by the Reading Glasses podcast Reading Challenge of 2024, here is my personal list of reading goals for 2024. Book Reading: It’s all in the name; these are goals specifically about reading books. 1. Read the next … Continue reading →

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A Belated Wrap Up of 2023

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Risa

This brief 8-book wrap up indicates to me that I need to work on toning down my amazing procrastination skills. With apologies, most of these books were the best of the year, and I do not give them proper due. … Continue reading →

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A bookish year in review

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Risa

As 2023 slinks out with a whimper, I find myself several books behind schedule in my blogging efforts, sitting in a heat-less home with a case of COVID to welcome in 2024. Hopefully this isn’t a harbinger of things to … Continue reading →

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A Warbler’s Journey

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Risa

Written by Scott Weidensaul, Paintings by Nancy Lane This is a children’s book that tells the tale of bird migration from South America to Northern Canada through the journey of a Yellow Warbler. I love this, because a Yellow Warbler … Continue reading →

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Why Birds Sing, by Nina Berkhout

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Risa

Why Birds Sing is a fun, somewhat light-hearted read by Canadian author Nina Berkhout. I say ‘light-hearted’ because while there are humourous, quirky, entertaining moments, there are also moments of family drama and soul searching. After Opera singer Dawn Woodward … Continue reading →

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Revisiting Better Living Through Birding, by Christian Cooper.

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Risa

I wrote briefly about this wonderful book in an earlier post, if you’re interested in taking a look. I’m revisiting it to a) cheat and get another blog post for my Toastmaster’s project and b) cheat and get some details … Continue reading →

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A Hard Lesson to be Learned

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Risa

Two Green Birds, by Geraldo Valerio Francisco lives in Brazil and visits his Grandmother every day, helping her in the garden and then eating baked treats and drinking coffee (yes! coffee!) with her in her kitchen. One day, his Grandmother … Continue reading →

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A Series of Fortunate Events

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Risa

Night Owl Night, by Susan Edwards Richmond, Illustrated by Maribel Lechuga I have set myself a challenge to write 8 blog posts this month. This amounts to 8 times more than my current running average*. I have a couple of … Continue reading →

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What It’s Like to be a Bird, By David Allen Sibley

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Risa

Back in June I made the excellent decision to retire – good god I’m old – from the best job I’ve had in my entire 30+ year career. I have many things to say about not working in shitty jobs … Continue reading →

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