MY CHICKENS AND I by Isabella Rossellini
Easy to read. Very interesting. You’re not interested in chickens? You may be after enjoying this book. Isabella tells the story her interest in raising chickens, ordering 38 chicks, and being surprised that not all of her 38 chicks were yellow fluff balls like we see at Easter. Her box also contained brown chicks, grey chicks, chicks rusty red or with hints of blue. Beautiful photos of heritage chickens, Isabella’s whimsical line drawings of chickens, plus her simple and fascinating information about chickens. This book only scratches the surface and is basically a picture book. The author, Isabella Rossellini (daughter of Ingrid Bergman) received a Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter College 2019.

ATCHISON BLUE is by journalist and poet Judith Valente.  In this book we peek into the journal of a woman juggling her busy professional and personal life who finds grace and wisdom in the accompaniment of the Benedictine Sisters of Atchison, Kansas.  Their life of prayer, of conversio, meaning “We fall and we rise, we fall and we rise…  continuing to show up for life – even when we’d rather not, even when we think we can’t.”  Judith writes with honesty and humor about her times in the monastery gleaning insight and life-lessons from the Sisters.  In reading this book, you too may find “The Real behind the real.”