Double the Fun
Just in time for the big announcement that the Belmont’s Triple Crown race is headed to Saratoga, two horse racing books created by Saratogians scooped up awards on the national stage. Upset, The Original Dark Horse and Jim Dandy, A Dark Horse on a Dark Day both won WINNIE Awards (Upset won first in the Children’s Book category; Jim Dandy snagged an honorable mention), having already won Mother’s Choice Awards for the books’ uplifting messages. Written by Impressions co-owner Maddy Zanetti and illustrated by Feathered Antler’s Gretchen Louise Tisch, the books are beloved by children—as is Upset, Zanetti’s popular miniature horse.
Peak Thrills
Capital Regionite Phil Bayly—who gained local fame as the morning anchor for NewsChannel 13 in Albany—continues to enjoy success as a mystery writer. His latest book? The Man Who Had 9 Lives, the fifth novel in his Murder on Skis mystery series. A finalist for the American Fiction Award, the exciting page-turner promises an “avalanche of mystery and murder” on the slopes of Colorado, where TV reporter JC Snow becomes too engaged with an evasive killer.
Rhyme and Reason
Poet and literary critic Jay Rogoff has compiled 20 years’ worth of published essays into one book, which will fascinate literary buffs of all kinds. From “Andrew Hudgins’s Blasphemous Imagination” to “Why Poetry Doesn’t Count as Song,” Becoming Poetry stirs up all kinds of written word debate, from Shakespeare to modern times. A must for any poetry lover’s home library, Capital Regionite Rogoff’s thought-provoking essays are perfect food for thought for any snowy afternoon.
A Children’s Tail
The Animal Menagerie, by first-time children’s book author Francine Dingeman, stars Fabian the Fly and aims to both entertain and educate. Written for children ages 4-7, the whimsical animal adventure was illustrated by Marta Maszkiewicz and scooped up by eager parents at events in Albany and Saratoga over the holidays. The sweet story, which was funded via a New York State Council on the Arts program, can be purchased on francinedingeman.com.
Big Picture
Best known for his New York Times-bestselling Doing More with Less, prolific author (and 30-year Saratogian) Bruce Piasecki’s newest work, Wealth and Climate Competitiveness, dives into the worlds of wealth and eco-responsibility. Meant to provide business leaders with a new narrative that ties together companies’ needs to compete with the climate change that’s crucial for our global society’s future, it also provides a deep understanding of the changed landscape we now occupy—ideas that can also drive personal success.
