” Zookeepers Wife” by Diane Ackerman

Tom Knuppel Book Nook , , ,
” Zookeepers Wife” by Diane Ackerman

This book by Diane Ackerman begins in Poland in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s in the city of Warsaw. Jan Zabinski and his wife Anotonina, own their a zoo. It is a privately owned by successful on near the outskirts of town.

Antonina was the glue that held the zoo together. She had a way with animals as she could seem to understand their sounds, movements along with their eyes as to what is going on in the life of the animals. In fact, she would bottle feed the baby animals until time they were allowed to be on their own and she delivered many babies of the animals. She stated she delivered a 270 lb elephant once and had a difficult time delivering a baby giraffe, as they deliver standing up and have to be careful it doesn’t come out on its head.

The zookeepers wife was the liaison between the zoo and the public. She showed the important and rich people around the area and charmed many into giving a donation. She was very valuable around there.

Things were going well until 1939 when the Germans decide to invade Poland and was taking people to the gas chambers. Supplies weren’t coming in and animals were dying. Antonina made the decision to hide many of the Jews that the Germans wanted to kill in the animal pens and recesses of the zoo.

So….. was she successful or did they get caught and punished? Read the great book authored by Diana Ackerman.

 

Check out my other book reviews in the area called Book Nook.

“Comfort and Joy” by Kristen Hannah

Tom Knuppel Book Nook , , , ,
“Comfort and Joy” by Kristen Hannah

 

Joy Candallaro was loving her life. It was Christmas time for the high school librarian and she wanted nothing more than spend it with the two people she loved, her sister Stacey and her husband Thom. It was a great Christmas and a good feeling.

It was a a few months later that Joy’s life was turn upside down when she found her husband and sister in bed together. Life was agonizing. She got a divorce and her attitude was sullen and in despair. Joy was constantly reminded by her co-workers to snap out of it but he couldn’t. She quit seeing her sister and best friend Life was terrible. The next Christmas rolled around and she hadn’t done a thing in preparation. When school let out for Christmas vacation, she had no idea what to do.

Joy did decide to buy a tree on the way home and it was late in the year and very brown looking but she bought it and drove home. When she got got to her driveway, her sister was waiting for her. Joy figured that Stacey and Thom broke up. Nope. Stacey was there to hand deliver a weeding invitation instead. Joy was flipping out. Stacey told her that she was pregnant with Thom’s child and that drove her over the top. She got back into her car and sped away. Just driving. As she looked up she said an entrance to the airport and she decided to take a vacation and get away.

With no destination in mind, she wandered around a then saw a flight to Hope Canada. She thought she needed Hope and inquired at the ticket counter about it. They told her it was a private flight and the guy in charge was right over there. She approached and asked if any seats were left that she could purchase. He said one was available. She paid him and found out it was a bunch of men on a hunting trip. She sat down and waited while reading a fishing magazine. Joy was a librarian and would read anything. She came across an advertisement for Comfort Fishing Lodge which she found fascinating. She took the ad to re-read.

The flight took off and she took her seat in the very back. After awhile something didn’t seem correct as she felt like the plane was in a downward trajectory. The the pilot told all to buckle up and brace themselves. Joy felt impact and things shifted as she felt things moving . Something hit her in the head and caused pain. Then the plane tipped over in a forest as she could hear the ripping of the plane. When it stopped, Joy unhooked her belt and fell out of her seat upon the top of the plane since it had tipped over only to feel cut and pain on her legs and knees. Smoke was billowing all over the place and she didn’t know which way was out. She listened and took a chance. She worked her way forward, covering her mouth from the smoke and eventually saw light. When she reached the opening the guy that sold her the ticket helped outside. Devastation all over.

Joy heard sirens of police and ambulance and looked ahead at the guy sitting by a clump of trees. Something told her to keep moving and she turn to the loft with a pound headache and moved away from the police and ambulance and decide to start her life over. She forgot that only one person knew she bought a plane ticket and she could go unnoticed until school started. She kept getting further away from the plane as she hobbled down the rods that were virtually quiet.

On and on she went. Until….around the corner she found a building that said Comfort Fishing Lodge. She edged towards it even though it look very worn down and in need of paint and repair.

NOTE: The real adventure starts here. This was a very good book. Be sure to read the rest as Kristen Hannah is a talented author.

 

 

 

“Don’t Believe It ” by Charlie Donlea

Tom Knuppel Book Nook , , ,

Sidney Ryan was a documentarian that had a career that appeared to be going nowhere…. until, she did three small ones about convicts that were in jail and were victims of shoddy poiice work. She didn’t come out and say they were guilty but put it into he minds of the viewers. All three cases were late overturned and her career jettisoned.

She began to get plenty of mail from others wanting her to look at their case. The one that intrigued her was Grace Sebold and her case in St. Lucia to talk to Grace about the evidence against her that she killed her boyfriend Julian.. Grace and Sidney had graduated from the Same college but never knew each other.

Sidney accepted the challenge and flew off to meet Grace. She interviewed the detective who was nervous to discuss the case, even though it was a decade ago. She feathered the evidence and took it back to her bosses at the major network and they gave her a ten segment slot to produce that.

People were enamored over this and everyone talk about I and anxiously awaited the next segment. She has over 20 million viewers. The network was making money from advertisers and putting more and more pressure on Sidney.

She had some high profile coroner’s and criminologists rework some of the date and they all shed doubt on the findings that Grace was guilty.

Sidney loved the new found Fame and was ready to sign for more money. In each episode she never stated Grace was innocent ofr guilty, She left that up to the audience.

The U. S Government wanted all her findings and they would take over but Sidney refused. The officials in St. Lucia were nervous and now afraid the trial and evidence was done to rapidly to help save the tourism business. One day they just held a heating and exonerated Grace and told her to leave immediately. They wanted it over and forgotten.

An elderly, retired detective with cancer, got wind of this story and sent Sidney a messenger to come and meet with him and told her . Don’t Believe it.

It’s certainly a climax that might divide some readers; and you’ll need to read the book to work that out for yourself.

Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea was published in Australia by Penguin Random House and is now available.

 

Identity by Nora Roberts – Book Review

Tom Knuppel Book Nook ,

This is an excellent  5-star book. I am NOT going to give away the last 25% of this noel. It is something everyone that reads it needs to check out.

Identity is a book about trust, friendships and heartache. The main character is Morgan and she grew up as an army rat that moved around continuously. At 17 years of age, she goes off to college to make her mark. After college she is of he opinion that she is ready to settle down and find a nice community along with  house and a nice yard.. She envisions flowers around her place and a nice cozy surrounding.

First, she has to make some money to get these things. She gets two jobs. In the day, she is an office manager for a construction company and at night is the lead bartender in an lively bar and grill, Now she has dreams and money to make them happen. But she needs help and she recruits a female roommate to share the expenses. Morgan considers herself a good judge of people due to her time tending bar. This works well for several years but one night she meets this guy at the bar that gives a great story of being an IT guy that travels for his company. After the third meeting he asks her out or pizza and she accepts the request. That goes very well.

That goes well and Morgan asks him to come to her house for a dinner with her roommate and her boyfriend. He accept this request and things go well according to her and the roommate. BUT, she doesn’t know it yet but her life and her roommates life are forever changed.
Her identity has been compromised. ( Here I skip a lot of the book). She has to move back home to live with her mother and grandmother to start over getting her life in order.

Her next few years are both good and also a living hell. Does Morgan come out of it? Can she get her life back? Check out the book by Nora Roberts. It’s worthy of reading.

 

 

Tom’s Note: I quit getting book from the library direct, I bought an ipad and use the app Libby. with it you have access to thousand sod book about hooking your local library and to the app. Instant book with 14 days to read it.

 

 

 

 

The Cabin at the End of the World

Tom Knuppel Book Nook

This is a 2028 horror novel by Paul G Tremblay.

This book is about 7-year-old Wen and her two dads. She tells she is happy she has two dads as some kids think that is cool and some tease her on that fact. She just tunes them out.The family take a vacation to a cabin somewhere near the Canadian border. While there, Wen goes out to catch grasshoppers. Her dads told her to come get them if a stranger shows up, even though there are no cabins for two miles. Suddenly after being focused on the grasshoppers, the biggest man she has ever seen shows up. Wen hesitates and the bei guy, named Leonard , reassures her he is no harm and would love to help catch grasshoppers with her.

The two of them catch grasshoppers and she notices three more people coming and carrying what appears to be weapons that look like a scythe. Leonard assures her they all just want o talk to her dads. Wen is spooked and runs inside the house to get away. Here dads look out and lock the doors and windows and the strangers are knocking on the door to tlk with them about an a important issue.They wont let them and go for their gun. but, it is looked on the car outside

The strangers break in and on front the dads and ties them up. They say they mean no harm only want to talk. According to the strangers they four of them just met today and each had the same message come to them in their sleep and the dads are the only ones that can stop it. They tell them that the world will end if they don’t do it. they must sacrifice with death one of the fathers and they just decide.

There are television reports to confirm that mass destruction is happening all over the world and coming their way. The dad so NO. After many skirmishes and people getting hurt, the dads still won’t do it.

The book is apocalyptic in nature and somewhat weird. This book is good until the end when it goes very weak in the conclusion.

I give it 3 stars out of 5.

 

College Baseball Now! 2025

Tom Knuppel college baseball 2025 , , , ,

September Edition of College Baseball Now!

 

College Baseball Now! took a couple of months off and we are now turning our attention to the 2025 college baseball season. With schools in session, the rosters are coming together and the coaches, for the most part, are done recruiting and signing players through the portal and are making plans to the next few months until the season begins.

In our October edition, we will bring to you the top players returning for 2025 and a list of many of the top college baseball tourney for the season. November is our Top 25 list of teams and s shot synopsis on each one. Then in December we highlight many of the new Division 1 baseball coaches and preview the Big Ten baseball teams.

In January, we return to a weekly format once the games begin and look at the math-ups and results from the past week. We hope you enjoy College Baseball Now!

 

Top Freshman Returning According to College Baseball Now!

Daniel Covet – Miami Hurricanes- This 6’3″ 230 lbs infielder was arguably the best player in 2024 for  head coach J.D. Arteaga.  He became a team leader early on and appeared to embrace it. He He hit .351 on the season and hit 21 home runs and drove in 75 runs.

Drew Burress – Georgia Tech- This infielder stand at 5’9″ and 182 lbs but has a big stick for head coach Danny Hall.  He led in batting average for the yellow Jackets at .381 and added 25 home runs and 67 RBI’s.

Dean Curley- Tennessee- This 6’3″ 265 lbs infielder was a standout for the national champion Volunteers. He was a spark for them as he hit .285 with 12 home runs and drove in 50.

Dean Grohovic- Texas A&M- The Aggies were national runner ups in 2024 and were pleased with the outfielder as he hit .298 and drove in 66 runs which included 23 home runs.

Rounding out the Top 5 is Henry Ford of  Virginia. He is a 6’6″ infielder at  220 lbs. He batted .336 17 home runs and 69 RBI’s.

Other Freshman under consideration and in no particular order are:

Luke Gafney – Purdue

Aidan Knaak –  Clemson

Nolan Souza- Arkansas

Dominic Begele- Kansas

Chase Morgan -Louisiana

Camden Kozelle- Vanderbilt

Colin Fisher- Arkansas

Trent Caraway- Oregon State

Justin Lebron- Alabama

David Mendez= Dayton

Kade Lewis- Butler (transferred via portal to Wake Forest)

Justin Osterhouse- Purdue Fort Wayne

 

 

 

 

 

College Baseball Best Places to SEE Games

          according to FANS

Dudy Noble Field- Miss State

 

Olson Field at Blue bell Park – Texas A&M

 

Baum Stadium- Arkansas

 

Alex Box Stadium- LSU

 

Goss Stadium at Coleman Field – Oregon State

 

Founder’s Park- South Carolina

 

Alex Rodriquez Park @ Mark Light  Field – Miami

 

Hi Corbett Field – Arizona

 

Dan Law Field – Texas A&M

 

 

 

If you wish to contact College Baseball Now! email tknuppel@gmail.com

 

Travers Stakes 2024- from the Horse Guy

Tom Knuppel The Horse Guy , , , , , , , ,

The Travers Stakes (also known as Mid-Summer Classic) is held at Saratoga Race Course and is likely the most important and biggest race between the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup.This is a Grade 1 , $1,25 million race for a field of eight where all entrants have won either a stakes races or are a Grade 1 winner. the combined winnings of all of the entries are more than $18 million.

Let’s take a look at the field by their post position.

  1. Thorpedo Anna– is getting the most buzz out of this group as she is the only filly in the Travers Stakes. She is trained by Kenny McPeek and has opening odds of 3-1 to win the race. She started 2024 by winning the GR Fantasy at Oaklawn and then went on to victory oat the grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. She won two races ar Saratoga with the Coaching Club American Oaks and Acorn. Each win was by over four lengths. She is the daughter of Fast Anna.
  2. Sierra Leone– is the son of Gun Runner and is trained by Chad Brown. The opening odds are 7-2 to win. He got second in the Jim Dandy behind Fierceness. He was a Grade 1 winner of the Blue Grass Stakes. This will be his sixth start of the year. Look for him to close strong in the Travers Stakes.
  3. Unmatched Wisdom- at 9-1 odds he is also a son of Gun Runner and trained by Chad Brown He is undefeated in three starts. This is his first graded stakes races. Irad Ortiz, Jr, will be on board. Odds are 9-1 to gain victory at the Travers Stakes.
  4.  Corporate Power– the son of Tapit and is 15-1 odds. Trained by Shug McGaughey. Don’t look for this one to give up. A sleeper in the group.
  5. Batten Down–  trained by Bill Mott, this son of Tapit is 20-1 odds to win the Travers Stakes. In April, this horse broke his maiden at Churchill Downs and went on to win the Ohio Derby and got third in the Jim Dandy
  6. Honor Marie is a longshot at 20-1 and the son of Honor Code and finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes. He will wear blinkers to help him.
  7. Dornoch- This is an impressive horse trained by Danny Gergen . He is the son of Good Magic. Dornoch won his previous two race in the Belmont and Haskell Stakes. Jockey Luis Saez has won the Travers Stakes in previous years. opening odds to win are 5-2.
  8.  Fierceness– is trained by Todd Pletcher and is the son of City of Light. He is 3-1 odds to win. He likes to run near the front of the pack most of the time and is a previous winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Florida Derby.

Travers Stakes Pick and Prediction

The majority of interest is in Thorpedo Anna, as a filly hasn’t won this race since 1915. There are four quality horses in the Travers Stakes. You probably can’t go wrong with any of the four(Thorpedo Anna, Dornoch, Fierceness, Sierra Leone).

My money goes to Dornoch first, then Fieceness second, Thorpedo Anna third and Sieraa Leone fourth.

 

Travers Stakes Past Winners

Notable Travers winners from years past include Kentucky (1864), Ruthless (1867), Duke of Magenta (1878), Hindoo (1881), Henry of Navarre (1894), Broomstick (1904), Roamer (1914), Man o’ War (1920), Twenty Grand (1931), Granville (1936), Whirlaway (1941), Native Dancer (1953), Gallant Man (1957), Sword Dancer (1959), Buckpasser (1966), Damascus (1967), Arts and Letters (1969), Alydar (1978), Temperence Hill (1980), Forty Niner (1988), Easy Goer (1989), Holy Bull (1994), Thunder Gulch (1995), Point Given (2001), Medaglia d’Oro (2002), Bernardini (2006), Street Sense (2007), Arrogate (2016), Essential Quality (2021), and Arcangelo (2023).

 

How to Watch the Travers

The 155th Travers will be broadcast nationwide on FOX during NYRA’s “Saratoga Saturdays” show airing from 3 to 6:30 p.m. ET. Post time is set for 6:10 p.m.

Check us out each Saturday on race day here.

Alabama Stakes- from the Horse Guy

Tom Knuppel The Horse Guy , , , , , , ,
Alabama Stakes

Alabama Stakes 2024 Overview

Saratoga race course will once again have the best in thoroughbred racing this weekend. The Alabama Stakes 2024 will highlight the weekend card. Before we give our winners, let’s look at some past Alabama Stakes races.

The inaugural running of the Alabama Stakes took place on July 19, 1872 and was won by a chestnut filly named Woodbine owned by prominent New York financier August Belmont Sr. Jockey Jorge Velasquez has won the Alabama Stakes six time to lead all Jockeys. In 2023. Randomized. trained by Chad Brown was the Alabama Stakes winners.

In 1990, Go For Wand. set the track race record for the Alabama Stakes in a time of 2.00.98.

 

Alabama Stakes 2024 Entries

On Saturday, on the main track at Saratoga there will be eight fillies vying for first place in the 1 1/4 mile races known as the Alabama Stakes. Let’s look at them by post position.

The Alabama is carded as race 10 of 12 with post time scheduled for 5:43 p.m. EDT.

  1. Intricate– Is the daughter  of Gun Runner and trained by Tyler Gaffalione with 8-1 odds to win the Alabama Stakes 2024. So far this year, this horse is not won any of the four horses she as entered. Use this horse down on your card.
  2.  Chatalas is 8-1 odds to win and is a Kentucky bred horse that also the daughter of Gun Runner. She won the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks this year. Also, not a threat.
  3.  Power Squeeze is from Union rages and is trained by Jorge Delgado at 4-1 odds to win the Alabama Stakes race. She has won four stakes races this year and is the horse to best in this race.
  4. Just Basking  – is the daughter of Arrogate and enters with 5-1 odds to win. She won the Iowa Oaks and will face her stiffest challenge to date. Not a bad horse but third at best.
  5. America’s Vow– is 12-1 odds and has Contitution as it’s dam. She got third in the Suncoast and hasn’t had many good outings. Not a good finisher in the Alabama Stakes.
  6. Miss Justify – enter with 9-2 odds and is trained by Todd Pletcher and will have Falvien Prat on board. She has won a few races and appears to have a chance to threaten with a win.
  7. Candied – is the daughter of Candy Ride and is also trained by Todd Pletcher. She is the only Grade 1 winner in the field. In the CCA Oaks, she was second to Thorpedo Anna. Possible winners of the Alabama Stakes.
  8.  Neon Icon is 12-1 to win. She has already won a 1 1/4 mile. She is from the Arrogate family with Louis Saez aboard.

Picks and Predictions

Be sure to check the odds before you bet as they will change before post time.

Candied is the class and is our pick to win and she has the most career earnings and a Grade 1 win under her belt.

Exacta- 7-3-6-4  Please bet responsibly!

 

 

Next week Travers Stakes then we have the Saranac, followed by Jockey Cup Gold and the Hopeful. Also, we are working on the Breeders’ Cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were winners last week, so check out the article on the Arlington Million!

Fourstardave Stakes Pick and Prediction by The Horse Guy

Tom Knuppel The Horse Guy

The Fourstardave is part of the Breeders’ Cup challenge series, with the winner getting a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 2. This is a seven horse race for $500,000 at Saratoga. It is a one-mile turf race with the winner getting an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Mile on November 2 at Del Mar.

Each of these seven entrants have won stakes races and  some have won more than one. Let’s look at the entries by post position and what The Horse Guy has for winning picks this week.

** Also this weekend The Horse Guy has his picks for the Arlington Million.

1– Strong Quality is the son of Quality Road and is trained by Mark Casse and has an early odds of 8-1 to win. In June, this horse finished eighth in the Grade 1 Manhattan and later won a restricted stakes at Churchill Downs and then went to the Fair Grounds and won the Colonel Bradley. Not likely for this horse to win but could fit underneath.

2- Master of the Seas has been scratched.

3. Major Dude- Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velasquez, this is the son of Bolt d’ Oro and is 8-1 to win. This horse won the Penn Mile and Kitten’s Joy in 2023. This will be his second start this year. He won an allowance race just a few weeks ago. This horse isn’t seen as a contender.

4.Carl Spackler is the son of Lope de Vega- is a Chad Brown trained horse and will have Tyler Gaffalione on board. This is the top choice at 9-5 odds with three graded stakes wins at Saratoga. in the Kelso, the Saranac and the Hall of Fame. He has been the favorite in his last seven races. Likely winner.

5. Money Supply is 10-1 odds to win and will be ridden by Manny Franco. This son of Practical Joke won the Horseshoe Invitational in Indiana along with the Grade 1 Mineshaft at the Fair Grounds. He has won five in a row. Could be a top four finisher

6. Ottoman Fleet- is 8-5 odds to win this race. He has won three graded stakes in the USA and three group stake in Europe. He was won 2 of his previous 4 races. He is a contender.

7. More Than Looks is 7-2 to win the Fourstardave. He is the son of More Than Ready and will have Irad Ortiz, Jr. as his mount. This is his first start since last year when he finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Could lead the chase before falling back to a spot out of the money.

 

Pick and Prediction

When Master of the Seas scratched, many things changed. Now, look for Ottoman Empire to take the race and Carl Spackler getting into a second position. Be sure to check the latest odds from the track before betting.

 

 

Check out what The Horse Guy has to say each and every Friday on the graded stakes races.