Cuba!

Cuba continues to captivate visitors with its vibrant culture, colorful cities, and incredible cuisine. Cuba! explores the magic of this country through recipes and stories that will set taste buds on fire and delight even the most well-seasoned traveler.

Brazen, bold, and colorful, Cuba is a country that pulses with life. Fascinated by its people and their endlessly delicious home-cooked cuisine, friends Dan Goldberg and Andrea Kuhn have been visiting this magnetic country, capturing its passion and vibrancy, for the past five years. Dan, an award-winning photographer and Andrea, an acclaimed prop stylist and art director, along with renowned food writer Jody Eddy, bring the best of Cuban food to home kitchens with more than 75 meticulously tested recipes. From Cuban-Style Fried Chicken and Tostones Stuffed with Lobster and Conch, to Squid-ink Empanadas and Mojito Cake with Rum-Infused Whipped Cream, this book offers a unique opportunity to bring a little slice of Cuba into your home and onto your plate.

My thoughts: I love how colorful this book is! While I haven't been to Cuba, it looks like this book gives a wonderful sampling of the culture and recipes that make up part of the country. The recipe of fried plantain (along with some of the other ones) remind me of my trip to Belize and what I have heard about some of the other South American countries. This is a fun book to experiment with and add some spice to your cooking and life! I think it is an excellent book for newbies or pros.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Side by Side

In the dusty, Islamic country of Sudan, Mia’s life collides with that of another young woman. A young Christian American mother, Mia finds more than one dark secret on the streets of Khartoum. She finds Halimah, a young, upper-class Arab student with a bright future in her family’s business whose risky and secretive decision has put her life in danger. What happens when the path of young mother intersects with that of a spunky Sudanese student? God transforms them both . . .forever.
Part of New Hope® Publishers’ contemporary missional fiction line, Side by Side opens the reader’s eyes to the life of Muslims in Sudan as well as some of the struggles that Christians face when living under Islamic law. The reader will be inspired to pray for those who are persecuted for their faith as well as pray for the salvation of those who persecute.
In the dusty, Islamic country of Sudan, Mia’s life collides with that of another young woman. A young Christian American mother, Mia finds more than one dark secret on the streets of Khartoum. She finds Halimah, a young, upper-class Arab student with a bright future in her family’s business whose risky and secretive decision has put her life in danger. What happens when the path of young mother intersects with that of a spunky Sudanese student? God transforms them both . . .forever.
Part of New Hope® Publishers’ contemporary missional fiction line, Side by Side opens the reader’s eyes to the life of Muslims in Sudan as well as some of the struggles that Christians face when living under Islamic law. The reader will be inspired to pray for those who are persecuted for their faith as well as pray for the salvation of those who persecute.

My thoughts: I was blown away by this book! I can imagine that it made it all the more realistic that it is based on real life events, since the author has been a missionary to several different countries on several continents. Her characters come alive with their struggles against the culture in present day Sudan. This book is a must read!
I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.