Cook'n With Nana 2

Cookin’ With Nana 2 is more than just a cookbook – it’s a celebration of family, tradition, and the simple joy of gathering around the table. Passed down through generations of country living, these recipes capture the essence of fresh, wholesome ingredients – straight from the garden, farm, or local market.

From the rich flavors of garden-fresh vegetables and home-raised meats to the comforting aroma of time-honored herbs, this collection brings the heart of country cooking to your kitchen. Crafted over decades by three generations of farm homemakers, each dish is a loving tribute to the warmth and care that make family meals unforgettable.

Whether you’re reaching into your backyard garden or selecting the finest produce from the store, these recipes promise to fill your home with the tastes and traditions of a simpler time – fresh, healthy, and made with love.

Welcome to the table. Welcome to Cookin’ With Nana 2.

Eyes Shut, Mouth Closed

This is the true story of my two-year journey to escape Vietnam, seven years after the end of the Vietnam War. At just nine years old, I was a naive village boy, knowing little beyond the only home I had ever known. Along with 27 others—including my father and older sister—I set sail on a small, overcrowded fishing boat, embarking on a perilous voyage that would ultimately lead me to America. The journey was marked by immense hardship, uncertainty, and sacrifice.

Our family was torn apart. My mother and two younger siblings remained in Vietnam, separated from us for 15 long years before we were finally reunited. The pain of that separation shaped me in ways I could never have imagined. Though I did not endure it alone, I learned to transform hardship into resilience, using each challenge as a stepping stone toward a better future. Along the way, strangers—some of whom I will never forget—offered help in ways I could never have expected.

My father’s courageous decision to flee with my sister and me was driven by hope—a belief in the promise of greater opportunities and a brighter future. But even after reaching America, our struggles were far from over. We battled language barriers, cultural isolation, and economic hardship, fighting to rebuild our lives from nothing. And after years of longing, we finally pieced our family back together.

I invite you to join me on this journey—a story of perseverance, hope, and the unbreakable human spirit. Through these pages, I seek to honor the voices of the countless Vietnamese "boat people" who perished at sea, never reaching their destination.

In sharing my experiences, I hope to inspire others to keep moving forward, to grow stronger with each challenge, and to uplift those who can no longer speak for themselves. No matter the obstacles, we must press on, turning pain into purpose and hardship into hope.

The Suffering of Willow

In Princeton Pike, seventeen-year-old Willow lives in a loving home – but sinister forces linger in the shadows. Her rare illness not only tests her vulnerability but also exposes deep-seated animosities that threaten her life. What begins as a battle with her sickness soon becomes the catalyst for an extraordinary journey of self-discovery.

Willow’s world is shattered when she witnesses something unbearable, pushing her deeper into a reality she struggles to comprehend. In magical realms where respect and trust are as elusive as her fragile health, Willow learns that disrespect will not be tolerated. Her illness, which holds her prisoner, may be tied to the one person she cared for most, forcing her to confront painful truths.

Despite the betrayals and animosities she faces, Willow holds onto love and respect, even for her enemies. As events unfold, hidden truths come to light, revealing the true nature of those around her. Fighting not only for her life but also for the truth, Willow embarks on a journey that will forever change the way she sees her world – and herself.

El Paraiso Todavia es Posible

El Paraíso Todavía Es Posible narra la desgarradora experiencia de Mariali Cercado, secuestrada al final de una función de cine en Bogotá por un grupo de peligrosos delincuentes. Mientras lucha por recuperar su libertad, Mariali debe enfrentarse a los demonios de su pasado, al acoso de su captor y a un futuro lleno de sombras y vacíos.

Este relato va más allá del secuestro y sus atroces consecuencias; es una profunda reflexión sobre el poder del caos y el orden, un retrato íntimo de seres humanos atrapados en una compleja red de emociones y decisiones. A medida que la trama profundiza en la psique de sus protagonistas, atestiguamos sus temores y vulnerabilidades, cada uno con sus deudas y enredos, mientras intentan trascender hacia la justicia, la esperanza y la libertad mediante sigilosas estrategias.

Con un final inesperado y revelador, El Paraíso Todavía Es Posible desafía nuestras concepciones sobre el castigo y el perdón. ¿Podremos descubrir, aun bajo el sufrimiento más extremo, si la transformación y la redención siguen siendo posibles a pesar de nosotros mismos?

Nature, History, and the Fish Paradise of Anatolia – Türkiye

12,000 years ago, people living in the southeastern region of Türkiye developed a building system that was the first of its kind in the world. Today, scientists have made great efforts to make sense of this structure and the reliefs drawn on the stones that make up the structure. This is the Göbeklitepe archaeological site located within the borders of Şanlıurfa. The history known in the world is being rewritten with Göbeklitepe. Would you like to witness this historical event? This book offers you this suggestion.

I have compiled information about what happened in the mysterious geography where history began. I wanted to share my own feelings and thoughts. I wanted the readers to witness a moment in the common march of humanity by touching their hearts and souls.

Türkiye’s southeastern geographical region corresponds to the northern region of Mesopotamia, known in history. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers that make up the geography of Mesopotamia are rivers of Anatolian origin, and in this book, I have tried to tell you about the Euphrates River and the fish that inhabit it, as well as the historical and cultural assets created by the Euphrates.

To put it in the language of philosophy, which flourishes and develops in Anatolia, my primary goal is to invite people to friendship and brotherhood. And I say come, see, and feel what you are experiencing.

Would you like to fish for the god fish Enki from Sumerian mythology and the sacred Shabut fish from Hebrew mythology? Then I would like to invite you to my country.

Choirs of Fire and Dust

In the tumultuous fires of the American Civil War, a young New York poet suffers a tumult of tense visions of past and future after a journalistic misadventure in the Holy Land. At the home of his ship chandler benefactor of Beirut, he meets his muse, the daring daughter. Back in New York, he is absorbed in her plot to sabotage her father’s gun-running operation. Self-sabotaged and lost, there is a hellish POW camp, some of the fiercest fighting of the war, and the hallucinatory wages of peace.

Uncertain Times

Times have changed since the grandiose days of Tampa, Florida, in 1890. The success that Quinn and Mika enjoyed at Henry Plant’s illustrious Tampa Bay Hotel changed as well. Twenty years saw the passing of Mr. Plant and the decline of his hotel and its standards, while Tampa’s cigar industry rose to international prominence. Also intervening was Mika, bearing fraternal twins. Marc, the elder by fifteen minutes, is dark-skinned like his mother. Ian favors his father in skin tone and disposition. Mika and Quinn have found that contriving time alone together has become a challenge.

Quinn is the 1910 St. Andrews Chamber of Commerce president. The tourist season is ending, and he, Mika, and the twins are once again off to Florida for the winter. As they prepare to leave St. Andrews, Canada’s trade union movement arrives and attempts to organize the town. Quinn knows nothing about labor negotiations and endeavors to avoid confrontation but becomes entangled in worker demands.

Arriving in Tampa, Quinn and Mika discover that the city fathers are locked in mortal combat with a new union movement called La Resistencia. Union walkouts lead to protest marches, people are killed, two are lynched, and the town is burned. Quinn, Mika, and the boys are caught in a riot; a hurricane wipes out Tampa.

My Roots, My Self

Clutching a childhood photo to her heart, Jenny asks, ‘Who is the real me?’ before setting off to find the parents who abandoned her. Centuries earlier, Macuya channels the courageous spirit of his father to survive being kidnapped into a hostile world.

Thus begins My Roots, My Self, a gripping historical novel intertwining two epic journeys from 1975 Minnesota to the blood-soaked origins of the Italian Mafia and Spanish Inquisition. A fresh and engaging story about a dual search for self-identity: one character searching back to remove the stains of her crime family, the other striving ahead to forge a family legacy in a racist society.

Jenny’s search starts in Boston, where the FBI detains her after an ill-fated meeting with members of the Anguilo crime family, people of her blood. Threatened but determined, she heads to Sicily and meets a mercurial genealogist who unlocks the secrets of her lineage and her path to freedom.

Macuya, a native of the West Indies, is torn from home and family by Columbus and taken to Spain, where Queen Isabella adopts him as a mascot. Later freed with a baron’s title, he secretly marries Beka, the Jewish love of his life. Together, they move from country to country to escape being burned at the stake.

With six centuries of separation, the reader is plucked from the now and wrenched into the mysteries of the past as both characters struggle forward to find the freedom to honor their true selves.

My Roots, My Self will appeal to fans who were enthralled with the search for faith and home in Scherman’s The Mapmaker’s Daughter, who cherished the journey of self-discovery in Shapiro’s Inheritance and loved the historical intrigue of Cornick’s The Winter Garden.

“I received an advance copy of My Roots, My Self and wow what an emotional ride. Jenny’s struggle to understand where she came from hit me hard; it made me think about my own family stories and what’s been passed down to me. I loved how the book shifted between her story and Macuya’s in 1492. At first, I didn’t see how the two connected, but by the end, it all came together beautifully. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you close it.”

– Abraham Alejandro, Member, Oprah’s Book Club.

“I was lucky enough to get a copy of My Roots, My Self, and I have to say, it’s one of the most unique family sagas I’ve read. I loved the cultural details, the Slovenian pastries, the Taino rituals, the Boston immigrant neighborhoods; they made the story feel alive. Jenny was such a relatable character: restless, a little lost, but determined. And Macuya’s chapters absolutely broke my heart. If you enjoy books about family secrets, ancestry, and identity, this is a must-read.”

– Betty Burgess, What’s the Name of the Book? Book Club.

Barb Wire Bible

Morgan Maguire ranched with her family along the highline between Montana and Canada. She worked with her father providing guide services for hunters and also assisted the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue as a tracker to apprehend criminals and return the lost to their loved ones. This cowgirl spent many years learning to cope with the Irish legacy of ‘second sight’ with the help of her mentor Charlie Many Dreams, a Blackfeet medicine man. Her peaceful world was torn apart when the drug dealer she was tracking shot her longtime friend, who was riding for the Blackfeet Tribal Police. Swearing to find this killer, her quest brings her into the steel and cement canyons of New York to obtain justice. A place as alien as the moon to her.

Made in the USA

Two workers get in an argument over who is the real “man”… 3rd shift employees engage in wild antics to pass the time… Misspoken and butchered common sayings and phrases… These are a few of the collection of humorous and outrageous fictional short stories about working in an American factory that are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud or, at the minimum, put a smile on your face.

The Search for Julia Garcia

A college student vanishes. Julia Garcia was last seen at a lakeside cottage on Seneca Lake, where she spent a weekend with friends. The routine police search comes up empty. Desperate, her parents turn to Frank Harris, a New York private detective, who takes the case, even though he doubts he’ll break even.

Harris suspects the police didn’t dig deep enough. But his decision to help isn’t purely professional. Having grown up in the Finger Lakes region, the case draws him back to his family. Yet both the search for Julia and his homecoming prove far more complicated than he anticipated.

As Frank follows Julia’s trail, he faces resistance from potential witnesses, including her new boyfriend and his wealthy family. It takes Frank time to grasp the background of Julia’s disappearance, namely the violent struggle between competing drug cartels. Was Julia abducted by gang members? Is she still alive?

Meanwhile, Frank’s return to his family gets him involved in the marital problems of his older sister for which he is unprepared.

Rethinking Race

Rethinking Race: A Memoir was written as an act of compassionate antiracism. The book invites people to better understand their role in fighting racism by calling them into the struggle rather than calling them out. It is the true story of everyday challenges and triumphs that an African-American mother and her husband, who is identified by most as white but is a citizen of an Indigenous tribal nation, encounter as they try to help their son develop a positive multiethnic identity. Rethinking Race illustrates how one person’s thinking evolved from taking race for granted, as an immutable part of our identity, to seeing it as a very impactful illusion. It is a story of how we can move beyond the false dichotomies of black and white, shaming and blaming to better articulate our rich individual uniqueness while acknowledging our common humanity. The book raises the possibility of becoming aracial, not through colorblindness, but rather by examining racism more closely and coming to understand how each of us creates race every day.