Good Reads: Inside Havana

In a little gift shop in Carmel a couple of weeks ago, I became completely enraptured by the book Inside Havana, photographed by Andrew Moore.

Its images of refined architecture in a teeming tropical setting, everything fallen into elegant decay, were utterly riveting and eerily beautiful. It's all faded grandeur and color-saturated rubble, like modern ruins populated by a proud -- albeit desperately poor -- people.

Take a look inside:

I would so love to visit Havana someday -- especially with our beloved former almost-next-door-neighbor and Cuban native, Patri, as our guide. (Patri, we miss you!)

In the meantime, I'll make due by soaking up these breathtaking images and dreaming of Cuba.

Check out Inside Havana right here.

And here are some other books about Cuban architecture that are going on my wish list:

* Cuba: 400 Years of Architectural Heritage, by Rachel Carley and Andrea Brizzi

* Cuban Elegance, by Michael Connors and Bruce Buck

* Havana, by Robert Palidori

* The Houses of Old Cuba, by Llilian Llanes and Jean-Luc De Laguarigue

* Living in Cuba, by Simon McBride and Alexandra Black