What I'm Reading || Next Year in Havana - Southern State of Mind Blog by Heather

Last March in my birthday bucket list post, I set a goal to read at least eight books every year and started tracking them here as part of our Southern State of Mind Book Club. For 2020, I set the goal for 12 books – one a month. I am a little behind on the year as I have read a total of two books so far. When the social distancing orders came, I had big plans to get some reading done, but I have found it to be even harder to accomplish that lately! Partly because the house is always bustling, but honestly it’s mostly just due to the fact that I have NOT been able to focus or concentrate on much of anything the past two weeks. However, I do feel that this is shifting as we have settled into our new normal, and hope to start another book very soon.

Have you been able to get some reading done? I would love to hear about your recent favorites! If you are looking for some recommendations, below are a recap of this year so far as well as all of my books from 2019 at the bottom.

Next Year in Havana– Chanel Cleeton

I love reading historical fictions and this was the first book on the topic of the Cuban revolution I have read. I enjoyed the way the author told the story from two different generational points of view and found myself googling topics as I read it to learn more. There is a second book in this series called When We Left Cuba and I am thrilled to be able to continue the story with these characters and topics.

After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity—and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution… Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba’s high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country’s growing political unrest—until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary… Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa’s last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth. Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba’s tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she’ll need the lessons of her grandmother’s past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.