An Ex to Grind

Type: Prose

Genre: Fiction (Chic Lit.)

Author: Jane Heller

Year Published: 2005

Main Characters: Melanie Banks -financial planner, ex-wife of Dan Swain

Dan Swain - pro football player, ex-husband of Melanie Banks

Evan - attractive painter; neighbor of Melanie

Leah - veterinarian; Dan's girlfriend

Desiree - matchmaker

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Summary

Manhattan financial planner Melanie Banks is pissed off. She has gotten divorced from his pro football player ex-husband Dan "Traffic" Swain but still trapped with him. She needs to share custody of their pet dog Buster. Plus, the alimony that she has to give him every month. It has been so stressing to her especially since her ex-husband doesn't even bother to look for a job and even spends her money recklessly. Because of that, she devised a plot to get rid of the alimony. The loophole in the arrangement which is the cohabitation clause that her husband needs to live with a woman for 90days. She then hired a matchmaker to set up her husband with another woman who happens to be Leah. Dan fell into the plan. In fact, he and Leah fell in love. Leah was able to motivate Dan and bring out good changes in him. Melanie noticed it and started to get caught in her own trap. She is falling in love again with Dan. Now she doesn't know how to clean the mess she just did. Will she pursue the plan or will she go after Dan?

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This novel is very witty and hilarious. You could easily relate to it since the setting is very much taken from the present time.

Jane Heller was successful in showing how a woman could be responsible for the success and downfall of her man. How a woman could do things that man could also do. Yet, she also showed that a woman is still a human being capable of being weak and getting hurt.

I can say that this novel is a perfect after-break-up read to all women out there. the story teaches us about moving on. letting go and taking chances.

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Memorable lines from the book


"You can’t have a marriage between strangers.” - Melanie Banks


"It isn’t possible to love two women. Not in the same way at the same time." - Evan


"What makes ordinary people heroic is when they give up the thing they want most." - Evan

Angels and Demons

Type: Prose
Genre: Fiction
Author: Dan Brown
Year Published: 2000
Main Characters: Robert Langdon - a Harvard professor of symbology
Leonardo Vetra - a scientist and priest who works at CERN and
invented antimatter
Vittoria Vetra - a scientist and adopted daughter of Leonardo
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca - the Papal chamberlain who was
in command when the Pope died
Cardinal Saverio Mortati - eldest cardinal in the conclave
Maximilian Kohler - director of CERN

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Summary

Due to the death of Leonardo Vetra, Robert Langdon was called by CERN's Maximilian Kohler to verify the symbol in the victim's chest. With enough knowledge on symbols, Langdon was surprised to see that the one on the victim's chest is authentic. But, he is still confused as to whether the suspected secret society is really the one responsible for it. After the revelation of some evidence and discovery that the antimatter was missing, it was then that Langdon confirmed that the ancient brotherhood Illuminati must have done the crime. With that, Langdon together with Vittoria was taken to Vatican City where they find themselves helping the Church in stopping the explosion of antimatter and finding the four missing cardinals (Preferiti). As their search continue, a lot of new information on the brotherhood and its symbols are unveiled. And, so many shocking secrets and stories start to unfold too.

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Probably one of the greatest and most controversial books of the century. Dan Brown was more than successful in getting everyone's attention through his novel. The existence of the locations in the story along with some facts captured the readers' interest and made them get hooked to the book. In fact, you'll get so engrossed in reading it that you won't even notice that you have almost reached the end.

The plot is not like those of any other mystery novels. There is a twist in every chapter. And I bet you would never be able to predict the ending unless of course, it's your second time to read the book already.

It is impressive how Brown was able to come up with such fiction. How he was inspired to create a story on the famous places of Vatican. He must really have a very 'illuminated' mind to be able to produce a very bold imagination for the future of the Church, and Science.

***

Memorable lines from the book


“Religion is like language or dress. We gravitate toward the practices with which we were raised. In the end, though, we are all proclaiming the samething. That life has meaning. That we are grateful for the power that created us.” -Vittoria Vetra

"Faith is universal. Our specific methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. In the end we are all just searchingfor truth, that which is greater than ourselves." -Vittoria Vetra

“Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.” -Vittoria Vetra

"You are misguided. A church is more than mortar and stone. You cannot simply erase two thousand years of faith . . . any faith. You cannot crush faith simply by removingits earthly manifestations" - Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca

“Science can heal, or science can kill. It depends on the soul of the man using the science. It is the soul that interests me.” -Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca

Angkan ni Eba

Type: Prose

Genre: Fiction

Author: Nonon Villaluz Carandang

Publisher: UST Publishing House

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(review also published in The Varsitarian Vol. LXXVII, No. 6, October 28, 2005 )

WALANG bukod tanging salitang makapaglalarawan sa lahat ng kababaihan. Bagaman madalas ikabit ang mga katagang mayumi, mahinhin, maarte at maganda sa mga ka-baro ni Eba, hindi pa rin sapat ang mga ito upang lubusang ipakilala ang tunay na katuhan ng mga babae.

Sa “Angkan ni Eba,” isang lipon ng mga maiikling kwentong isinulat ni Ernesto Villaluz Carandang II na nagtapos ng Literature sa Unibersidad, masasalamin ang pagiging misteryoso ng mga babae. Umiikot ang tema ng mga kwento sa mga aspeto ng buhay kung saan nagiging kapantay ng mga babae ang mga lalaki. Inihahain ng bawat bida ang mga saloobin ng mga kababaihan sa iba’t ibang sitwasyon, lugar at panahon. Taglay ng bawat kuwento ang iba’t ibang kababaihang may angkin na mga kahanga-hangang pagkatao.

Sa nobeletang “Las Ingratas” matutunghayan ang kuwento ni Clara, isang kakaibang dalagang punung-puno ng hiwaga ang pagkatao. Malalim mag-isip si Clara at lagi rin siyang nag-iisa. Ika nga ni Clara sa isang bahagi ng nobeleta, “Ako ang bahaging nagsusumbong sa kalikasan. Ang nagwawaksi sa kagandahan ng mundo dahil sa aking kapalarang mabuhay nang mag-isa. Nais kong maging butil na muling uusbong sa pagsisimula nang panibagong buhay.”

Subalit nagbago ang lahat nang nanilbihan siya kina Don Miguel at Doña Benilda. Doon sa hacienda ng mag-asawa natagpuan ni Clara ang pag-ibig. Ipinapamalas din ng nobeleta na laging biktima ng mapang-aping lipunan ang kababaihan. Hindi nagbabago ang tingin sa kanila bilang mga taga-aliw, mga pag-aari at mga laruan. Gayunpaman, nagawa pa ring itaas ni Carandang ang imahe ng mga babae sa pamamagitan ng katauhan ng kanyang bidang si Clara.

Binabalanse ni Clara ang kahinaan at katatagan na makikita sa mga tauhang babae sa kwento. Sa unang basa, mapagkakamalang isang karaniwang babae rin lamang si Clara subalit habang patuloy sa pag-usad ang mga pangyayari, unti-unti ring nalalantad ang kanyang pagkatao.

Simula pa lamang, nababalot na ng misteryo ang nobeleta. Laman ng bawat kabanata ang mga pira-pirasong pangyayari sa nakaraan na muling binabalikan ng bida. Masasabing kahanga-hanga ang kakaibang balangkas ng kwento lalo pa at ito ang unang aklat na nailimbag ng may-akda. Binibigyang katarungan ng balangkas ang hindi maipaliwanag na takbo ng utak ng mga kababaihan.

Ipinapakita rin sa ilang bahagi ng nobeleta na sadyang makapangyarihan ang mga babae.

Kakaiba at mahirap basahin ang kanilang pag-iisip kung kaya’t ito ang nagsisilbi nilang sandata laban sa mga tusong kalalakihan. Ang talas ng pag-iisip at lakas ni Clara ang kanyang ginamit upang pabagsakin ang malaking hadlang sa katuparan ng kanyang minimithi.

Katulad din ni Clara ang bida sa maikling kwentong “Soledad”. Isang ordinaryong may-bahay si Soledad na walang ibang ninais kundi ang tratuhin nang maayos ng kanyang asawang itinuturing niyang isang anghel. Pinagbibigyan niya ang lahat ng gusto nito kahit pa nagpapalit anyo bilang halimaw ang anghel na kanyang tinitingala.

Aniya, “Mahal ko ang anghel. Galit ako sa halimaw sa tuwing magbabago ang tingin ng anghel sa akin. Ilang ulit kong iminungkahi sa kanyang hindi ko kaya ang palagiang pagbabago niya sa anyong halimaw. Pero ganoon pa rin, hindi siya lumulubay.”

Hindi nawalan ng pag-asa si Soledad na magbabago pa ang kanyang asawa hanggang sa dumating ang puntong hindi na niya kinaya pa ang kalupitan nito. Nakapagpasya siyang putulin ang sungay ng halimaw na lumalamon sa pagkatao ng kanyang anghel.

Isang gabi nang umuwi ang kanyang asawa, ginawa ni Soledad ang lahat ng gusto nito. Pinagbigyan niya ang kalupitan at sakit na idinudulot ng lalaki. Gayunpaman, nahulog sa bitag ang kanyang asawa. Nalinlang niya ang halimaw at nagawa niyang makatakas matapos tuldukan ang kasamaan nito.

Kapansin-pansin na nagawa pa ring natural at babaeng-babae ang dating ng mga tauhan kahit lalaki ang may-akda ng mga kwento. Nagsisilbing malaking tulong ang detalyadong paglalarawan sa mga kilos at ugali ng mga tauhan.

Sa kabuuan, kahit makikitang mahina ang mga babae sa ilang mga bagay at aspeto ng buhay, nananatili pa rin silang matatag at lumalaban. Hindi dahilan ang pagiging babae ng isang tao upang manatili na lamang itong nakasiksik sa isang tabi. Ang “Angkan ni Eba” ang isang magandang halimbawa ng larawan ng kababaihang bumabangon matapos nitong bumagsak.