Mariquita reviewed by Rico Diaz

              This is an interesting and tragic story for anyone, especially any local from Guam. The book, Mariquita, is basically about a young lady growing up in pre-WWII Guam, who finds a nice, young, American navy man and marries him only to be torn apart from him a couple years later when Japanese troops storm the beaches of Guam and hold the island captive, thus commencing WWII in the Pacific, along with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on the same day.

            The story is interesting but just lacks certain qualities that are quite noticeable throughout the book. The way the author puts the story, he bounces around throughout the story to different topics and kind of loses you. Some grammatical errors are made, which means they have failed to properly edit and revise the story. The whole book just fails to pull you in and experience the hardship that Mariquita was going through. It’s disappointing in a way that you want a book on Guam to be perfect and a good read. With this book, it’s just impossible. I found myself at times struggling to read on because of my lack of being entertained.

            So for those looking for a good read, this is one that I do not recommend. Instead, if you’re one who does not care and just wants to read a book on a true Guam story for a sense of pride, then this is an appropriate read. Overall the book lacks many things but there’s still a little to be interested and worth the time to read.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown reviewed by Rico Diaz

For me, this was the first time I’ve EVER read, completed, and liked a book that was 400+  pages. If I’m able to read a book like this then I think others will definitely fall in love with it. This book is an absolute awesome read. The simplicity and nature combined with the twists and suspense creates an easy and enjoyable one. The opening of the story catches your attention from the beginning. What better way to open a book then a mysterious murder?

            As the book begins, Jacquiese Sauniere, a curator at a famous museum, is hunted down and killed by an unknown assassin at the time. As he is left to die and with little time that he has, he leaves behind mysterious and bewildering signs and symbols that stump even the most sophisticated minds. Among those minds are a famous author and symbologist, Robert Langdon, and Sophie Neveu. Together they must find what happened to the curator and what all the symbols mean. What awaits them, they have no idea.

            As the storyline unfolds, you are just drawn into the story more and more. It’s a pretty addictive book and catches you off guard with every twist that the author throws in. Finishing this book, I absolutely recommend it to anyone of high school status or just anybody that likes a good thriller and suspense. The book does have subtle comedic texts that I found very interesting considering how much it catches you off guard. Overall, it’s a great read and one that you’d enjoy reading anytime you get the chance.