Angels and Demons- An intriguing thriller set in the backdrop of the Vatican city

Book: Angels and Demons

Author: Dan Brown
Genre: Historical Thriller

Angels and Demons is basically a historical thriller, speaking about technology, Catholicism and science. It portrays the character Robert Langdon as the hero of the story, running to save the Vatican city from a re-surged Brotherhood called the Illuminati. Langdon himself is a professor and expert of religious symbology at Harvard.
The plot begins with him waking up in the middle of the night by a call from CERN, a Swiss research faculty. He then discovers that Leonardo Vetra- a scientist and researcher at CERN has been murdered and branded with the word Illuminati. He gets the idea of the resurging brotherhood through the branded chest. A new discovery takes place when the dead researcher's daughter Vittoria Vetra arrives, that is- a precious new invention of  science - the antimatter that has energy more than nuclear bombs, has been stolen.  Langdon then runs runs to the Vatican city with Vittoria Vetra to save the Vatican, looking for clues, finding them on time. And like a treasure hunt, he, in the end finds the culprit. But the most interesting part of the story is obviously its end. The twist in the end, where the Camerlegno is discovered to be faulty is somewhat unexpected.
The development of characters has been done accurately well. Robert Langdon is the clever scholar, who finds clues and in the end his belief on his knowledge is deepened. Vittoria Vetra is a beautiful women who portrays a strong headed character, she is both intelligent and athletic. The most important development is in the character of Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca. His innocence in the beginning and then its development with time and story is great.
The story is interesting. It remains successful in holding the interest of the readers, except at some points where a single part is exaggerated unnecessarily. It makes the readers skip those parts. The end has been precisely and cleverly written. No guesses at all.  The book provides information from history but also dramatizes them. The conflict between science and God has been explained well. The concepts of good and evil in the book are worth reading from a moral point of view.
In short, it is a fascinating and intriguing book worth a read.

After the success of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown came up with another book in the Robert Langdon series.

Stars: 3.5/5

I'm Breaking Up With You!

Breakup is so cliche..everybody does that! Let's be a little practical and get separated in a better way. Let's go to a trip somewhere in the middle of nowhere, separately. Because after all..we want just that right!?Let's just get going without being tense or worried. Let's forget what we were doing, what job or which people we had, and what would be happening back there.
We have just one life in our hands..slipping like sand with each passing moment. So yes, I'm breaking up with you, with all the stress and anxiety, all those questions and quarrels. I'm breaking up with all those bullies and with those taunts. I'm breaking up with my older self, you are no longer allowed in my life.
So yes!! That's my idea of practically breaking up with someone or something..going on a holiday. Giving myself a break from my own self. Because you do not realize..but over time, you are cocooned by several layers of yourself that seem to protect you but are slowly and calmly suffocating you. One day..you'll be that claustrophobic being who would have no one to listen to. So shed those versions of yourself that are not you but manipulated copies of you, manipulated by the society, by work, by stress, responsibilities and the list goes on.
Give yourself a break because trust me!! you deserve it! So this is my idea..of individuality. What's yours??