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Saikano: The Last Love Song on this little planet Manga Review Saikano is one of the best mangas ever written. It is about the romance between Shuji and Chise, the Ultimate Weapon. The story behind the creation of the manga is a bit odd. Shin Takahashi was riding on the bus. He suddenly saw a sign that said, “Ultimate Weapon”.   This made him think about his wife, for some odd reason. He wondered what it would be like to be dating the Ultimate Weapon. From there, he developed the manga Saikano. The story is told mainly from the point of...

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Bram Stoker Books Review Bram Stoker was an Irish, Gothic writer. He was influential in modernizing the concept of Vampires. Almost all the vampire movies and books draw on Bram Stoker for inspiration. The pity is considering that the vampire Carmilla predates Dracula. She also followed different rules and she was more akin to the concept of Revenants. Aside from Dracula, Bram Stoker wrote a series of macabre short stories. The first one ironically was about Dracula. All his books focus on the old world and superstition. It critiques modernists’ disdain of the old way. This is mostly noted in...

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La Casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca Play Review Lorca was a Spanish writer. He wrote during the early days of Franco's regime. His ideology and his sensual orientation did not match Franco's agenda. Thus, Franco disappeared this writer. No one has yet discovered whereabouts of Lorca's body. Anyhow, Lorca is mostly known for his poems and for his tragic plays. This play starts in medias res. It is the funeral of Bernarda Alba's last husband. The play introduces the main character in a terrible light. Basically, Bernarda Alba is a tyrannical matriarch. She has all her daughters...

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The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Recently I reread the novella Metamorphosis. I cannot help but identify with Gregor Samsa. Not in body, but in spirit. He used to be so self-sufficient and then he woke up one morning in the form of a hideous vermin. The first time I read it, I could half understand it. You need a certain degree of knowledge of the English language in order to understand it. In my opinion, it is better to read it in English than in Spanish. English is closer to the original German language. Thus, it makes for a better...

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I recently published a new book. La Casa is now available in both English and Spanish. The book chronicles then ups and downs of the Manso family. They have to tackle such mundane problems like black outs, hurricanes, sickness, ravenous dogs, thieves, bike accidents and moving to a new home. The story takes place in the 80s. It is loosely based on events from my childhood. I only lived in Cuba for about 5 years, so I didn’t have a lot of memories to work with. The book should give you a good idea of the life of an average,...

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