“Praise be!” It has been 34 years since the controversial, and even banned novel, The Handmaid’s Tale was published (1985), and on September 10, 2019, Margaret Atwood published its sequel, The Testaments. Her latest novel has already garnered critical praise and was named to the shortlist for the Booker Prize.

As a die hard Star Wars fan I will always find new ways to learn more about the universe George Lucas created, including cosplaying as Princess Leia herself. It is one of my favorite things to do, and in order to add more to my portrayal of this great heroine, I read the book Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray.

Cixin Liu’s latest work, Supernova Era (launching this October & published by Tor Books), begins with a terrifying event—eight light-years from Earth, a dying star explodes into a supernova. Undetected by the world’s astrophysicists, the Earth takes a direct hit from massive waves of radiation, with disastrous effects rippling across the globe.

Going into reading Ubik, all I knew was that Philip K. Dick was its author and that it was some kind of science fiction. Unlike other editions of the book, the cover of my copy shows not a spray can of the eponymous substance, but a mix of strange, colorful, clipart-y images. I was so ready to get reading what promised to be a mind-bending sci-fi tale.

For fans of 21st-century Doctor Who, few characters have left an impact the way Captain Jack Harkness has. Played by the incomparable John Barrowman and introduced in 2005's "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances," he's gone on to be a sizable presence through numerous appearances, a spin-off series in the form of Torchwood, and even a mention in the 50th-anniversary special. He's also found a home on audio, with Barrowman reprising the role for Big Finish Productions since their Torchwood range kicked off in 2015. Even so, there are parts of this immortal wanderer's life left unaccounted for still, opening up new storytelling avenues. The Lives of Captain Jack offers up just such opportunities, and the second set, released in June 2019, also gives Jack a chance to do something he'd never get to do on-screen: interact with one of the Doctors from classic Who.

Stephen Hawking made the statement, “Intelligence is central to what it means to be human.” This statement stood out to me because I never really thought about intelligence that way, it was just something we have. I feel like it can also be central to non-human animals because there are many of them that are extremely intelligent(not my dog though he is dumb, but I love him).

Hawking postulates, "The clock and its movements are, of course, entirely symbolic but I feel compelled to point out that such an alarming warning from other scientists, prompted at least in part by the election of Donald Trump, must be taken seriously.” This statement stood out to me because I agree that the election of Donald Trump as president was terrible and it felt like it is speeding up the end of the world.

Well, it's not quite rock 'n' roll, but there's definitely crucial music in Tobias Cabral's short 2009 novel (136 pages) Night Music, which is all about what happens at Zubrin Base on Mars.

In terms of this chapter, I do believe that time travel is currently not real, but I think there is still a chance that it might exist one day. I personally do not think we will ever see it actually made and used in our lifetime. Compared to aliens, God, etc… I think time travel is on the bottom of the list of being real. Hawking made the statement that, “In science fiction, space and time warps are commonplace. They are used for rapid journeys around the galaxy or for travel through time.” This statement stood out to me because there are so many movies and shows that use time travel. The most recent I’ve seen are Avengers: Endgame and Supernatural.

One of the statements Hawking made was, “They offer to behave better or be kinder if only they can get an A-grade for a course or pass their driving test.” This statement stood out to me because I am definitely going to pray to God that I pass my IB exams and get my IB diploma because it is something I want very much; although, I am not sure what I would do as an exchange because I am honestly a pretty good person, but we can all improve.

The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield is a riveting adventure novel that uses the tale of one man's adventure through the virgin forests and ancient ruins of Peru in search of an ancient manuscript, which details an impending mass spiritual awakening on Earth. Not only does this manuscript predict a mass spiritual awakening, but it also lists the sequence in which it will happen at the individual level. The concepts of the insights cannot be grasped until the previous insight is fully understood... and the sequence is essential. Upon learning each Insight, you get a glimpse of a plethora of information that it seems you have suppressed some place deep in your soul, and the resonance of the knowledge comes flowing into you like ancient memories. The mystery of the Universe feels like less of a mystery and the steps forward seem refreshingly clear.

Yes, I agree that the universe had a beginning, but I am not entirely sure what that beginning looks like. I am looking forward to future scientific discoveries that can shed a light on how exactly this universe came to be and why we are here. One specific statement I would like to expand upon is, “We don’t expect the universe to end in a brick wall, although there’s no logical reason why it couldn’t." This statement stood out to me because it is completely true; there is absolutely no reason why the universe could not end right now at this exact moment. That is to an extent crazy to think about because if the universe ends right now there are a lot of things I would never have gotten the chance to do or see; I wouldn’t have traveled or gone to college or seen my niece grow up. I do not want to die before I achieve all these things, but there is no reason why the entire universe couldn’t just stop at this very second. I don’t really know where I was going with this, but it is crazy to think my life and the life of everything I love could end instantly.