Review: Doctor Who: A Handful of Stardust (Time Trips) by Jake Arnott

Title: Doctor Who: A Handful of Stardust
Series: Time Trips

Author: Jake Arnott

Publication Date: April 3rd, 2014

Publisher: BBC Digital

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 45

ISBN13: 1448141850

Source: ARC from Publisher

Rating:

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
The TARDIS is diverted to England in 1572, and the Sixth Doctor and Peri meet John Dee - 'mathematician, astrologer, alchemist, magician, and the greatest mind of our time'. ('Only of your time?', the Doctor asks, unimpressed.) But what brought them here? When the Doctor discovers that Dee and his assistant have come across a 'great disturbance in the cosmos, in the constellation of Cassiopeia,' he realizes that they are all in terrible danger.

A | B&N | Gr

Jake Arnott was born in 1961 in Buckinghamshire, England. He is best known for his trilogy of crime novels, which recreate the post-war heyday of the London gangland scene and its attendant ‘showbiz’ associations, brilliantly evoked and by turns glamorous or seedy.

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  A Handful of Stardust is a short story in the Time Trips series from BBC books.  I have taken a keen interest in these Doctor Who stories as of late.  I will be doing a review on a different short story every Wednesday until the month of the premier of the new season of Doctor Who.  A Handful of Stardust was the first in this string of reviews and the first Doctor Who short story I have ever read.  Going into it I didn’t quite know what to expect but I found that the short story format lends itself more readily to the Doctor Who Universe because it follows the same rhythm as the episodes.  Every page is action and no filler, just like a short story should be.

A Handful of Stardust follows the story of the 6^th Doctor and Peri as they get pulled out of time and space by John Dee and his assistant Thomas.  It doesn’t take long before he realizes there is something dark afoot in post Dark-age England.  Someone has given John Dee futuristic technology and is manipulating his thirst for forbidden knowledge.  Someone who is described as being in between a bachelor and a doctor... In case you hadn’t guessed, the Doctor’s old nemesis, “The Master” has come back to play and the fate of the world (as usual) is in the balance. 

Jake Arnott was successful in dealing with some pretty heady issues in a very interesting way.   Imperialism, human nature and even the church are some of the topics discussed.  There’s an especially interesting scene where the master and Peri and Thomas (John Dee’s assistant) argue over the imperialism of England and the settling of the Americas.  The Doctor and John Dee also have some lively debates that I thoroughly enjoyed.  The plot itself was inventive and engaging but could have used a couple more pages of fleshing out.  I know that it is difficult to do in a short story format but I would have enjoyed a little more conflict and character interaction.  Over all, I would re-read this book in the future.  I would recommend it to any Doctor Who fan or sci fi guru and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

Review: What's In Your 24? by Dana Simone Stovall

Title: What's In Your 24?

Author: Dana Simone Stovall

Publication Date: May 29, 2013

Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.

Genre: Self-help/Time Management

Pages: 60

Source: Paperback from Publisher

Rating: 

Synopsis (from Publisher): Are you a woman who wants to create a “new normal” in your life? If so, What’s In Your 24? is for you! This radical lifestyle guide will help you live happier, get fit from the inside out, take control of your destiny, and live your life without excuses. It will make you laugh and empower you. Learn how to love yourself more completely, prioritize your thoughts, be more selfish with your time, and quiet the chatter around you. This guide also offers 24 Time Efficiency Tips that promise to help you maximize your day and effortlessly exercise at least three times a day. 

Intentionally written in 60 concise pages—three chapters that will change your life forever—What’s In Your 24? shouldn’t take more than 60 minutes to read. It shouldn’t take more than 60 seconds to make the decision to change your life, and no more than 24 hours to begin making that transformation. With such a small commitment and a large payoff, why not learn how to get things done...without getting outdone? 

You can only play the game of life once, so make your own rules, and play it the way you want to!

 

Dana Simone Stovall is a bank examiner with the FDIC, founder of Destiny’s Door consulting company, a basketball/cheer/dance/PTA/track mom, an active & life member of the National Alumni Association at Wiley College, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a dedicated mentor, an officer of a Toastmasters International club, and a 25-year supporter & volunteer of UNCF. She has created a daily routine to stay healthy and physically fit—without excuses and without allowing others to hijack her To Do list. Simone resides in Aurora, Illinois, with her daughter, Destiny Subira Stovall, and her cat, Dominion ShakaZulu Stovall. Dana Simone can be contacted via Facebook, Twitter (whznur24), LinkedIN, and FourSquare.

For more information, visit http://outskirtspress.com/whatsinyour24

"...I learned from motivational speaker Jonathan Sprinkles that knowledge isn't power at all, but applied knowledge is power."

     What's in Your 24? is a self-help book to get you organized and motivated. Dana Simone Stovall efficiently lays out a plan that allows us to juggle all the tasks that life requires of us, while also finding time to get fit. And the best part? She fit all of her little tips into 60 pages. Finally, someone who realizes that if you're going to write a book about time management, your book itself needs to fit into this category as well!

      I found that Miss Stovall had some excellent points in this book, like finding time for yourself when it seems you're drowning yourself in people-pleasing or, of course, many of her "Time Efficiency Tips". I especially like the idea of writing motivation on the bathroom mirror! There is also scripture included with each segment. You will find some tips that will help you create time to work out and stay fit while still taking your kids to practice or getting them to do homework.

     I think the only thing I didn't really like was that although there are several pieces of good advice in this book, I felt like it was almost too self-centered. What I mean is, if we are applying scripture to our daily habits, then I think it's also important to remember that God comes first, and we come second. Like Mary Kay Ash laid out as principal for us: God first. Family second. Career third. There were a few times in this book where it was literally said that "we come first". I understand the need for us to weed out the people-pleasing in our lives. I'm just as guilty as the next woman of getting caught in that trap, but if we're going to be applying The Word to the reinvention of ourselves, then we need to truly apply it, not just fit it in wherever we want to. I think this could be misconstrued as making us a little too much in control of our lives and being dependent on ourselves rather than the Creator. If there was a little more focus on that aspect, I probably would've given this 5 stars.

     If you're looking for a time-efficient Self-Help book to use as a guideline and a motivator, then I would recommend What's In Your 24? I will definitely be applying many of these principals to my daily life, but I think I'll trade the lipstick for an actual marker meant for writing on mirrors. ;)

Git 'er done,