The children of world leaders are held hostage in an attempt to keep the peace in this “slyly humorous, starkly thought-provoking” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel.

Greta is a Duchess and a Crown Princess. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Start a war and your hostage dies.

The system has worked for centuries. Parents don’t want to see their children murdered.

Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. His rebellion opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.

Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to deliver punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed...unless Greta can think of a way to break all the rules.

New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu called Taken, Erin Bowman's debut novel, "an action-packed thrill ride from beginning to end." The action and suspense rise to explosive new heights inForged, the epic conclusion to the Taken trilogy—and the perfect next read for fans ofThe Maze Runner and Gone.

Gray Weathersby knows the truth about the Laicos Project, the Order, and the Forgeries—and he knows they must be stopped. But each generation of Forgeries is deadlier than the one before, and now even the most familiar faces—including the girl Gray loves—can't be trusted. To make a stand against the Order, Gray will have to risk it all.

Dopo quattro secoli di apocalittici stravolgimenti climatici e catastrofiche guerre di sopravvivenza, il mondo è finalmente in pace: traguardo raggiunto nel dominio inflessibile di Talis, onnipotente, incombente, inquietante, super-Intelligenza Artificiale. Strumento del dominio i Precettori, collegi nei quali vengono ospitati i 'prigionieri della pace', i figli e le figlie primogeniti dei governanti delle nuove nazioni della Terra. Ostaggi non a caso perché, alla minaccia di un nuovo conflitto, saranno proprio loro i primi a pagarne il prezzo estremo. Garanzia di Talis e delle sue inflessibili 'regole'. Greta Gustafsen Stuart, principessa ereditaria della Confederazione Pan-polare, è pronta a obbedire con coscienza e a morire con dignità. È questo che viene insegnato al Precetttorio 4 da uno stuolo di sinistri docenti in bilico tra uomo e macchina, ed è questo che impongono le regole di Talis. Fino a quando l'arrivo di un nuovo ostaggio, il giovane, temerario, incontrollabile Elián Palnik, proveniente dall'alleanza del Cumberland, getta le radici di un vero e proprio sovvertimento di un dominio tanto efficiente quanto raggelante.

Audie Award Finalist, Mystery, 2013

As thirty-fifth in line for the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch knows her table manners. It’s forks on the left, knives on the right—not in His Grace, the duke’s back…

I have been entrusted by Her Majesty with grooming Jack Altringham—the duke’s newly discovered heir fresh from the Outback of Australia—for high society. The upside is I am to live in luxury at one of England’s most gorgeous stately homes. But upon my arrival, my dearest Darcy has been sent to fetch Jack, leaving me stuck in a manor full of miscreants displeased with the discovery of my new ward.

No sooner has the lad been retrieved than the duke announces he wants to choose his own heir. Then after quite the hubbub, Jack’s hunting knife somehow finds its way into the duke’s back. Eyes fall, backs turn, and fingers point to the young heir. As if the rascal weren’t enough of a handful, now he’s suspected of murder. Jack may be wild, but I’d bet the crown jewels it wasn’t he who killed the duke…

Diet just 2 days a week to drop the pounds and dodge type 2 diabetes!

In a recent study, researchers in the UK found that restricting carbohydrates just two days per week was superior to a standard, daily calorie-restricted diet for both reducing weight (about 9 pounds lost vs 5 pounds) and lowering insulin levels (reduced by 22% vs 4 %). Based on this and other research indicating that safe weight loss is the key to reversing and preventing diabetes,Reader's Digest has partnered with registered dietitian and diabetes expert Erin Palinski to distill the latest science to create an easy-to-follow plan that allows people with diabetes to have their cake—and other carbs—and still keep their blood sugar under control.

A diagnosis of diabetes can be overwhelming and frightening, and even many of those who have lived with diabetes for years often struggle with the question of what they can eat.The 2-Day Diabetes Diet makes it simple—there are no forbidden foods and no carb-counting. You just need to restrict what you eat for 2 days a week—and research suggests you will see the pounds drop off, your blood sugar levels stabilize, and your waist shrink.

On those 2 days a week, you follow the low-carb “Power Burn” program, and consume approximately 600 calories of selected foods. What does that look like on your plate? How about a 2-egg omelet with onions and peppers plus yogurt for breakfast; a hearty bowl of carrot soup plus fresh fruit for lunch; meatloaf and broccoli for dinner with milk; and a cup of sweet grapes for a snack? Or Canadian bacon and spinach for breakfast with a cup of milk; vegetable soup and half a banana topped with peanut butter for lunch; grilled chicken and zucchini over pasta for dinner; and an orange with a cup of milk for a snack. With real delicious food filling your tummy, you won’t believe it all adds up to only about 600 calories.

For the rest of the week, you follow a delicious 1500-calorie-a-day Mediterranean-style eating plan—we call these “Nourishment” days. You can enjoy a bounty of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and even a few treats.

The book will include:

• A 2-week day-by-day meal plan that lays out sample Power Burn and Nourishment days
• More than 60 meal options, including restaurant and frozen food options, so you can customize the menus to your taste and lifestyle
• More than 50 delicious diabetes-friendly recipes
• An optional easy walking and strength-training program to boost results even more
• Stress-reducing exercises to help you ward off cravings and reduce hunger
• Success stories from the 10 men and women who tried the plan with amazing results!

The plan is designed to be flexible—you can do your Power Burn days whenever works for you, and you can personalize almost any meal to suit your tastes—and will work for both people with type 2 diabetes and those at risk.

In the future, the UN has brought back an ancient way to keep the peace. The children of world leaders are held hostage—if a war begins, they pay with their lives.

Greta is the Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy, a superpower formed of modern-day Canada. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. The hostages are Talis’s strategy to keep the peace: if her country enters a war, Greta dies.

The system has worked for centuries. Parents don’t want to see their children murdered.

Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. Greta is furious that Elian has disrupted their quiet, structured world. But slowly, his rebellion opens her eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.

Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to mete out punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed...unless Greta can think of a way to save them.

New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu called Taken, Erin Bowman's debut novel, 'an action-packed thrill ride from beginning to end.' The action and suspense rise to explosive new heights in Forged, the epic conclusion to the Taken trilogy—and the perfect next read for fans of sci-fi survival series like the Maze Runner and Gone.

Gray Weathersby knows the truth about the Laicos Project, the Order, and the Forgeries. And they all must be stopped. But with each generation of Forgeries deadlier than the one before, the most familiar faces—and even the girl he loves—can't be trusted. To make a stand against the Order, Gray will have to be ready to risk it all.

A delectable prequel to the national bestselling Royal Spyness mysteries featuring Lady Georgiana Rannoch—thirty forth in line to the throne, and England’s poorest heiress.

At the end of her first unsuccessful season out in society, Lady Georgiana has all but given up on attracting a suitable man—until she receives an invitation to a masked Halloween ball at Broxley Manor. Georgie is uncertain why she was invited, until she learns that the royal family intends to marry her off to a foreign prince, one reputed to be mad.

When the prince, dressed as the devil, rescues her from an embarrassing situation at the ball, Georgie is surprised to find her unwanted suitor to be a dashing, charming man—especially when he pulls her aside and gives her the kiss of a lifetime. But as the time comes for the unmasking, Georgie’s rescuer vanishes and the party is thrown into chaos, making it clear that everything at Broxley Manor is not as it appears.…

Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 35th in line for the British throne, knows how to play the part of an almost royal—but now she's off to Hollywood, where she must reprise her role as sleuth or risk starring in an all-too-convincing death scene.…

My mother, the glamorous and much-married actress, is hearing wedding bells once again—which is why she must hop across the pond for a quickie divorce in Reno. To offer my moral support, and since all expenses are paid by her new hubby-to-be, Max, I agree to make the voyage with her.

Crossing the Atlantic, with adventure in the air and wealthy men aboard, Mother all but forgets about Max and matrimony—especially when movie mogul Cy Goldman insists on casting her in his next picture.

Meanwhile, I find myself caught up in the secret investigation of a suspected jewel thief. Lucky for me, the lead investigator happens to be my dashing beau, Darcy!

Mother's movie and Darcy's larceny lead everyone to Cy's Hollywood home, where the likes of Charlie Chaplin are hanging about and there’s enough romantic intrigue to fill a double feature. But we hardly get a chance to work out the sleeping arrangements before Cy turns up dead—as if there wasn’t enough drama already.

The second book in Erin Bowman's gripping Taken trilogy, Frozen, will thrill fans of dystopian sci-fi series like Michael Grant's Gone and James Dashner's The Maze Runner.

Gray Weathersby has escaped Claysoot and uncovered the truth behind the Laicos Project and the Order's twisted plans. Determined to fight back, his small group of rebels is on the hunt for more answers and more allies—a search that will take them on a harrowing journey across a frozen wasteland, and even deeper into a world built on the Order's lies.

In Frozen, discover more of the nonstop action and riveting plot twists that made Marie Lu,New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy, call Taken "an action-packed thrill ride from beginning to end."

In sixteen concise chapters on key topics, this book provides a rich, authoritative, and up-to-date introduction to Islamic political thought from the birth of Islam to today, presenting essential background and context for understanding contemporary politics in the Islamic world and beyond. Selected from the acclaimed Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought, and focusing on the origins, development, and contemporary importance of Islamic political ideas and related subjects, each chapter offers a sophisticated yet accessible introduction to its topic. Written by leading specialists and incorporating the latest scholarship, the alphabetically arranged chapters cover the topics of authority, the caliphate, fundamentalism, government, jihad, knowledge, minorities, modernity, Muhammad, pluralism and tolerance, the Qur'an, revival and reform, shari?a (sacred law), traditional political thought, 'ulama' (religious scholars), and women. Read separately or together, these chapters provide an indispensable resource for students, journalists, policymakers, and anyone else seeking an informed perspective on the complex intersection of Islam and politics.

The contributors are Gerhard Bowering, Ayesha S. Chaudhry, Patricia Crone, Roxanne Euben, Yohanan Friedmann, Paul L. Heck, Roy Jackson, Wadad Kadi, John Kelsay, Gudrun Krämer, Ebrahim Moosa, Armando Salvatore, Aram A. Shahin, Emad El-Din Shahin, Devin J. Stewart, SherAli Tareen, and Muhammad Qasim Zaman.

A new afterword discusses the essays in relation to contemporary political developments.

Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England, is penniless and trying to survive on her own as an ordinary person in London in 1932.

So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg... She's gate-crashed a wedding... She's making money by secretly cleaning houses... And she's been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub... and someone is definitely trying to kill her.

Lady Georgiana Rannoch has once again been called into service by Her Majesty the Queen. This time she's sent to Nice on a secret assignment that's nothing to sneeze at: recover the Queen's stolen snuff box.

As much of an honor as it is to be trusted by Her Majesty, an even greater honor awaits Georgie in Nice—as Coco Chanel herself asks Georgie to model her latest fashion. But when a necklace belonging to the Queen is stolen on the catwalk, Georgie has to find two priceless items—and solve a murder. How's a girl to find any time to go to the casino?

With its posh clientele in the country for the summer, Georgie's housecleaning business has fizzled. So she tries hiring herself out as a dinner and theatre companion. But her first client has quite the wrong idea.

To avoid further scandal, Georgie's shipped home to Castle Rannoch, where her summer plans include honoring a promise to Her Majesty to keep Castle Rannoch's divorced houseguest from seducing the Prince of Wales. She's also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard with a top-secret mission—namely keeping an eye on the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince. And Georgie must manage all this without strangling her odious sister-in-law Fig or spineless brother Binky.

The Queen of England has concocted a plan in which penniless aristocrat Lady Georgie is to entertain a Bavarian princess and conveniently place her in the playboy prince's path, in the hopes that he might finally marry.

But queens never take money into account. Georgie has very little, which is why she moonlights as a maid-in-disguise. She must draw up plans: clean house to make it look like a palace; have Granddad and her neighbor pretend to be the domestic staff; un-teach Princess Hanni the English she's culled from American gangster movies; cure said princess of her embarrassing shoplifting habit; and keep an eye on her at parties.

Then there's the worrying matter of the body in the bookshop and Hanni's unwitting involvement with the Communist Party. It's enough to drive a girl crazy.