The Rule

One afternoon, every single machine in sixteen-year-old Adam’s high school computer lab stops working. Outside, cars won’t start, phones are down, and a blackout is widespread. Soon Adam will discover that the problem has paralyzed not just his town but the whole country and beyond. As resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends, he will see that his suburban neighborhood must band together for protection. Violence will erupt and Adam will understand that having a police captain for a mother and a retired government agent living next door are not just the facts of his life but the keys to his survival. Set in the here and now but with a distinctly dystopian feel, this is Eric’s most exciting and commercial title yet!

In a world gone dark, life goes on for Adam and his fortified neighborhood of Eden Mills—even if the extreme steps taken by his battle-hardened mentor Herb, his police chief mom, and the other leaders in the name of security and survival are increasingly wrenching and questionable. But with renewed determination, Adam will follow Herb’s lead: he’ll do what it takes, he’ll make sense of having had to defeat the enemy in such awful ways. All that matters is that their suburban home is safe again—in a blackened world that still feels like a place worth living in. So when the next threat, more deadly and dangerous for being so unexpected, comes from within the walls, Adam isn’t ready for it. And soon the very person in whom this sixteen-year-old has placed all his hopes will pay the price, because of Adam’s mistakes, and mistaken trust.

In their world, telling the truth has become the most dangerous crime of all. In the near-future United States, a one-child policy is ruthlessly enforced. Everyone follows the Rule of One. But Ava Goodwin, daughter of the head of the Texas Family Planning Division, has a secret--one her mother died to keep and her father has helped to hide for her entire life. She has an identical twin sister, Mira. For eighteen years Ava and Mira have lived as one, trading places day after day, maintaining an interchangeable existence down to the most telling detail. But when their charade is exposed, their worst nightmare begins. Now they must leave behind the father they love and fight for their lives. Branded as traitors, hunted as fugitives, and pushed to discover just how far they'll go in order to stay alive, Ava and Mira rush headlong into a terrifying unknown.

Starr Media Second-Assistant Survival Guide 1. Don't call your hot boss the antichrist to his face. 2. Don't stare at hot boss's...um, package or his full sleeve of tattoos. (No. Really. Stop!) 3. Don't get on the malicious first assistant's bad side. 4. Don't forget to memorize the 300-page employee manual. 5. If you value your cashmere, steer clear of boss’s dog. 6. Boss’s dimples are lust-inducing. Do. Not. Give. In. 7. “The elevator ate your clothes” is not a valid excuse for showing up to important meetings half-dressed. 8. Don't break seven of the rules within the first week of employment if you’re in dire need of money to support your sick mom. 9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the boss. 10. Never forget the rules. Each book in the Rule Breakers series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order. Series Order: Book #1 The Rule Book Book #2 The Rule Maker

From ancient Mesopotamia to today, the epic story of how humans have used laws to forge civilizations Rulers throughout history have used laws to impose order. But laws were not simply instruments of power and social control. They also offered ordinary people a way to express their diverse visions for a better world. In The Rule of Laws, Oxford scholar Fernanda Pirie traces the rise and fall of the sophisticated legal systems underpinning ancient empires and religious traditions, while also showing how common people—tribal assemblies, merchants, farmers—called on laws to define their communities, regulate trade, and build civilizations. Although legal principles originating in Western Europe now seem to dominate the globe, the variety of the world’s laws has long been almost as great as the variety of its societies. What truly unites human beings, Pirie argues, is our very faith that laws can produce justice, combat oppression, and create order from chaos.

Consider the age-old question of how much you should save to enjoy a comfortable retirement: Are your knees knocking? Are you nervously biting your nails? In The Rule of 30 personal finance expert Frederick Vettese provides a surprising — and hopeful — answer. Through conversations between a young couple and their neighbor, a retired actuary, the couple and the reader discover: • How they would have fared had they been saving over various periods in the past, and how the future investment climate will differ • The problem with saving a constant percentage of pay • The Rule of 30 and why it is a more rational way to save • Whether investing in real estate is a viable alternative to investing in stocks The Rule of 30 changes the mindset from saving the same flat percentage of pay to saving when it is most convenient to your situation. In most cases, it means less saving early on while mortgage payments are high and children are costly, and more saving later. Saving for retirement is a high priority, but it is not the only priority in life. It is time to dispense with old myths like “just save 10% of your take-home pay.” The truth is we should save differently throughout our pre-retirement years — and The Rule of 30 is a road map for doing so.

"A commentary on parts of the Rule of St. Benedict (prologue and chapters 53, 58, 72, and 73)"--Provided by publisher.