For hundreds of years, the vampire Balthazar has been alone without allies, without love. When Balthazar agrees to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, he has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye newfound psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel, seductive master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Now Redgrave plans to use Skye powers for his own evil purposes. Balthazar will do whatever it takes to stop Redgrave and exact his long-awaited revenge against his killer. As Skye and Balthazar stand together to fight him, they grow closer first unwillingly, then undeniably. Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by her. . . . In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart.

Trust Works! How to build it How to keep it In this enlightening guide developed from his popular Trust Works! training program, #1 bestselling author and management guru Ken Blanchard turns his vast knowledge and insight to one of the most timely and complex issues that affects all areas of our lives. Once upon a time, a dog and a cat lived together with other animals and the humans who cared for them. But canine and feline did not trust each other a situation that led to fighting, backbiting, and sabotaging that soon affected the whole household. Unless their conflict was resolved, all of the pets would lose their home. Fortunately, a wise old parrot stepped in, teaching dog and cat the ABCDs of trust. As each became aware of the unconscious behaviors at the root of their hostility, dog and cat discovered how to change their behavior a mutual transformation that created a happy, productive environment for all. In Trust Works! Ken Blanchard applies that fable to real-life situations to show anyone how to get along better with those around them. He outlines his ABCD trust model and uses it to address the factors that lead to discord, including low morale, miscommunication, poor response to problems and issues, and dysfunctional leadership. In today polarized society, building trust and sustaining it has never been more important or seemingly elusive. Trust Works! provides a common language and essential skills that can replace dissension with peace and cooperation and help us all work together productively and in harmony.

The first book of a thrilling prequel arc in Erin Hunter's #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series! In the action-packed Dawn of the Clans arc, discover how the warrior Clans came to be. Long before Firestar left his kittypet home to join ThunderClan, a band of cats from the mountains set off on a dangerous journey in search of a new home. . . . Dawn of the Clans #1: The Sun Trail delivers all the epic adventure and thrilling fantasy that Warriors fans have come to expect. This prequel arc is the perfect introduction for new Warriors readers and a long-awaited tale of the origins of the Clans that will thrill dedicated Erin Hunter fans!

Create outstanding enterprise solutions around DocumentDB using the latest technologies and programming tools with Azure About This Book Get to know the concepts of DocumentDB and learn to work your way around it Manipulate and query your documents using different modern technologies to access DocumentDB Build a real-life scenario using Microsoft Visual Studio and C# with this handy and practical guide Who This Book Is For This book is for novice developers and database architects who need a thorough knowledge of the features of DocumentDB and developing applications with it. Basic knowledge of SQL would be helpful. What You Will Learn Create, manage, and configure your DocumentDB environment Execute SQL queries from simple to complex and nested ones against your database Get to know about advanced DocumentDB techniques such as scopes, portioning, indexing, triggers, UDF’s, and security Fine-tune your DocumentDB database to optimize performance and costs Interact with DocumentDB from different technologies and platforms Build a real-life scenario using C# and put DocumentDB at the heart of Azure solutions Understand how to migrate from your current datastore to DocumentDB In Detail Learning DocumentDB adopts a practical, step-by-step approach to help you learn the basics of DocumentDB and use your new-found abilities in real-life scenarios and enterprise solutions. We start with the absolute basics, such as setting up a DocumentDB environment, and guide you through managing your databases, and executing simple and complex queries. Next, we explain how to work with DocumentDB using the open REST protocol, and demonstrate how JavaScript works with DocumentDB. We’ll also show you how to authenticate and execute queries. Moving on, you’ll find out how to use DocumentDB from within Node.js to kick-start your Node.js projects. Next, you’ll discover how to increase the performance of your DocumentDB database and fine-tune it. Finally, you’ll get to grips with using DocumentDB in conjunction with other services offered from the Microsoft Azure platform. Style and approach This book can be used as a tutorial where you learn step by step, but also as a knowledge base to quickly look up recipes you can instantly utilize. Starting with the basics and moving on to advanced topics, every concept is explained in theory and demonstrated through easy-to-understand examples.

Implement the new features of Citrix NetScaler 11 to optimize and deploy secure web services on multiple virtualization platformsAbout This BookLearn how to design, set up, and deploy NetScaler VPX along with the new Jumbo frames in a virtual environment using your GUI as well as your CLI for both public and private clouds to make all your web applications faster and more secureEnrich your networking skills utilizing the new features of AAA by following the instructions to optimize network trafficA step-by-step guide that will show you how to work with the latest NetScaler, 11, by implementing its new features using sample scenarios and real-world examples Who This Book Is For This book is for Citrix administrators who are just getting started with NetScaler, have some basic networking skills This book does not require prior experience of NetScaler.What You Will LearnConfigure different VPN solutions and learn about ICA Proxy, Unified Gateway and SSL VPNSet up load balancing for SharePoint, Exchange, Lync, SQL and other Citrix componentsGain insights into traffic management with NetScaler, Wireshark, and Citrix InsightProtect your web services with an application firewall, HTTP, DOS, and AAAOptimize traffic using front-end optimization, caching, and compressionDeploy a high availability environmentUse NetScaler in public cloud providers such as Azure or AmazonAdvance your network knowledge of TCP and SSL optimization In Detail With a large demand for responsive websites and availability of services, IT administrators are faced with an ever-rising need for services that are optimized for speed. NetScaler VPX is a software-based virtual appliance that provides users with the comprehensive NetScaler feature set. Implementing apps and cloud-based services is much easier with its increased service performance and integrated security features. This book will give you an insight into all the new features that NetScaler VPXhas to offer. Starting off with the basics, you will learn how to set NetScaler up and configure it in a virtual environment including the new features available in version 11, such as unified gateway and portal theme customization. Next, the book will cover how to deploy NetScalar on Azure and Amazon, and you will also discover how to integrate it with an existing Citrix infrastructure. Next, you will venture into other topics such as load balancing Microsoft and Citrix solutions, configuring different forms of high availability Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB), and network optimization. You will also learn how to troubleshoot and analyze data using NetScaler's extensive array of features. Finally, you will discover how to protect web services using an application firewall and will get to grips with other features such as HTTP, DOS, and AAA.Style and approach This easy-to-follow guide is full of detailed step-by step-instructions on how to implement the key components in NetScaler, using real-world examples and sample scenarios.

BRAAAAAINS!!! Zack Clarke, his best pal, Rice, and middle-school queen bee Madison Miller survived the night of the living dead but the nightmare's not over yet! Zack's sister is a zombie and his parents might be goners. Rice has uncovered the source of the zombie outbreak, and Madison's health-drink habit may be the key to a cure. Ozzie, the newest zombie chaser, is a nunchaku-wielding, monster-fighting machine who's ready to kick some undead butt. The whole country from their parents to the president is counting on them. Can the Zombie Chasers save the nation from brain-gobbling ghoulsOr will the US of A become the US of Z?

A Wildly Funny and Shockingly True Compendium of the Bad Boys (and Girls) of Western Literature Rock stars, rappers, and actors haven't always had a monopoly on misbehaving. There was a time when authors fought with both words and fists, a time when poets were the ones living fast and dying young. This witty, insightful, and wildly entertaining narrative profiles the literary greats who wrote generation-defining classics such as The Great Gatsby and On the Road while living and loving like hedonistic rock icons, who were as likely to go on epic benders as they were to hit the bestseller lists. Literary Rogues turns back the clock to consider these historical (and, in some cases, living) legends, including Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, Hunter S. Thompson, and Bret Easton Ellis. Brimming with fasci- nating research, Literary Rogues is part nostalgia, part literary analysis, and a wholly raucous celebration of brilliant writers and their occasionally troubled legacies.

A perilous promise Two healthy kits have just been born in RiverClan Oakkit and Stormkit. The whole Clan rejoices, and no cat is more pleased than their mother, who immediately recognizes her kits’ innate skill and bravery. But when tragedy befalls Stormkit and he is permanently disfigured, his mother renames him Crookedkit and casts him aside. As the young cat grows in strength, he dreams of becoming Clan leader. Then a mysterious cat appears in his dreams, whispering of prophecies untold and destinies undiscovered. She proclaims that Crookedkit will have all that he desires but he must pledge his undying loyalty to RiverClan. No cat could ever have imagined the terror and destruction that would lie in one hastily made, seemingly harmless, promise.

From the author of the New York Times bestselling How to Read Literature Like a Professor comes a highly entertaining and informative new book on the twenty-five works of literature that have most shaped the American character. Foster applies his much-loved combination of wit, know-how, and analysis to explain how each work has shaped our very existence as readers, students, teachers, and Americans. Foster illuminates how books such as The Last of the Mohicans , Moby-Dick , My ?ntonia , The Great Gatsby , The Maltese Falcon , Their Eyes Were Watching God , On the Road , The Crying of Lot 49 , and others captured an American moment, how they influenced our perception of nationhood and citizenship, and what about them endures in the American character. Twenty-five Books That Shaped America is a fun and enriching guide to America through its literature.

Royden Napier, Baron Saint-Bryce, is tall, dark, and ruthless and on the hunt for a dangerous beauty . . . On the eve of her escape to the Continent, bold, beautiful Lisette Colburne accepts a proposal she dare not refuse: masquerade as the future bride of the steely-eyed Royden Napier and help him solve his most dangerous case. Soon Lisette is in even greater danger of losing her heart to the one man with the power to destroy her . . . Estranged from his aristocratic family, the enigmatic Napier has forged a reputation as Scotland Yard most relentless police commissioner. He vowed to bring Lisette to justice but with every forbidden kiss and every tantalizing touch, he finds himself becoming less convinced of her guilt . . . and more certain he must have her. But when danger touches Lisette, can he save her?

The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things offers a startlingly original look at the revered writer through a variety of key moments, scenes, and objects in her life and work. Going beyond previous traditional biographies which have traced Austen daily life from Steventon to Bath to Chawton to Winchester, Paula Byrne portrait organized thematically and drawn from the most up-to-date scholarship and unexplored sources explores the lives of Austen extended family, friends, and acquaintances. Through their absorbing stories, we view Austen on a much wider stage and discover unexpected aspects of her life and character. Byrne transports us to different worlds the East Indies and revolutionary Paris and different events from a high society scandal to a petty case of shoplifting, She follows Austen on her extensive travels, setting her in contexts both global and English, urban and rural, political and historical, social and domestic wider perspectives of vital and still under-estimated importance to her creative life. Literary scholarship has revealed that letters and tokens in Austen novel often signal key turning points in the unfolding narrative. This groundbreaking biography explores Jane own story following the same principle. As Byrne reveals, small things in the writer world a scrap of paper, a simple gold chain, an ivory miniature, a bathing machine hold significance in her emotional and artistic development. The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things introduces us to a woman deeply immersed in the world around her, yet far ahead of her time in her independence and ambition; to an author who was an astute commentator on human nature and the foibles of her own age. Rich and compelling, it is a fresh, insightful, and often surprising portrait of an artist and a vivid evocation of the complex world that shaped her.

Wield the power of OpenStack Neutron networking to bring network infrastructure and capabilities to your cloud About This Book This completely up-to-date edition will show you how to deploy a cloud on OpenStack using community-driven processes. It includes rich examples that will help you understand complex networking topics with ease Understand every aspect of designing, creating, customizing, and maintaining the core network foundation of an OpenStack cloud using OpenStack Neutron all in one book Written by best-selling author James Denton, who has more than 15 years of experience in system administration and networking. James has experience of deploying, operating, and maintaining OpenStack clouds and has worked with top enterprises and organizations Who This Book Is For If you are an OpenStack-based cloud operator and administrator who is new to Neutron networking and wants to build your very own OpenStack cloud, then this book is for you. Prior networking experience and a physical server and network infrastructure is recommended to follow along with concepts demonstrated in the book. What You Will Learn Architect and install the latest release of OpenStack on Ubuntu Linux 14.04 LTS Review the components of OpenStack networking, including plugins, agents, and services, and learn how they work together to coordinate network operations Build a virtual switching infrastructure using reference architectures based on ML2 + Open vSwitch or ML2 + LinuxBridge Create networks, subnets, and routers that connect virtual machine instances to the network Deploy highly available routers using DVR or VRRP-based methods Scale your application with haproxy and Load Balancing as-a-Service Implement port and router-level security using Security Groups and Firewall as-a-Service Provide connectivity to tenant networks with Virtual Private Networking as-a-Service (VPNaaS) Find out how to manage OpenStack networking resources using CLI and GUI-driven methods In Detail OpenStack Neutron is an OpenStack component that provides networking as a service for other OpenStack services to architect networks and create virtual machines through its API. This API lets you define network connectivity in order to leverage network capabilities to cloud deployments. Through this practical book, you will build a strong foundational knowledge of Neutron, and will architect and build an OpenStack cloud using advanced networking features. We start with an introduction to OpenStack Neutron and its various components, including virtual switching, routing, FWaaS, VPNaaS, and LBaaS. You’ll also get hands-on by installing OpenStack and Neutron and its components, and use agents and plugins to orchestrate network connectivity and build a virtual switching infrastructure. Moving on, you’ll get to grips with the HA routing capabilities utilizing VRRP and distributed virtual routers in Neutron. You’ll also discover load balancing fundamentals, including the difference between nodes, pools, pool members, and virtual IPs. You’ll discover the purpose of security groups and learn how to apply the security concept to your cloud/tenant/instance. Finally, you'll configure virtual private networks that will allow you to avoid the use of SNAT and floating IPs when connecting to remote networks. Style and approach This easy-to-follow guide on networking in OpenStack follows a step-by-step process to installing OpenStack and configuring the base networking components. Each major networking component has a dedicated chapter that will build on your experience gained from prior chapters.

The devil you know . . . With the help of charming and devious Damon, Elena rescued her vampire love, Stefan, from the depths of the Dark Dimension. But neither brother returned unscathed. Stefan is weak from his long imprisonment and needs more blood than Elena alone can give him, while a strange magic has turned Damon into a human . Savage and desperate, Damon will do anything to become a vampire again even travel back to hell. But what will happen when he accidentally takes Bonnie with himStefan and Elena hurry to rescue their innocent friend from the Dark Dimension, leaving Matt and Meredith to save their hometown from the dangerous spirits that have taken hold of Fell's Church. One by one, children are succumbing to demonic designs. But Matt and Meredith soon discover that the source of the evil is darker and closer than they ever could have imagined. . . .

Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the New York Times bestselling epic adventure Seven Wonders! The Colossus Rises is the first book in a seven-book series. This first installment chronicles the story of Jack McKinley, an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he going to die unless he finds seven magic Loculi that have been hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Rick Riordan calls Seven Wonders “a high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. The Colossus Rises is Lerangis most gripping work yet. Young readers will love this story. I can’t wait to see what next in the Seven Wonders series!”

The thrilling, action-packed sequel to The Invisible Tower , which School Library Journal called "a surefire hit with the legions of Rick Riordan fans." Spending the summer fighting dragons, rescuing wizards, and leaping through portals into the Otherworld was just the start of Artie Kingfisher's quest to claim his throne as King Arthur reborn. Now, Artie and his sister, Kay, must gather a team of knights to recover the legendary Seven Swords or face defeat at the hands of the evil Lordess Morgaine. The Seven Swords is filled with epic battles, unexpected enemies, and life-changing adventures. Rich in mythology and bursting with twenty-first-century fun, this high-spirited spin on Arthurian legend is perfect for middle grade fans of Percy Jackson, the Alex Rider Chronicles, and House of Secrets .

In Brodi Ashton breathtaking sequel to Everneath about which New York Times bestselling author Ally Condie said, Ashton lovely storytelling and strong-on-her-own-terms main character set this one apart. Wonderful! Nikki must travel through the underworld to be reunited with the love of her life. Ever since Nikki Beckett watched as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the dark Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity, she been living a borrowed life. Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to help in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself. Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they'd anticipated and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own. Inspired by the Persephone myth, the captivating first book in this series, Everneath , earned a VOYA Perfect Ten of 2011 and a Whitney Award!

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Master Sidney Sheldon, based on notes he left behind, comes a thrilling tale of murder, lies, and lust. LAPD Detective Danny McGuire could never forget the face of Angela Jakes and the nightmare she endured raped, beaten, and tied to the murdered body of her elderly husband, multimillionaire art dealer Andrew. His obsession nearly cost McGuire his sanity, even after the stunning young widow disappeared without a trace. Ten years later, living in France and working for Interpol, he's put the past behind him . . . until Matt Daley, Andrew Jakes's estranged son, walks into his life. Digging into his father's still-unsolved murder, Matt has uncovered three identical slayings, and soon he is joining forces with Danny to pursue a brilliant, elusive killer across the globe. But in Hong Kong everything starts to crumble as Matt is irresistibly drawn to the most recent widow, beautiful Lisa Baring, whom Danny suspects may be someone far more sinister than just another victim . . .

"Come to me come to me entirely now," said he. "Make my happiness I will make yours." Born into a poor family and raised by an oppressive aunt, young Jane Eyre becomes the governess at Thornfield Manor to escape the confines of her life. There her fiery independence clashes with the brooding and mysterious nature of her employer, Mr. Rochester. But what begins as outright loathing slowly evolves into a passionate romance. When a terrible secret from Rochester's past threatens to tear the two apart, Jane must make an impossible choice: Should she follow her heart or walk away and lose her love foreverUnabashedly romantic and utterly enthralling, Jane Eyre endures as one of the greatest love stories of all time. This must-have edition of a timeless classic is beautifully presented for a modern teen audience.

Over 80 hands-on recipes to unleash full potential for Xamarin in development and monetization of feature-packed, real-world Android apps About This Book Create a number of Android applications using the Xamarin Android platform Extensively integrate your Android devices with other Android devices to enhance your app creation experience A comprehensive guide packed with real-world scenarios and pro-level practices and techniques to help you build successful Android apps Who This Book Is For If you are a Xamarin developer who wants to create complete Android applications with Xamarin, then this book is ideal for you. No prior knowledge of Android development is needed, however a basic knowledge of C# and .NET would be useful. What You Will Learn Install and use Xamarin.Android with Xamarin Studio and Visual Studio Design an app’s user interface for multiple device configurations Store and protect data in databases, files, and on the cloud Utilize lists and collections to present data to the user Communicate across the network using NFC or Bluetooth Perform tasks in the background and update the user with notifications Capture and play multimedia, such as video and audio, with the camera Implement In-App Billing and Expansion Files and deploy to the store In Detail Xamarin is used by developers to write native iOS, Android, and Windows apps with native user interfaces and share code across multiple platforms not just on mobile devices, but on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Developing apps with Xamarin.Android allows you to use and re-use your code and your skills on different platforms, making you more productive in any development. Although it’s not a write-once-run-anywhere framework, Xamarin provides native platform integration and optimizations. There is no middleware; Xamarin.Android talks directly to the system, taking your C# and F# code directly to the low levels. This book will provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to be part of the mobile development era using C#. Covering a wide range of recipes such as creating a simple application and using device features effectively, it will be your companion to the complete application development cycle. Starting with installing the necessary tools, you will be guided on everything you need to develop an application ready to be deployed. You will learn the best practices for interacting with the device hardware, such as GPS, NFC, and Bluetooth. Furthermore, you will be able to manage multimedia resources such as photos and videos captured with the device camera, and so much more! By the end of this book, you will be able to create Android apps as a result of learning and implementing pro-level practices, techniques, and solutions. This book will ascertain a seamless and successful app building experience. Style and approach This book employs a step-by-step approach to Android app creation, explained in a conversational and easy-to-follow style. A wide range of examples are listed to ensure a complete understanding of how to deploy competent apps on the Android market.

Create robust and scalable applications along with responsive UI using concurrency and the multi-threading infrastructure in .NET and C#About This BookLearn to combine your asynchronous operations with Task Parallel LibraryMaster C#’s asynchronous infrastructure and use asynchronous APIs effectively to achieve optimal responsiveness of the applicationAn easy-to-follow, example-based guide that helps you to build scalable applications using concurrency in C# Who This Book Is For If you are a C# developer who wants to develop modern applications in C# and wants to overcome problems by using asynchronous APIs and standard patterns, then this book is ideal for you. Reasonable development knowledge, an understanding of core elements and applications related to the .Net platform, and also the fundamentals of concurrency is assumed.What You Will LearnApply general multithreading concepts to your application’s designLeverage lock-free concurrency and learn about its pros and cons to achieve efficient synchronization between user threadsCombine your asynchronous operations with Task Parallel LibraryMake your code easier with C#’s asynchrony supportUse common concurrent collections and programming patternsWrite scalable and robust server-side asynchronous codeCreate fast and responsible client applicationsAvoid common problems and troubleshoot your multi-threaded and asynchronous applications In Detail Starting with the traditional approach to concurrency, you will learn how to write multithreaded concurrent programs and compose ways that won't require locking. You will explore the concepts of parallelism granularity, and fine-grained and coarse-grained parallel tasks by choosing a concurrent program structure and parallelizing the workload optimally. You will also learn how to use task parallel library, cancellations, timeouts, and how to handle errors. You will know how to choose the appropriate data structure for a specific parallel algorithm to achieve scalability and performance. Further, you'll learn about server scalability, asynchronous I/O, and thread pools, and write responsive traditional Windows and Windows Store applications. By the end of the book, you will be able to diagnose and resolve typical problems that could happen in multithreaded applications.Style and approach An easy-to-follow, example-based guide that will walk you through the core principles of concurrency and multithreading using C#.

Something weird is going on! Mrs. Cooney, the school nurse, is a knockout and A.J. has a crush on her! But are her charms just a cover for her secret identity as an international spyWill A.J.'s love for Mrs. Cooney win out over his love for the good old USA?