The blockbusting, action-packed opening to the best-selling Joshua Files series. Josh's father is missing in Mexico, presumed dead. Then Josh discovers that his dad was murdered. Suddenly he is caught in a race to find the legendary Ix Codex-a lost Mayan prophecy that predicts the end of the world and holds the key to unmasking his father's killers.
Thirteen-year-old Josh goes to Mexico--with a hit man on his trail--to investigate the murder of his father, who was seeking an ancient codex containing information about the Mayan prophecy that foretells the end of the world in 2012.
Josh is back-and the world needs his help more than ever! Josh is safely home . . . or so he thinks. He soon realises that life will never be the same again. He is a Bakab, the one person who can save the world from total destruction in 2012, and a lot of very dangerous people want to stop him. Who can he trust? And how can Josh save the world, when he couldn't even save his father . . .
Josh thinks he has discovered the key to time travel. Should he use it to go back in time and save his father? Ixchel knows what he intends to do. Should she stop him? Before they can decide, Ixchel is kidnapped by the people who want to see an ancient prophecy predicting the end of the world in 2012 come true. It's up to Josh to save Ixchel - and possibly the world. Time is running out in the exhilarating third part of the best-selling 'Joshua Files'. Praise for 'The Joshua Files': "As thrilling as a rollercoaster ride, this fantastical world of spies, spirits, ancient prophecies and hidden cities tests Josh to his limits." The Book Trust "This series is awesome and I have really enjoyed it. 5/5 stars!" Guardian Children's Books "A very well-crafted saga... Has a compelling energy." The Bookbag "Indiana Jones would have stiff competition in young Joshua Garcia, the protagonist of this fast-paced action adventure. Highly Recommended." Library Media Connection, starred review
The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory “Highly entertaining.” —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker “Funny, curious, erudite, and full of useful details about ancient techniques of training memory.” —The Boston Globe An instant bestseller that has now become a classic, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.
Alexandra is having a hard enough time being human, dealing with the unexpected death of her father and a family that’s slowly unraveling in the wake of that death. So she really, really didn’t need a werewolf attempting to kill her on top of everything else. But hey, such is life sometimes, right? Sometimes it gives you lemons, and sometimes it gives you death and vicious werewolf attacks that leave you infected, confused, and surrounded by strangers who all claim they want to save and protect you. Now all Alex has to do is decide who to trust. Which would be a lot easier if A.) Her life wasn’t suddenly insane, and B.) If one of those people trying to earn her trust wasn’t Kael, a boy who manages to be arrogant, infuriating, and entirely-too-hot-for-his-own-good, all at once. Oh, and who also might know more about herself than she does. Although, it turns out, that isn’t saying much. Because her whole life has been a lie. And now that her father is gone, dangerous truth after dangerous truth is surfacing, and Alex finds herself a would-be pawn in the center of an ancient supernatural war. A war that will force her to make an impossible choice, thanks to the magic tied to her bloodline—magic that could save the entire human world, or potentially unleash a monstrous force unlike anything it’s ever seen.
A Source Book for Mediæval History is a scholarly piece by Oliver J. Thatcher. It covers all major historical events and leaders from the Germania of Tacitus in the 1st century to the decrees of the Hanseatic League in the 13th century.
Something is very wrong with the 2012 Plan. Is it really on course to save the planet from the gigantic Electro-Magnetic Pulse that's due to shatter civilization at the end of the year? After a narrow escape from U.S. government agents Josh decides to risk his own life on a daring mission -- a leap forward in time to discover the truth about 2012. He's jumped ahead far enough to glimpse a post-apocalyptic world in collapse. And to realize -- it could be his destiny to stay.
Are you looking for a deeper understanding of the JavaTM programming language so that you can write code that is clearer, more correct, more robust, and more reusable? Look no further! Effective JavaTM, Second Edition, brings together seventy-eight indispensable programmer’s rules of thumb: working, best-practice solutions for the programming challenges you encounter every day. This highly anticipated new edition of the classic, Jolt Award-winning work has been thoroughly updated to cover Java SE 5 and Java SE 6 features introduced since the first edition. Bloch explores new design patterns and language idioms, showing you how to make the most of features ranging from generics to enums, annotations to autoboxing. Each chapter in the book consists of several “items” presented in the form of a short, standalone essay that provides specific advice, insight into Java platform subtleties, and outstanding code examples. The comprehensive descriptions and explanations for each item illuminate what to do, what not to do, and why. Highlights include: New coverage of generics, enums, annotations, autoboxing, the for-each loop, varargs, concurrency utilities, and much more Updated techniques and best practices on classic topics, including objects, classes, libraries, methods, and serialization How to avoid the traps and pitfalls of commonly misunderstood subtleties of the language Focus on the language and its most fundamental libraries: java.lang, java.util, and, to a lesser extent, java.util.concurrent and java.io Simply put, Effective JavaTM, Second Edition, presents the most practical, authoritative guidelines available for writing efficient, well-designed programs.