From the New York Times bestselling author of Blue Bloods and Isle of the Lost (a Disney Decendants novel) the first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic. Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows. At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light. But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all. “The mix of adventure and fantasy will have you addicted!” —Seventeen.com “A one-sitting read. The world-building in Frozen is absolutely addictive. You'll really feel like you're traveling through this frozen, post-apocalyptic country (with) the setting, the realistic characters and the fast pace.” —Romantic Times “Fans of The Hunger Games will no doubt enjoy sinking their teeth into this exciting book.” —SLJ

Frozen: Heart of Dread, Book One

De La Cruz, Melissa

Johnston, Michael

Children's Books

Speak

From the New York Times bestselling author of Blue Bloods and Isle of the Lost (a Disney Decendants novel)--the powerful trilogy that’s been compared to Game of Thrones continues in this sequel to Frozen! Nat and her drakon are the last of their kind—sworn to protect what their enemies seek to control—and she’s risked her life for their reunion. But fighting for the majestic Blue meant saying goodbye to Wes, breaking both their hearts. Back in New Vegas, citizens are threatened by the resurgence of magic and declare war on all the marked. Wes and his team travel to the extravagant indoor city of El Dorado looking for his sister, but when they are caught on the wrong side of the RSA’s strict new laws, Wes is forced to do the unthinkable—surrender and rejoin the military's quest to uncover the magical source, the same land Nat is struggling to protect. Now he and Nat find themselves on opposing sides of a war that could potentially destroy what’s left of the world. “As fearless as a futuristic Game of Thrones.” —Margaret Stohl “A thought-provoking novel, part epic fantasy and part social commentary.”—Entertainment Weekly on Frozen: Heart of Dread, Book One

Stolen (Heart of Dread)

Romance and the Gentry in Late Medieval England offers a new history of Middle English romance, the most popular genre of secular literature in the English Middle Ages. Michael Johnston argues that many of the romances composed in England from 1350-1500 arose in response to the specific socio-economic concerns of the gentry, the class of English landowners who lacked titles of nobility and hence occupied the lower rungs of the aristocracy. The end of the fourteenth century in England witnessed power devolving to the gentry, who became one of the dominant political and economic forces in provincial society. As Johnston demonstrates, this social change also affected England's literary culture, particularly the composition and readership of romance. Romance and the Gentry in Late Medieval England identifies a series of new topoi in Middle English that responded to the gentry's economic interests. But beyond social history and literary criticism, it also speaks to manuscript studies, showing that most of the codices of the "gentry romances" were produced by those in the immediate employ of the gentry. By bringing together literary criticism and manuscript studies, this book speaks to two scholarly communities often insulated from one another: it invites manuscript scholars to pay closer attention to the cultural resonances of the texts within medieval codices; simultaneously, it encourages literary scholars to be more attentive to the cultural resonances of surviving medieval codices.

Romance and the Gentry in Late Medieval England

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Oxford University Press

This book argues that it is time to step back and reassess the anti-corruption movement, which despite its many opportunities and great resources has ended up with a track record that is indifferent at best. 
Drawing on many years of experience and research, the authors critique many of the major strategies and tactics employed by anti-corruption actors, arguing that they have made the mistake of holding on to problematical assumptions, ideas, and strategies, rather than addressing the power imbalances that enable and sustain corruption. The book argues that progress against corruption is still possible but requires a focus on justice and fairness, considerable tolerance for political contention, and a willingness to stick with the reform cause over a very long process of thoroughgoing, sometimes discontinuous political change. Ultimately, the purpose of the book is not to tell people that they are doing things all wrong. Instead, the authors present new ways of thinking about familiar dilemmas of corruption, politics, contention, and reform. 
These valuable insights from two of the top thinkers in the field will be useful for policymakers, reform groups, grant-awarding bodies, academic researchers, NGO officers, and students.

The Conundrum of Corruption: Reform for Social Justice (Routledge Corruption and Anti-Corruption Studies)

Fritzen, Scott

Reference

Routledge

“As fearless as a futuristic Game of Thrones.”— MARGARET STOHL, New York Times bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures trilogy From Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston, the New York Times bestselling authors of the Blue Bloods and Witches of East End series. Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows. At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light. But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all. This is a remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

Action & Adventure

G.P.Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers'

Who is Eliza Wesson? Months after Nat and Wes said good-bye on the shores of the Blue, Nat is learning how to control and use her new power. She and her drakon are the last of their kind—and she’s risked her life for their reunion. When she receives a mysterious distress call, she races to help, soliciting the guidance of her new friend, the beautiful and aloof Faix Lazaved of the Blue. Still heartbroken over losing Nat, Wes is racing cars on a New Vegas racetrack while his team is scattered and lost. When he finds out that his sister, Eliza, is being held in the golden domes of El Dorado, he does what he’s best at—running to her side—and gambles on luck to see him through one more time. Magic, romance, and danger collide as Nat and Wes become entangled in a dark new adventure that leads right to the heart of the mystery of their frozen, broken world. They soon discover that the answer to both their quests lies in the same question: Who is Eliza Wesson—what is she capable of, and why was she stolen from her family so long ago?

The action-packed finale to the series Entertainment Weekly calls, "part epic fantasy and part social commentary . . . addictive." Recast the spell. Light the flame. Make the world anew. With the ruins of New Kandy still smoldering around them and Nat’s bond to her beloved drakon quickly fraying, Nat and Wes are lost amid a sea of destruction—with Wes at death’s door. Wes tried to save his sister, Eliza, and protect them from her cruelty, only to see firsthand just how dark her power had become. Desperate to escape the dangers lurking in New Kandy, Wes accepts help from a mysterious voice calling out to him from the Blue, leading Nat and his crew into even more perilous surroundings. They quickly realize that their only chance for survival lies with Nat and the quest for a new world to replace their broken one—but at what cost? In this epic conclusion to the Heart of Dread trilogy, Nat and Wes must put their love to the ultimate test in hopes of seeing their world reborn.

Golden (Heart of Dread)

The action-packed finale to the series Entertainment Weekly calls, "part epic fantasy and part social commentary . . . addictive." Recast the spell. Light the flame. Make the world anew. With the ruins of New Kandy still smoldering around them and Nat’s bond to her beloved drakon quickly fraying, Nat and Wes are lost amid a sea of destruction—with Wes at death’s door. Wes tried to save his sister, Eliza, and protect them from her cruelty, only to see firsthand just how dark her power had become. Desperate to escape the dangers lurking in New Kandy, Wes accepts help from a mysterious voice calling out to him from the Blue, leading Nat and his crew into even more perilous surroundings. They quickly realize that their only chance for survival lies with Nat and the quest for a new world to replace their broken one—but at what cost? In this epic conclusion to the Heart of Dread trilogy, Nat and Wes must put their love to the ultimate test in hopes of seeing their world reborn. Praise for the Heart of Dread series "Ice cold hotness." - MTV.com "Fans of The Hunger Games will no doubt enjoy sinking their teeth into this exciting book."--School Library Journal "De la Cruz and Johnston score a hit. . . . Readers will find themselves completely immersed in the authors' dangerous world."--Kirkus Reviews "Readers are plunged right in the middle of the action from the first page... an action-packed adventure."--Kirkus Reviews "The concept of overlapping worlds on one planet will intrigue readers and raise philosophical questions about the nature of reality. The cliff-hanger ending assures readers that a finale is in the works."--Booklist "Fans of the first book will no doubt be very happy with where this action-filled trilogy is headed."--School Library Journal

Everything nonprofits need to boot up, log on, and benefit from theNet Now revised and expanded, this easy-to-use guide is packed with thevital information and advice you need to attain--and maintain--acyberadvantage. Covering everything from computer basics todesigning your own Web site, it shows you how to get connected,conduct research, raise funds, expand your outreach--with bothadults and kids--electronically, and much more. With completedetails on the latest technological advances, market trends, andcutting-edge tools, The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet, SecondEdition. Surveys the most up-to-date hardware and software you needto get online Explores cyberfundraising with examples from recent onlinecampaigns Includes a rare usage policy to help your organization get the mostof the Net at your office Illustrates nonprofit best practices on the Web with case studies,charts, and screen shots Shows how nonprofits can harness the idiosyncratic to develop aunique attention-getting presence on the Web Contains a multimedia bibliography, a glossary of terms, and adirectory of nonprofit-related Web sites and addresses

The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet: How to Survive and Thrive

Business & Money

Management & Leadership

wiley

Corruption is a threat to democracy and economic development in many societies. It arises in the ways people pursue, use and exchange wealth and power, and in the strength or weakness of the state, political and social institutions that sustain and restrain those processes. Differences in these factors, Michael Johnston argues, give rise to four major syndromes of corruption: Influence Markets, Elite Cartels, Oligarchs and Clans, and Official Moguls. Johnston uses statistical measures to identify societies in each group, and case studies to show that the expected syndromes do arise.

Syndromes of Corruption: Wealth, Power, and Democracy

Economics

Cambridge University Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnston, Michael. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Johnston, Michael

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnston, Michael. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Frozen: Heart of Dread, Book One

Stolen (Heart of Dread)

Romance and the Gentry in Late Medieval England

The Conundrum of Corruption: Reform for Social Justice (Routledge Corruption and Anti-Corruption Studies)

Frozen: Heart of Dread, Book One

Stolen (Heart of Dread)

Golden (Heart of Dread)

Golden (Heart of Dread)

The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet: How to Survive and Thrive

Syndromes of Corruption: Wealth, Power, and Democracy