A New York Times Notable Book that “casts a searing eye on the labyrinth that is the American foster care system” (NPR’s On Point). Who are the children of foster care? What, as a country, do we owe them? Cris Beam, a foster mother herself, spent five years immersed in the world of foster care looking into these questions and tracing firsthand stories. The result is To the End of June, an unforgettable portrait that takes us deep inside the lives of foster children in their search for a stable, loving family. Beam shows us the intricacies of growing up in the system—the back-and-forth with agencies, the rootless shuffling between homes, the emotionally charged tug between foster and birth parents, the terrifying push out of foster care and into adulthood. Humanizing and challenging a broken system, To the End of June offers a tribute to resiliency and hope for real change. “A triumph of narrative reporting and storytelling.” —The New York Times “[A] powerful . . . and refreshing read.” —Chicago Tribune “A sharp critique of foster-care policies and a searching exploration of the meaning of family.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Heart-rending and tentatively hopeful.” —Salon

Adding beautiful, functional patios and walkways to the yard has never been easier thanks to this book. Over 150 projects and hundreds of instructional photographs combine with informative tips, tricks, and inspiration for the most comprehensive patio and walkway book on the market. From low-cost, curb-appeal walkways to expansive, estate-quality decorative concrete patios complete with outdoor kitchens, this book presents each project with step-by-step instructions and full-color photographs as well as informative tips, tricks, and inspiration. Each project uses the most current materials, tools, common practices, codes, and construction techniques to help readers add value to their homes and allow them to enjoy their outdoor spaces to full potential. Whether an existing patio needs to be freshened up or an unused space in the yard is just waiting to be put to use, this book is a crucial resource for do-it-yourself homeowners.

Beaches are places of contact, play, confrontation and friction: first comers always arrive on a beach. After Europeans moved into the Antipodes, the coast was the first frontier to be defined. Flinders' circumnavigation in 1802 had mapped 'Australia', revealing the land as 'girt by sea', as the national anthem continues to remind us. All kinds of ideas about the coast, beaches, sea changes, holiday places and islands swirl and eddy in this unique collection of writing.