Forty-four-year-old Cape Cod clam bar owner Mary Hopkins is stuck in the cycle of her seasonal business; overwhelmed by the relentless influx of new names and fresh young faces, she feels as if life is passing her by. In the first days of the summer season, a young waitress’s tragic accident stirs up unresolved pain from Mary’s past, leaving her longing for connection. At the same time, Mary’s life is further upended as she begins to suspect her beloved great-aunt, the one person in the world who loves her unconditionally, is descending into Alzheimer’s disease. Then, in walks Dan, a lost love—perhaps the greatest of her life— returning to the Cape after disappearing years before without an explanation. As Mary faces these challenges and losses, it’s her rekindled romance with Dan and her burgeoning unlikely friendships with a warm, eccentric collection of local characters that keep her afloat. Set against the backdrop of Cape Cod sand, sun, and seafood, Summer Shift is the story of a woman’s struggle to find the peace, love, and human connection that have eluded her for decades.

The book addresses the sustainability of cities in the context of sustainability science and its application to the city boundary. In doing so it investigates all the components of a city on the basis of sustainability criteria. To achieve sustainability it is essential to adopt an integrated strategy that reflects all sectors within the city boundary and also address the four key normative concepts: the right to develop for all sections, social inclusion, convergence in living standards and shared responsibility and opportunities among sectors and sections. In this book, the individual chapters examine the nodes of sustainability of a city and thus essentially present a large canvas wherein all sustainability-relevant issues are interwoven. This integrative approach is at the heart of the book and offers an extensive, innovative framework for future research on cities and sustainability alike. The book also includes selected case studies that add to the reading and comprehension value of the concepts presented, ensuring a blend of theory and practical case studies to help readers better comprehend the principle of sustainability and its application.

Some friends fade away….Others disappear. Now in paperback, a riveting mystery that will “keep the pages turning” (Chris Crutcher, author of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes). Imagine you and your best friend head out West on a cross-country bike trek. Imagine that you get into a fight—the cheap SOB won’t kick in any cash—and you stop riding together. Imagine you reach Seattle, go home alone, and start college. Imagine you think your former best friend does too. Imagine he didn’t, that he was carrying more than $20,000 in cash the whole trip, and that now the FBI is looking for him. Imagine your world shifting.... Shift is a breathtaking tour-de-force that explores the depths of loyalty and friendship—and the unknowable depths of another person.