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Godspeed: A bone-chilling novel set in the hot springs of Wyoming By Laura Anne Bird I didn’t think it was possible for me to fall for a novel about construction—yes, construction—but I did, and deeply, because Nickolas Butler has worked some serious literary magic with his fifth book, Godspeed. Godspeed is the harrowing and searingly beautiful story of Cole, Bart, and Teddy of True Triangle Construction. With a harsh winter looming, the three business partners and longtime friends find themselves in a race against the clock to finish a multi-million-dollar house nestled next to a hot spring in the mountains [...]

On learning a first language and discovering 19th-century Brit lit By Laura Anne Bird Cracking open Teaching English to Refugees, a mind-bending volume of philosophy, theology, and social justice, made me feel like I was in college again. I deeply appreciated this nod to my academically stimulating past, so it’s no surprise that I’d fallen in love by Chapter 2. In his quirky hybrid memoir, Robert Radin shares his experience of teaching adult refugees from far-flung, war-torn places like Iraq and Somalia. He writes beautifully about defying his students’ expectations of what “should” happen in the classroom by, among other [...]

On shedding and transcendence By Laura Anne Bird Andrew J. Graff loves a good coming-of-age story. “A big part of any coming-of age story is the question of whether the characters are going to ‘make it.’ Will the relationship survive? Will she get the job? Will Frodo and Sam ever actually get rid of that ring?” says Graff. Publishing his debut novel, Raft of Stars, in March has been like Graff’s own coming-of-age moment. “I spent over a decade writing, studying, reading, and writing again—with no guarantees that I’d ever publish,” he says. “There are plenty of dark nights of [...]