As the title of this post indicates, today is comparable to Christmas, July 4th, and the birth of your first child, all rolled into one. This week we’re launching Heather Lende‘s new book, Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs. You may remember Lende’s first memoir, If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name, where she gave us a small taste of what it is to live in, and love, Alaska. What you probably don’t know is that just before that book launched, Lende was hit by a truck while biking and almost died. Her new memoir is about her near-death experience, the power of community, and the necessity of having faith–no matter what it is that knocks you down. To get to know Lende, follow her fantastic blog about life in Alaska.

Now for the coffee and the deals: Our friends over at Raven’s Brew Coffee, an Alaskan roastery (and The Official Coffee of the Heather Lende Tour), are also pretty excited about Lende’s new book and are running a promotion from May 17th to June 1st. Not only is their Skookum Blend 20% off on the website, but if you enter HeatherLende at checkout, you’ll get 15% off your entire purchase! Check out their community page, dedicated to Lende, here. I’m feeling 1lb of Skookum, 1lb of Wicked Wolf (French Press Ground, of course), and a Wicked Wolf T-Shirt.

Now, smugly count the money you just saved and read Chapter 9. Enjoy!

Excerpt From Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs