BOOK GIVEAWAY: Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein

Welcome to my very first book giveaway!

This GIVEAWAY has ended and the WINNER has been chosen

Congratulations to Roberta!

Thanks to all who entered.

Thanks to Terra Communications for providing me with a review copy of Raven Stole the Moon (read my review here) and now a copy to give away to one of my blog followers!

From the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein's newly released book Raven Stole the Moon was released this week on HarperCollins and here is your chance to win a copy for yourself.

Here is a synopsis of Raven Stole the Moon from BarnesandNoble.com:

When Jenna Rosen abandons her comfortable Seattle life to return to Wrangell, Alaska, it's a wrenching return to her past. Long ago the home of her Native American grandmother, Wrangell is located near the Thunder Bay resort, where Jenna's young son, Bobby, disappeared two years before. His body was never recovered, and Jenna is determined to lay to rest the aching mystery of his death. But the spectacular town provides little comfort beyond the steady and tender affections of Eddie, a local fisherman. And then whispers of ancient legends begin to suggest a frightening new possibility about Bobby's fate. Soon, Jenna must sift through the beliefs of her ancestors, the Tlingit - who still tell of powerful, menacing forces at work in the Alaskan wilderness. The beliefs are shared by Dr. David Livingstone, a practicing shaman who had been hired to "cleanse" Thunder Bay of its restless spirits. The experience almost cost him his life, and he warns Jenna about the danger of disturbing the legendary kushtaka - soul-stealing predators that stalk a netherworld between land and sea, the living and the dead. But Jenna is desperate for answers, and she appeals to both Livingstone and Eddie to help her sort fact from myth, and face the unthinkable possibilities head-on.

If you are interested in winning a copy of this fabulous book you need to do a few minor things:

1. Become a follower of my blog (to do this select the Follow button on left of my blog page)
2. Post a comment to this post stating that you are a follower, wish to be entered in the contest and include your email address so that I can contact for your mailing information when you win.

This contest will run over the next week and end on Saturday March 20th, at noon EST. I will use Random.org to choose the winner from the entries and announce the winner on my blog.

The winner of this giveaway will receive a copy of Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein directly from Terra Comminications via media mail. This contest is only available to those in located in the U.S. and Canada at this time.

Good Luck!

Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein

**Disclaimer: I received this book compliments of HarperCollins and Terra Communications in exchange for an honest review **

Publish Date: March 2010

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Jenna and Robert had the perfect marriage until tragedy hit them two years ago. Jenna has since had issues getting over the loss of her son, who drowned and his body was never found. On the two year anniversary of the tragedy, Jenna runs away from her husband and life in Seattle to Alaska, the location of her ancestry and of the tragedy that changed their lives forever. Jenna needs this trip to get answers, hopefully this will allow her to heal and move forward with her life. Once in Alaska strange things begin to happen to her and she's lead on a path that once started she is determined to finish, there is no way she will turn back now. Intertwined with this story is the story of Shaman Dr. David Livingston, who almost died trying to rid Thunder Bay - the location of the tragedy, of it's negative powers before the tragedy of her son. Jenna finds David and asks for his help. David warns Jenna of the powerful kushtaka, soul stealers of Tinglit legend, but she is determined to find answers and get closure one way or another.

After reading The Art of Racing in the Rain, I was so excited to read another Garth Stein book. So when I was contacted by Terra Communications to give a review of his newest book, I jumped at the chance. Having nothing but the highest of expectations I dove into the book as soon as I could and I was not disappointed. What I didn't expect was the supernatural element to this story, and this made me enjoy it even more. The Tinglit Indian legend of the kushtaka and Raven were very interesting to read about and the supernatural elements were well written and exciting to read. Jenna's character was so real and believable, I could really relate to her. The only downside to this book was the fact that this book was originally copy written in 1998 and some of the terminology and references were obvious to the 1990's, so it dated the book a little bit. But it wasn't enough to deter me from the fabulous storyline. This was different than anything I've read before and refreshing in it's storyline (even with the 90's references). I really enjoyed the Alaskan setting in this book and the character development. I found the interactions realistic to the situations and even with supernatural elements, it was not over the top as some stories can be. I'm very glad I had the opportunity to read this one and look forward to more from Garth Stein.

This book fits the following Categories/Challenges for me:

• Monthly Mixer Mele Challenge
• Hogwarts reading challenge - (Care of Magical Creatures)
• RYOB reading Challenge
• PBT March Tag: Other

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Rating: 5 Stars, Favorite

Enzo, the narrator, is a dog. But not just any dog, he's a wise and intelligent being.

Enzo knows that in his next life he will come back as a human and throughout the book you find out his logical reasoning behind this theory. Enzo tells the story of his relationship with his best friend, Denny, and the drama the ensues in their lives. The one constant in their lives is each other and they are true "Best Friends." Enzo is endearing and loyal and everything you, as a dog lover, know your dog at home next you - is inside. A major reoccurring theme of this book is about destiny and how we may not be able to control every aspect of our lives, but we can control how we react. One way or the other we are the owners of our destiny.

Since reading Marley & Me last year I have stayed away from Dog novels, as they make me sad with the inevitable scene that is in every dog novel. My dog Max is getting up there in years and the thought of his mortality makes me incredibly sad, so my plan is to stay in denial as long as I can. But, This book came highly recommended from other dog lovers who know my fear of the dog novel, so I dove in. From the start of the book I fell in love with Enzo and his loyalty and love for Denny. Their stories made me laugh at times and sad at others, just like any great story should do. On the very first page you know that the inevitable will still come, but Garth Stein has a way of making the inevitable a little more bearable. I still sobbed and cuddled with my dogs for a good half and hour (at least) after reading this book. But I was a different crying than with the other books. This book is in fact very hopeful and sweet and if you are even thinking about reading it - do it, you won't be disappointed.

Favorite Quote "That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves."

This book fits the following Challenges/Categories:

• PBT Dec Tag: Other
• 12 Days of Christmas Challenge Day 4: Animals
• Monthly Mixer Mele Challenge: A for Art (A in jAnuary)
• Reading Cover Group, Bonus Book