A Life Through Books

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Audiobook Tour: Forest Legend - The Tale of Ol' Split Toe by Dan Ellens #bookreview #audiobook #youngadult #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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The Tale of Ol' Split Toe


Action and Adventure Fantasy for teens

Date Published: 03-31-2026

Narrator: Dan Ellens

Run Time: 10 hours 6 minutes



Mother Nature struggles to maintain equilibrium in a changing world while fire, disease, logging, human displacement, and war repeatedly destroy forests of centuries-old trees. Split Toe, a deer chosen at birth for a unique education, travels through time to understand the interconnected workings of a Michigan forest. He meets humans along the way: Ice Age hunters who trap and kill a mastodon; Mukwoh, a young Ojibwe hunter who stalks Split Toe through swamp and forest; loggers clearcutting Michigan’s white pines; Edra, a woman advocating for the trees; Angus and Grace, pioneers who become a first generation of family farmers; scientists from the future studying the impact of nuclear radiation.

Split Toe witnesses two hundred years of conflict building between modern humans -- who fight to control the natural world -- and Mother Nature, who repeatedly reaches for balance. He wonders whether human ways will ultimately overpower Mother Nature, until he meets a boy who changes everything.




Review
This audiobook was an enjoyable mix of adventure and mystery while adding in a local legend that was fun to read about. 
Dan Ellens takes a familiar idea, a mysterious creature hidden in the woods. Then, he turns it into a story with plenty of personality and heart.
 I appreciated that the characters felt believable and reacted in ways that made the mystery even more compelling. 
The narrator's performance kept the tension high while giving each scene its own distinct atmosphere. 


About the Author

 

 Dan Ellens is an outdoor enthusiast who is passionate about connecting people with nature. 

 He spends nearly half of each year off-grid in an isolated, hand-built, electricity-free treehouse nestled within Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary with woodstove heat, handpump water, and oil lamp lighting.

 Dan was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and grew up in southeast Michigan. He has a Mechanical Engineering degree from Calvin University and an MBA from Michigan State University. Dan is retired from a full career in industry and international business. 

During 1996, 1997, and 1998, his family lived as expatriates in Bangalore, India, the inspiration for “A Time for India”, Dan’s second book, now in its second edition. 

 When Dan’s children were small – 10 years old - he took them each on an outward-bound, father-child adventure. The journal of those four trips became Dan’s first book, “Turning Ten: Great Adventures in the Great Lakes”, now in its second edition. 

 Dan is an accomplished woodworker and carpenter. His lifelong love for old-school carpentry inspired “Building the Bunkee: A Photo Anthology of Custom Log Cabin Construction and One Man’s Retirement Dream”. Dan is a hobby artist who is passionate about rescuing, restoring, and finding new homes for fine art. In the wilds, he sees cooking and baking without modern conveniences as their own adventure and creative expression. “Treehouse Letters: The Unabridged Michigan Forest Life Journal” includes entries about his art and his back-woods cooking … and many other things that one might think about while in a tree. 

 “Forest Legend: The Tale of Ol’ Split Toe”, Dan’s upcoming novel – his debut fiction piece written while sitting in his treehouse nest - brings experience from decades of life in the forest together with a rich understanding of mid-Michigan’s pioneer history and changing landscape. In this sweeping adventure, Dan explores the resilience of nature through the eyes of a majestic, time-traveling deer.


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LinkedIn: Daniel S. Ellens


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Virtual Book Tour: The Beauty of Individual Things by K. Thomas Yoo #giveaway #historical #fiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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Historical Fiction / Jazz Age Romance

Date Published: 07-14-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press



The Beauty of Individual Things follows Margot Andrews, a young American woman swept from New York high society into the dazzling yet fractured world of 1920s London. When the transactional demands of privilege collide with betrayal and violence, leaving her disillusioned and adrift, she escapes to the freshwater shoreline of lost childhood summers.

With her past unrecoverable and her future uncertain, Margot searches for a different life amid Detroit’s dynamic and monied Prohibition era—with its yacht races, rumrunners, and industrial might. Set against a city on the rise, she must navigate her family’s ruthless pursuit of social standing, the magnetic pull of charismatic boat racer Ellis James, and the relentless echoes of her past. The story explores the weight of loneliness and the personal cost of love and reinvention as Margot decides whether to remain a fragile ornament of her family’s design or forge an identity that is beautiful, imperfect, and entirely her own.





Interview


Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?

I visited all of the places in my book. I live in the Detroit area, where much of the story is set, and I also traveled to London, Paris, and Algonac, Michigan. I brought a lot of photographs home and checked out museum exhibits that pertained to the 1920s setting of my novel. My goal was to absorb as much as I could so that I could make the novel as immersive and period correct as possible.




What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?

I did a deep dive into birth control in the 1920s. What was available, (some similar to today, some really strange potions), how one purchased it, (department stores and illegally, just like liquor), how effective it was, (not great). I also researched the early days of the Office of Naval Intelligence.




What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?

I had to do historical research for my book, including some history of medical care and the history of boat racing.




Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.

My grandparents immigrated to the United States around the time of my novel. Their stories of their youth always left a lasting impression with me.




Do you write in the same genre all the time?

This is my first novel.




Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?

I like writing about flawed people who are striving to find good in themselves and others, because nobody is perfect – that’s what makes life interesting.


About the Author

 

 Karen Thomas Yoo was born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan and received an MBA from Duke University. When she isn't writing, she can usually be found in her garden or on a paddleboard in Lake Michigan. A mother of three grown children, she lives in Grosse Pointe with her husband. This is her first novel.


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Purchase Link

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Monday, July 13, 2026

Release Blitz: The Beauty of Individual Things by K. Thomas Yoo #historical #fiction #romance #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
10:30 PM0 Comments


Historical Fiction / Jazz Age Romance

Date Published: 07-14-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press



The Beauty of Individual Things follows Margot Andrews, a young American woman swept from New York high society into the dazzling yet fractured world of 1920s London. When the transactional demands of privilege collide with betrayal and violence, leaving her disillusioned and adrift, she escapes to the freshwater shoreline of lost childhood summers.

With her past unrecoverable and her future uncertain, Margot searches for a different life amid Detroit’s dynamic and monied Prohibition era—with its yacht races, rumrunners, and industrial might. Set against a city on the rise, she must navigate her family’s ruthless pursuit of social standing, the magnetic pull of charismatic boat racer Ellis James, and the relentless echoes of her past. The story explores the weight of loneliness and the personal cost of love and reinvention as Margot decides whether to remain a fragile ornament of her family’s design or forge an identity that is beautiful, imperfect, and entirely her own.


About the Author

 

 Karen Thomas Yoo was born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan and received an MBA from Duke University. When she isn't writing, she can usually be found in her garden or on a paddleboard in Lake Michigan. A mother of three grown children, she lives in Grosse Pointe with her husband. This is her first novel.


Contact Links

Website

Goodreads

Instagram

Facebook


Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/BeautyIndividualThings

Amazon




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Book Blitz: Thinking Critically in College by Louis Newman #collegeguide #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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The Essential Handbook for Student Success


Nonfiction, College Guide

Date Published: April 1, 2026

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group



The Definitive Guide for Success in College and Beyond

Finally, a book that actually prepares you for college! Nearly every first-year college student discovers that college courses are more academically challenging than high school. Professors expect you not just to absorb material but to analyze and synthesize it, to consider multiple perspectives, to evaluate conflicting evidence, and then to apply what you've learned in new contexts.

Drawing on a lifetime of experience teaching and advising students, former dean of Academic Advising and associate vice provost at Stanford University Louis E. Newman explains how to do all this, and more. Whatever your background or academic interest, this book will prepare you for college-level learning. Thinking Critically in College is the definitive guide, not only for those in college, but for everyone who needs a refresher on thinking clearly.


"Thinking Critically in College details and exemplifies the differences between high school and college. Students who read this book before coming to college will have an advantage over those who don't." -LEE CUBA, professor emeritus of sociology, Wellesley College, and author of Practice for Life: Making Decisions in College

"Even students who have taken college-prep and AP courses are unprepared for the type of learning that will take place in college. Thinking Critically in College is poised to help all students at all types of institutions develop the dispositions and skills necessary for success in college." -LYNN PASQUERELLA, president of Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

 


About the Author


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Virtual Book Tour: A Round of Golf With Jesus by George Miller #nonfiction #interview #christian #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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Christian Inspirational / Devotional Nonfiction

Date Published: July 8th, 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing


Faith and golf have a way of humbling us. They both seem more complicated than they are and harder to master than we expect. PGA professional George Miller has discovered that each is meant to bring joy, peace, and grace rather than frustration.

In A Round of Golf with Jesus, Miller invites readers to walk nine holes beside him and Christ, exploring how simple shifts, on the course and in the heart, can lead to transformation. With gentle humor, Miller shares personal stories, devotional insights, and practical teachings to remind us we can find fulfillment when we let go of perfection.

If we trust God’s guidance and focus on being present, golf and life become far more rewarding.




Interview

What was your main drive to write this book?

I read Leadership (not) by the Book by the owner and CEO of Hobby Lobby.  In it he says:  the most important question is one only you can answer “How may God want to use you to create some new sensation (one that just shouldn’t work, but does) to bring life to families, blessings to the world and joy to God’s heart”.  This encouraged me to write a book on golf with a spiritual side.


What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?

That it is easier to have fun on the golf course than most people think and that it is easier to have Jesus as your best friend than most people think and it can turn your life into an exciting adventure!


Did you do much research when planning the book?

Thirty-three years as a PGA teaching professional helping people learn how to play better and a lifetime of believing in Jesus 100%.


Did you have any main people who helped you in the process of this book or influenced you to write it? 

I had several things happen over the course of a month and a half that led me to believe that Jesus not only wanted me to write the book but the he wanted to write it with me.  These are spelled out in the book.

My friend Patsy was very supportive on a day-to-day basis in keeping me moving forward through the hard times of completing the book.


Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new topics?

I’m not sure yet as I am still teaching golf pretty full time.  I do have two or three ideas of books that I could write.

 

About the Author

George Miller is a PGA teaching professional and lifelong athlete with over thirty years of coaching and instructional experience. A Denver native, he played four years of collegiate golf at the University of Colorado Boulder before coaching both the boys' and girls' golf teams at Regis Jesuit High School. The girls’ teams earned three state championships under his guidance, and he received multiple Coach of the Year honors from The Denver Post. Known for his encouraging teaching style and deep love of the game, George has helped countless players connect with the joy and simplicity of golf. In his debut book, A Round of Golf with Jesus, he offers heartfelt reflections on sport, faith, and the quiet ways in which God meets us on the course and in life. Of all his golf partners, his favorite is his son, with whom he shares many of his most meaningful rounds.

 

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Book Blitz: The Rough Life by Danny Fanelli #childrensbook #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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Children's Book

Date Published: June 10, 2026

Publisher: MindStir Media



The Rough Life is the adventure of a brand new golf ball named Vic, who finds himself playing his very first round of golf. Things start off well, but Vic quickly learns how humbling the game of golf can be when he is lost in the rough. Vic journeys through the rough, finding a home and making friends with other lost golf balls. While it’s a comfortable life, Vic is not content just watching golf as it happens around him. Vic and his new friends devise a plan to get out of the rough and back in the game.

 

About the Author

 

 Danny Fanelli is a husband, father, elementary school teacher and coach from Westchester, New York. He began playing golf and fell in love with the game at 30 years young. One of his biggest fears in life is sinking a hole-in-one while playing solo (he’s come close). When he is not playing golf or practicing his form in the living room, Danny takes turns with his wife chasing his two, wild children.


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Book Blitz: A Boy Becoming by Eddy Yang #memoir #comingofage #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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A Renewed Vision for a Kinder, Gentler World


Coming of Age Memoir

Date Published: May 14, 2026

Publisher: MindStir Media



What if the most important lessons in life came from the ordinary moments we often overlook?


A Boy Becoming: A Renewed Vision for a Kinder, Gentler World is an inspiring coming-of-age memoir that invites readers into the private journals, drawings, reflections, and life experiences of young author Eddy Yang. Compiled from diary entries written between the ages of ten and sixteen, this powerful memoir chronicles the journey of a young boy learning how to navigate family, faith, friendship, sports, responsibility, and personal growth.


Through honest reflections and meaningful life lessons, Eddy explores what it means to build character in a world that often values achievement over integrity. Along the way, he learns that becoming a better person is not about perfection—it is about practice.


As an ice hockey goalie, Eddy discovers courage, resilience, humility, discipline, and the ability to recover from failure. Through conversations with his parents, guidance from teachers and coaches, experiences with service, and moments of self-reflection, he learns that true strength comes from within and that growth happens one choice at a time.


Filled with wisdom beyond his years, A Boy Becoming explores timeless themes including:


✔ Character Development and Personal Growth

✔ Kindness, Compassion, and Empathy

✔ Family Values and Faith

✔ Self-Reflection and Emotional Growth

✔ Discipline, Responsibility, and Resilience

✔ Youth Leadership and Positive Decision-Making

✔ Sportsmanship and Life Lessons from Hockey

✔ Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Humility

✔ Identity, Purpose, and Self-Discovery


At the heart of this reflective memoir is a simple but powerful truth: character is built slowly through ordinary moments. Every mistake, every challenge, every act of kindness, every lesson learned, and every effort to improve becomes part of the process of becoming.


Perfect for teens, young adults, parents, educators, coaches, mentors, and anyone interested in personal development, A Boy Becoming offers encouragement, insight, and hope for readers navigating their own journey of growth.


Inside You'll Discover:

●      Honest diary reflections from childhood through adolescence
●      Life lessons from family, faith, sports, and service
●      Thought-provoking insights about character and self-improvement
●      Inspirational messages for young people facing challenges and uncertainty
●      Practical wisdom about becoming someone you respect


Memorable Quotes from the Book

"Kind is more important than smart. Logic has no moral. We must be nice no matter what."

"Forgiveness frees you more than it frees the other person."


"Possessions should not possess you."


"A distracted driver misses exits. A distracted life misses destiny."


"Remember: you are not your trophies. You are not your mistakes. You are the daily effort that nobody sees."


If you enjoy inspirational memoirs, coming-of-age stories, personal growth books, youth leadership, family-centered nonfiction, or books that encourage reflection and character development, A Boy Becoming will resonate long after the final page.


Because becoming a better person isn't a destination—it's a lifelong journey.
 
 


About the Author

 

 Eddy Yang is a student, writer, ice hockey goalie, and young author whose work focuses on self-reflection, personal growth, family values, faith, discipline, and character development.

His passion for writing began long before he imagined becoming an author. Throughout childhood, Eddy kept journals, diary entries, drawings, comics, and reflections that documented his experiences, thoughts, challenges, and questions about life.


Over time, these personal writings evolved into something larger—a record of growth from childhood into adolescence.


The Beginning of a Writer

Eddy never started writing with the intention of publishing a book.

He wrote to understand himself.


Sometimes he wrote after difficult experiences. Other times he wrote after learning valuable lessons from parents, teachers, coaches, teammates, or faith. Writing became a way to process emotions, reflect on mistakes, and preserve important moments.


As he revisited years of journals and drawings, he recognized a story unfolding: the story of becoming.


Hockey and Character

As an ice hockey goalie, Eddy has learned lessons that extend far beyond the rink.


Goaltending taught him courage, resilience, humility, patience, and discipline. It taught him how to handle pressure, recover from failure, and continue improving after setbacks.


These experiences became a powerful influence on his understanding of personal growth and are woven throughout his writing.


Why He Wrote A Boy Becoming

Eddy wrote A Boy Becoming because he believes growth happens through ordinary moments.

Character is not built overnight.


It develops through repeated choices, honest reflection, mistakes, perseverance, gratitude, forgiveness, and love.


His hope is that readers—especially young people—will recognize that they are not alone in their struggles and that becoming a better person is a lifelong journey worth embracing.


Mission

Through his writing, Eddy hopes to inspire readers to:


● Practice kindness
● Develop discipline
● Embrace humility
● Learn from mistakes
● Strengthen character
● Value family and faith
● Continue growing every day


"Kind is more important than smart. Logic has no moral. We must be nice no matter what."
 

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