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Book Review: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Book Details: Author: Han KangRelease Date: 5th November 2015Series: Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Horror, PhilosophicalFormat: E-book Pages: 192 pagesPublisher: Portobello BooksBlurb:WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE ‘A strange, painfully tender exploration of the brutality of desire indulged and the fatality of desire ignored… Exquisite’ Eimear McBride Yeong-hye…

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Book Spotlight: The Awakening — Book 1 of The Sleeping King Trilogy by John Hempstock

Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring John Hempstock for their latest release, The Awakening — Book 1 of The Sleeping King Trilogy. Book: The Awakening — Book 1 of The Sleeping King Trilogy by John HempstockAuthor: John HempstockPublication Date: 2026Publisher: John HempstockPages: Genre: Epic Fantasy / Dark FantasyAvailable in: Ebook, Paperback, HardcoverFor Readers who enjoyed: Brandon Sanderson (The Way…

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Book Review: The Orange Man and Me by Lord Hugo Dastardly

Book Details: Author: Lord Hugo Dastardly Release Date: 17 April 2026Series: Genre: Political satireFormat: E-book Pages: 225 pagesPublisher: Blurb:She gave him everything.He gave her January 6.What would you do if you caught the eye of the most powerful man in the world?His dealmaking skills are legendary. His prowess with the ladies is well-documented in court…

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Book Review: THE FATIMA FILE: The Case of the Missing Millennium by Tom Lysaght 

Book Details: Author: Tom Lysaght Release Date: 22 May 2026Series: Genre: Religious Mystery, Political Thriller, SuspenseFormat: E-book Pages: 414 pagesPublisher: Pan y Paz PressBlurb:She uncovered a secret that powerful men will kill to protect.Former nun Dr. Jackie McBride once sought heaven. Now, as an astrophysicist, she searches the heavens for truth.When Jackie uncovers collusion between the…

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Book Review: Radical Son Back to Roots: A Cinematic Reggae Novel Experience by Emmanuel Carlos St. Omer

Book Details: Author: Emmanuel Carlos St. OmerRelease Date: 6 May 2026Series: Genre: African American Literary FictionFormat: E-book Pages: 169 pagesPublisher: -Blurb:This is not just a book.This is a Cinematic Reggae Novel Experience.Set in the heart of the Caribbean, Radical Son Back to Roots is a powerful fusion of storytelling, music, and cultural truth. Through vivid imagery, unforgettable…

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Author Spotlight: Tom Lysaght 

Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Tom Lysaght for his latest release, THE FATIMA FILE: The Case of the Missing Millennium. About The Author Tom Lysaght Raised Irish-Catholic in Brooklyn, Harvard graduate Tom Lysaght has written some 30 plays in both English and Spanish. His Off-Broadway play, Nobody…

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Book Review: KOSTYA: Inspired by a True Story by Scott Zimmerman

Book Details: Author: Scott Zimmerman Release Date: 20 April 2026Series: Genre: Historical Fiction, ThrillerFormat: E-book Pages: 371 pagesPublisher: Kostya PublishingBlurb:He survived genocide. Nazis. Stalin. Now he’s being hunted.Kostya is a Ukrainian boy who endures brutal Nazi forced labor, Allied bombings, and Stalin’s enslavement in the Ural Mountains. When WWII ends, the danger doesn’t. He’s sent…

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Book Review: Extropia by Jae Darcy

Book Details: Author: Jae Darcy Release Date: 1 May 2026Series: Genre: Young-Adult, Science-Fiction, Dystopia, CyberpunkFormat: E-book Pages: 407 pagesPublisher: Pomegranate Seed PressBlurb:In 2164, reality is something you can buy. The wealthy live online in a gleaming virtual world wired directly into their bodies from birth. Those left outside keep the lights on in an abandoned…

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Book Review: At Least I’m Trying by Tara Hodgson

Book Details: Author: Tara HodgsonRelease Date: 15 October 2025Series: Genre: Young-Adult, Psychological ThrillerFormat: E-book Pages: 366 pagesPublisher: http://www.tarahodgson.caBlurb:When the volleyball hits the floor mere inches from Reese’s hands, her dreams of playingcollege ball shatter.After consecutive failures on the court, in the classroom, and in her relationships, she’s doneplaying the part of perfect daughter, perfect…

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Book Spotlight: KOSTYA by Scott Zimmerman

Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring Scott Zimmerman for their latest release, KOSTYA. Book: KOSTYA: Inspired by a True StoryAuthor: Scott ZimmermanPublication Date: 20 April 2026Publisher: Kostya PublishingPages: 371Genre: Historical Fiction/ThrillerAvailable Formats: ebook, paperback, hardbackFact: Western media knows very little about the horrific genocide in Ukraine in 1932. Additionally, this…

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Book Spotlight: Extropia by Jae Darcy

Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring Jae Darcy for their latest release, Extropia. Book: ExtropiaAuthor: Jae DarcyPublication Date: 1 May 2026Publisher: Pomegranate Seed PressPages: 416Genre: Young-Adult, Dystopia, Science-FictionAvailable Formats: Kindle ebook, trade paperbackFor Readers who Enjoyed: Feed by M.T. Anderson, Warcross by Marie Lu, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline,…

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Book Spotlight: THE FATIMA FILE: The Case of the Missing Millennium by Tom Lysaght 

Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring Tom Lysaght for their latest release, The Fatima File: The Case of the Missing Millennium. Book: THE FATIMA FILE: The Case of the Missing MillenniumAuthor: Tom Lysaght Publication Date: 12 May 2026Publisher: -Pages: 416Genre: Religious Mystery, Political Thriller, SuspenseAvailable Formats: Ebook and PaperbackFor Readers who Enjoyed: About…

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Book Review: Red Sky by A. B. Acharya

Book Details: Author: A.B. AcharyaRelease Date: 2 March 2026Series: Juggernaut Series (Book #1)Genre: Medical Conspiracy ThrillerFormat: E-book Pages: 334 pagesPublisher: -Blurb:He came to fix the world’s most dangerous drug. The drug had other plans.Narin Roy is writing his confession in a police interrogation room, and the only thing keeping him calm is the drug…

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Book Spotlight: The Strains of Malice by Andrew Beardmore

Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring Andrew Beardmore for their latest release, The Strains of Malice. Book: The Strains of MaliceAuthor: Andrew BeardmorePublication Date: 28/2/2025Publisher: Ryelands Books (an imprint of Halsgrove Publishing) Pages: 397Genre: Epic FantasyAvailable Formats: Ebook and PaperbackFor Readers who Enjoyed: Cold Sanctuary (Book Two of The Nessemiah). Many…

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Book Review: North of Broken & Furever Home by Holly B. Gutwillinger

Book Details: Author: Holly B. Gutwillinger Release Date: 14 February 2026Series: Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Animal FictionFormat: E-book Pages: 264 pagesPublisher: Ramblings From The Little Shed PublishingBlurb:Renley Nelsen’s life is unravelling. She’s caught between midlife melancholy, her sons have drifted away, and her mother’s mind is slipping beyond reach.Sully, the youngest in a pack of abandoned…

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  • Book Spotlight: 1521: The Defiance by Charleston Lim

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Charleston Lim for their latest release, 1521: The Defiance. Book: 1521: The DefianceAuthor: Charleston LimPublication Date: April 15, 2026Publisher: –Pages: 243Genre: Historical FictionAvailable Formats: eBook, Paperback, HardboundFor Readers who Enjoyed: Historical Fiction stories About the Book History remembers the fall of Ferdinand Magellan, but it…

  • Book Review: The Ranch: For The Betterment of Humanity by Peter Mattson 

    Book Details: Author: Peter MattsonRelease Date: 20 February 2026Series: Genre: Political Dystopian, Sci-Fi, ThrillerFormat: E-book Pages: 288 pagesPublisher: –Blurb:In the dystopian nation of Harkiem, no one questions the system—until journalist Jones Torren investigates the death of thirteen-year-old Jack Ovens and uncovers a conspiracy that could cost him his life.Jack Ovens has always been labeled a troublemaker. After…

  • Book Spotlight: A Dream Life: A Memoir by Wendy Swift

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Wendy Swift for her latest release, A Dream Life. Book: A Dream LifeAuthor: Wendy SwiftPublication Date: 12 May 2026Publisher: Vine Leaves PressPages: 296Genre: MemoirAvailable Formats: e-book & PaperbackFor Readers who Enjoyed: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, Liar’s Club by Mary Karr, Wild by Cheryl…

  • Book Review: The Father, the Dog and the Conspiracy Theorist by Cody Burke

    Book Details: Author: Cody BurkeRelease Date: 24 March 2026Series: Genre: MemoirFormat: E-book Pages: 274 pagesPublisher: Eternal Lotus PublishingBlurb:The Father, the Dog and the Conspiracy Theorist is Cody Burke’s unfiltered story of breaking down and breaking free. In this raw and darkly funny memoir, the author battles his ego and demons as he navigates the absurdity of 2020…

  • Book Spotlight: Salvation Reigned by Travis Peterson

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Travis Peterson for his latest release, Salvation Reigned. Book: Salvation ReignedAuthor: Travis PetersonPublication Date: 31 March 2026Publisher: –Pages: 120Genre: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi About the Book A rogue planet is coming. Humanity’s last city has a plan. You won’t like it. Pete wakes in POD 217 with blood…

  • Book Review: The Grey Winter of the Enslaved (The Journey of the Wish Book 1) by Stefanos Sampanis

    Book Details: Author: Stefanos SampanisRelease Date: 19 January 2026Series: The Journey of the Wish (Book 1 of 2)Genre: FantasyFormat: E-book Pages: 435 pagesPublisher: –Blurb:I perceived the world and acknowledged all of its colours. There was truth; the kind you cannot simply speak of. A tale suits the cause better. It is a disguise that anyone can enjoy…

  • ARC Review: Play From Your Heart by Scott Martin and Coryanne Hicks

    Book Details: Author: Scott Martin and Coryanne Hicks  Release Date: 9 June 2026Series: Genre: Soccer BiographyFormat: E-book Pages: 227 pagesPublisher: Library Tales PublishingBlurb:When rising college soccer coach Scott Martin was struck down by a rare, flesh-eating infection that took both hands and parts of his feet, doctors told him he was lucky just to survive. But survival wasn’t enough.…

  • Book Review: Inconclusive Volume 1 by Alexandra Devane 

    Book Details: Author: Alexandra DevaneRelease Date: 31 August 2025Series: The Shards of Sansatia Series (Book 1 of 2)Genre: Fantasy, Dark RomantasyFormat: E-book Pages: 139 pagesPublisher: –Blurb:Eighteen-year-old Acteo Venand is an elite striker cadet at Inoton Academy, a military institution that prepares him to battle Noxvaleres, supernatural warriors who hold sway over the three pillars of desire: memory, fantasy, and reality. With…

  • Book Review: The Abnormal Gumshoe (The Fayetteville Series Book 2) by Tamar Anolic

    The Abnormal Gumshoe by Tamar Anolic is an unusual and engaging mystery that begins with a woman slowly realising that the life built around her may not be the life she wants. The novel follows Chloe Weaver, the thirty-year-old eldest daughter in a deeply conservative Christian family in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Still unmarried, still living at…

  • Author Interview: Luanne Castle

    Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome Luanne Castle, author of Scrap: Salvaging a Family, for an author interview with The Reading Bud. About The Author Luanne Castle Luanne Castle’s hybrid flash memoir, Scrap: Salvaging a Family, with a starred Kirkus review, is available from ELJ Editions. Her story, “Garden Seasons,” was selected for Best…

  • Book Review: Sleeping With the Enemy: What the White House Still Misses on China by Edouard Prisse 

    A heartfelt, imaginative, and emotionally sincere dystopian adventure.

  • Book Review: The Lucky Penny by Stephanie Vaccaro and Louise Allen

    A heartfelt, imaginative, and emotionally sincere dystopian adventure.

  • Book Spotlight: The Ranch: For The Betterment of Humanity by Peter Mattson 

    In the dystopian nation of Harkiem, no one questions the system—until journalist Jones Torren investigates the death of thirteen-year-old Jack Ovens and uncovers a conspiracy that could cost him his life.

  • Book Review: Tesla’s Opera by Mir Seidel

    Tesla’s Opera: The Real, Stranger-than-Fiction Nikola Tesla by Mir Seidel, is a hybrid work: part artistic archive, part cultural reclamation, part libretto, part visual-performance document, and part meditation on Tesla as scientist, mystic, showman, futurist, and mythic figure. The result is a slim but densely layered volume that asks us to look past the overused…

  • Book Spotlight: The Grey Winter of the Enslaved (The Journey of the Wish Book 1) by Stefanos Sampanis

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Stefanos Sampanis for their latest release, The Grey Winter of the Enslaved (The Journey of the Wish Book 1). Book: The Grey Winter of the EnslavedAuthor: Stefanos SampanisSeries: The Journey of the Wish (Book #1)Publication Date: 19 January 2026Publisher: –Genre: FantasyFormats Available: E-book and Paperback…

  • Book Spotlight: Play From Your Heart by Scott Martin and Coryanne Hicks

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring authors Scott Martin and Coryanne Hicks for their latest release, Play From Your Heart: A Journey Through Loss, Resilience, and the Beautiful Game. Book: Play From Your Heart: A Journey Through Loss, Resilience, and the Beautiful GameAuthor: Scott Martin and Coryanne HicksPublication Date: 9 June 2026Publisher: Library Tales PublishingGenre:…

  • Book Review: Scrap: Salvaging a Family by Luanne Castle

    Book Details: Author: Luanne CastleRelease Date: 1 January, 2026Series:Genre: MemoirFormat: E-book Pages: 172 pagesPublisher: ELJ EditionsBlurb:Luanne Castle’s new hybrid flash memoir, Scrap: Salvaging a Family (ELJ Editions 2026), is now available to purchase on Amazon and ELJ Editions. Scrap: Salvaging a Family explores the stain of childhood fear and anxiety on the adult spirit and the experience…

  • Book Review: A Symbol of Time by John Westley Turnbull 

    A thoughtful and morally serious science-fiction novel about survival, inheritance, and the repeating patterns of history. It is not merely about reaching a new world; it is about what a species chooses to become once it gets there. Imperfect but extremely ambitious, it leaves the reader with the uneasy sense that memory may be the…

  • Book Spotlight: A Symbol of Time by John Westley Turnbull 

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author John Westley Turnbull for his latest release, A Symbol of Time. Book: A Symbol of TimeAuthor: John Westley TurnbullPublication Date: 14 November 2025Genre: Science FictionFormats Available: E-book on Amazon, including Amazon Unlimited, Paperback and Hardcover.For Readers Who Enjoyed: Asimov, Harry Harrison, other science fiction well…

  • ARC Review: The Fabled One (Book One) by D Reign

    Book Details: Author: D ReignRelease Date: 30 April, 2026Series: Book 1 of 1: The Fabled oneGenre: FantasyFormat: E-book Pages: 170 pagesPublisher: –Blurb:Come on a journey as we follow Gaelin find out who she is. The Fabled One is about a young woman who learns about who she is when her parents (or those she thought were her…

  • Book Review: Star Evolution Volume 1 by Evanjellen

    Book Details: Author: Evan jellen Illustrator: Pineapple lava Release Date: 15 March, 2025Series: Genre: Sci-Fantasy, Anime-esque, Format: E-book Pages: 431 pagesPublisher: Helena St. GeorgeBlurb:A Cyber beast known as the Ouroboros, came from a higher dimension and viciously attacked the starverse. The land created by a powerful Demon god.The great Demon Lord fought the Ouroboros to a standstill. She…

  • Book Spotlight: Spirit of the Plain: The Unnamed (Book #1) by B. Walker 

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author B. Marcus Walker for his latest release, Spirit of the Plain: The Unnamed (Book #1). Book: Spirit of the Plain: The Unnamed – Book 1Author(s): B. Marcus WalkerPublication Date:  May 30, 2025Publisher: Killbot FactoryPage Count: 463Genres: Dark Fantasy, Coming-of-Age About the Book The Forest Plain…

  • Book Spotlight: Tesla’s Opera by Mir Seidel

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Mir Seidel for her latest release, Tesla’s Opera: The real, stranger-than-fiction Nikola Tesla. Book: Tesla’s Opera: The real, stranger-than-fiction Nikola TeslaAuthor: Mir SeidelPublication Date: September 2, 2025Publisher: Fomite PressGenres: Non-fiction, Crossovers Opera & BiographyAvailable in: Paperback For Readers Who Enjoyed Reading: The Prestige by Christopher Priest, The…

  • Book Spotlight: The Lucky Penny by Stephanie Vaccaro and Louise Allen

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring authors Stephanie Vaccaro & Louise Allen for their latest release, The Lucky Penny. Book: The Lucky PennyAuthor(s): Stephanie Vaccaro and Louise AllenPublication Date:  April 3, 2024Publisher: –Page Count: 402Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-ApocalypticEditions Available: Paperback and Ebook (Kindle)For Readers Who Enjoyed Reading: Hunger Games and Divergent…

  • Book Review: Shattered But Not Silenced: A Dystopian Novel by Helena St. George

    Book Details: Author: Helena St. George Release Date: 15 March, 2025Series: Genre: Dystopian, Speculative Fiction, Psychological, Social Commentary Format: E-book Pages: 431 pagesPublisher: Helena St. GeorgeBlurb:In a world where productivity is the measure of one’s worth, who decides human value?Set in a near-future America devastated by economic collapse, Shattered But Not Silenced imagines a regime that targets social service recipients,…

  • Book Review: GameTrap: Silicon Dreams, Criminal Schemes by David Yarnton

    Book Details: Author: David YarntonRelease Date: 8 December, 2025Series: Genre: Techno-Thriller, Financial Thriller, Boardroom/Corporate ThrillerFormat: E-book Pages: 472 pagesPublisher: 8TE, 8 Tech Express LimitedBlurb:When Isabella Lindström is drawn into the glittering world of VANTIX™ the tech startup promising to take on Nintendo she thinks she’s backing the next big thing. But as launch parties give way to missing…

  • Book Spotlight: GameTrap by David Yarnton

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author David Yarnton for his latest release, GameTrap: Silicon Dreams, Criminal Schemes. Book: GameTrap: Silicon Dreams, Criminal SchemesAuthor: David YarntonPublication Date: December 8, 2025Publisher: 8TE, 8 Tech Express LimitedPage Count: 472Genres: Techno-Thriller, Financial Thriller, Boardroom/Corporate ThrillerAvailable in: e-Book, Paperback & HardbackFor Readers Who Enjoyed Reading: Bad Blood…

  • Book Review: Stealing Stealth: A Gabrielle Hyde Thriller by Brian L. Reece

    Book Details: Author: by Brian L. Reece Release Date: 13 January, 2026Series: A Gabrielle Hyde ThrillerGenre: Cold War Techno-ThrillerFormat: E-book Pages: 472 pagesPublisher: Waffle Ink PressBlurb:The only way to protect the ultimate secret is to steal it.1977. Deep inside the secretive Skunk Works facility, the United States is forging its biggest advantage of the Cold War: Stealth technology.…

  • Book Review: The Cleansing by Victoria Alvear 

    Book Details: Author: by Victoria AlvearRelease Date: 20 January, 2026Series: Genre: Historical FictionFormat: E-book Pages: 314 pagesPublisher: –Blurb:Based on a true story, this is not the enlightened Rome of myth. This is a city choking on fear, where blood flows on both the battlefield and altar, and where generals and politicians alike are desperate to appease rageful gods.When…

  • Author Spotlight: Brian L. Reece

    Welcome to the TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring author Brian L. Reece for his latest release, Stealing Stealth: A Gabrielle Hyde Thriller. About The Author Brian L. Reece Brian L. Reece spent 26 years in Air Force special operations, flying combat missions across the Middle East and Africa. He holds master’s degrees in strategy, history,…

I’m Heena

Welcome to The Reading Bud, my cosy corner of the internet dedicated to all things books and authors. Here, I invite you to join me on a journey of discovering under-represented books, independent and small press authors, and all things book with a touch of love and loud purrs. Let’s get Reading!

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