November 2024 Reads...

Below are the books that I read in November and my thoughts on each. 

I'm trying to do the Fold Reading Challenge to diversify my reading. In November, I was to read an ACCESSIBLE book by a marginalized author. I used the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) website to search for books I had by marginalized authors to see if they were ACCESSIBLE. I found many that were, and decided to read Jackie Lau's book which I had bought from a local bookstore earlier in the year. December is 2024 in reflection. I'm not sure what that means at the time of writing this post, but I'll see what The Fold recommends.

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DEAD SILENCE by S. A. Barnes

Dead Silence is a futuristic sci-fi horror that is psychological, supernatural, and about survival out in the vastness of space. It was an intense ride from the beginning to end that kept me wondering how reliable the narrator was throughout.

When Claire and her crew come across the Aurora, a long-lost luxury ship, at the end of their mission, they decide to board the ship and salvage some of the some of the riches as a finder's fee while investigating what happened to the passengers and crew. But nothing prepares them for the horrors they experience on board.

This is my first S. A. Barnes story, and I look forward to reading more of her sci-fi horror! I've already bought Ghost Station.

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LOVE, LIES, AND CHERRY PIE by Jackie Lau

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is a fake dating romance with so many layers that each add to how great this story is. Emily hears about Mark Chan all the time from her mother, but when she meets him, she's not impressed. But her mother won't give up, so Emily convinces Mark to pretend they are in a relationship to get her mother off their case. But their fake relationship is not easy to pull off, and they have to spend more and more time together. Eventually, Emily realizes Mark is not at all like the person she thought he was, and begins to have real feelings for him. But what happens when their families learn that they deceived them?

Not only does Jackie Lau write a fabulous fake dating story, but she also throws in the realities of the publishing industry, living in Toronto, parental expectations, and being the child of immigrant parents. All of it helped to draw me further into the story and made it feel that much more real. If you like fake dating romances, you'll love Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie!