Subscribe to receive Birdie Song's newsletter by email.

January 2025

Hey there,

Did you know there’s an alternative to Kindle Unlimited? Well, there’s actually two (or several, if we’re splitting hairs), and I thought I’d ring in the new year by telling you about them.

The first is called Kobo Plus, the unlimited book and audiobook subscription platform by Rakuten Kobo. Now, I’ve been told a bunch of things about prices and book availability over the years, but right now it looks like Kobo Plus is about the same price as KU in several places around the world.

Just like with KU, when you subscribe to Kobo Plus, you can read as much as you like from the books enrolled in the Kobo Plus program for just the one monthly subscription fee. And because Kobo doesn’t require exclusivity from publishers and authors, they can provide access to books that just wouldn’t be allowed in KU due to the KU’s exclusivity contracts.

Now, this second alternative is my personal favourite, even though it can be hit-and-miss with the books you can find there.

It’s (drum roll, please) …

🥁 🥁 🥁

Your local public library! Yes, many local public libraries offer ebook lending in partnership with library-specific book distributors – usually Libby, OverDrive and Hoopla. All of my books are distributed through all three, which I think should cover your library too.

Now, whether your library makes these books available is another story. You may need to request the book through your library app, or email/call the librarian to ask for access. But generally, when books are made available to local libraries, it means local readers (just like you) can get to them simply by having a library card (which in most places costs nothing).

It’s the best-kept secret (not really a secret) of clever readers who can’t afford to blow entire paycheques on buying every title they want to read.

Honestly, if you read small town romances and cosy mysteries, it doesn’t get much more small town and cosy than dealing with quirky library folks just a few blocks from where you live 😆

A book I enjoyed last year was The Game of Love by Libby M Iriks, a contemporary “best friend’s brother” romance set in a beachside town in sunny Western Australia. Note this is a three-flames tug-on-your-heartstrings story, but the on-page bedroom intimacy is so brief, you could skip the two short sentences that cover it and find yourself at back the two-flames heat level.

Peace,

Birdie 🐦

From friends and around the way

Cupid’s Angels by Erin Bevan
Ellie Childs isn’t looking for love, but when her AC repairman happens to be tall, dark, and handsome, he has the goods to make her change her mind.

Best Friends’ Unexpected Love by Deanna Lilly
Ten years is a long time to be in the friend zone. In my defense, he is my boss, and everyone knows how well doctor/nurse relationships go.

Falling For My Off Limits Fake Boyfriend in Serenity Springs by Bertie Stein
I planned to be in Serenity Springs just a few weeks, for a long overdue vacation, and to visit with my bestie Jenna. Little did I know Jake would be here the same time and we would soon be a fake couple…or is it so fake?

Small Town, Closed Door, Contemporary Romance
Freshen up your TBR with a bevy of books.

Romance Book Recs
Sweet love in January!

Cozy Mystery & Clean Romance
Free clean cozies & romance books until 31st Jan.

Small Town Romance January
Your next page turner awaits.

You might enjoy this too:

A definite reminder to back up your files by Madeline Ashby via WIRED:

This was how Renee experienced a moment that most of us have heart-pounding 3 am stress nightmares about. All 10 of her works in progress—some 222,000 words across multiple files and folders—were frozen. Not just frozen, but inaccessible on her phone and tablet. When her husband fetched her laptop, Renee logged into Docs and tried sharing the documents again. Then she received her own message from Google.

Read the rest: What happens when a romance writer gets locked out of Google Docs

What a nightmare! 😱 Not just for romance writers, but anyone who relies on online-only apps to store important work. If you’re using Google Docs for any kind of plan, manuscript, thesis, letter to a loved one, family recipe collection, or basically anything important to you – here’s your annual reminder to back up your files!

By the way, reviews are a huge help to small-time indie authors. Both good reviews and bad ones help readers hone in on the books and authors they resonate with. If you’ve enjoyed one of my books, I’d love it if you would leave me a review or star rating on BookBub, StoryGraph or Goodreads.

The Guy from the Wedding – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Internet – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Library – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Park – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Flower Shop – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

Well, that’s it for now! Subscribe to my newsletter if you’d rather get these updates with pictures, sent to your email inbox. You’ll also get a little thank you gift for signing up.