ebook subscription services

Ebook Subscriptions that you will LOVE

The “right” subscription service feels like a a trove of gifts curated just for you. With so many options how do you pick the “BEST” ebook subscription?

Ebook Subscriptions – What are the best options?

Voracious readers celebrate! Everybody knows about Kindle Unlimited, but it comes with limitations. Authors having to commit to exclusivity cause many to turn away from participating, leaving fewer options for readers. But what if there were other ebook subscriptions? Ones where authors didn’t have to pledge exclusivity and readers could find an unlimited supply of ebook and audiobook options? Join me to explore these other ebook subscriptions that very much rival the beast!

Libby Subscription

This first one isn’t a subscription exactly. But it is one every voracious reader should be using! Did you know you could get almost any ebook or audiobook directly from your library? If you’re ok with waiting or perhaps not reading the newest release then Libby is most definitely for you. And did I mention it’s free? All you need to do is log in with your library card number and you’re set to go.Cost: Free

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Scribd Subscription

Scribd is probably one of the best ebook subscriptions currently on the market. It provides unlimited access to ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, magazines, news articles and more! It also has one of the most flexible platforms for access to the app. You can use it on any web browser, Android or iOS device. They also have apps available for download on Apple, Google Play and Kindle Fire so you can still read on your Kindle if you have one!Cost: 30 day free trial, then $12 a month

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Bookmate  Subscription

ebook subscription goodreads

It is fast becoming one of the most popular ebook subscriptions. Its platform mixes social media with book shopping. Think Goodreads and Amazon mixed directly. Users can create friend lists and curated bookshelves to shop from. Imagine the next time you’re talking books with a friend, you can immediately share a book rec for them to purchase right there! They also offer both ebooks and audiobooks and have a HUGE free reads section! Again, they have extremely flexible ways to access the platform. You can log in from any web browser, Android or iOS device. And they also have apps for download on Apple and Google Play. Cost: $10 a month

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Kobo Plus Subscription 

Kobo and Kobo Plus have been super popular in other countries for years already and have finally made their way to the US market. Many would argue they are Kindle Unlimited’s direct competition. They also rely heavily on their own e-reader devices where they directly load ebook purchases. But you can also read from their Kobo app on other devices. They offer a mix of ebook or audiobook only plans or a shared one for users of both. They also have a VIP program with rewards for dollars spent throughout the year.Cost: Free 30 day trial, then Kobo Plus Read- $7.99 a month, Kobo Plus Read & Listen- $9.99 a month, Kobo Plus Listen- $7.99 a month.

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EPIC Subscription

Why should adults get all the fun? Epic is finally an ebook subscription just for kids. And it’s FREE for educators! Finally take the guesswork out, books are divided by reading ability and grade level for parents and educators to find the perfect book for their child. Epic also has Read to Me audiobooks, easy readers with highlighted glossary words for kids to click and learn new vocabulary, and interactive reading games. Available for download in the Apple Store and Google Play.
Cost: Free for schools and educators, For everyone else, Free for 7 days, then $11.99 a month.

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I hope this provides some fun reading exploration for you!

Authors, follow me on my second part of this post next week on aggregators and distributors which will explain HOW you can get your book listed in these ebook subscriptions!

Happy Reading! If you enjoyed this blog post, make sure you check out Joyana’s other Blog Posts here.

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My best summer reads 2023 list is in!

Dive into the Best Summer Reads 2023

These books were worth their beach bag weight and made a splash this summer!

Summer is sadly coming to an end here. We just returned from the last of our summer travels and my kids return to school next week. How fast it all flew by! But I was fortunate enough to enjoy some fantastic books this summer. I read a lot this summer, so trust me when I say I had plenty to hold these up against. These were my true favorites- all five star ratings! So join me below to see my best summer reads 2023!

Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino

I technically got this early as part of my Amazon First Reads program. But, it’s available for Pre-Order and comes out Sept 1st. 

What a fantastic read! I absolutely loved this book. Don’t Forget to Write, takes place in 1960 when twenty-something, Marilyn, gets caught kissing a boy during synagogue. Upon refusing to marry him, she gets sent to spend the summer with her strict, great-aunt, Ada. However, Ada is far from the punishment she expects and instead Marilyn ends up learning lessons about love and what she wants for herself that she’ll carry for a lifetime. 

See the full description below:

In 1960, a young woman discovers a freedom she never knew existed in this exhilarating, funny, and emotional novel by the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good.When Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the whole congregation, her parents ship her off to her great-aunt Ada for the summer. If anyone can save their daughter’s reputation, it’s Philadelphia’s strict premier matchmaker. Either that or Marilyn can kiss college goodbye.To Marilyn’s surprise, Ada’s not the humorless septuagenarian her mother described. Not with that platinum-blonde hair, Hermès scarf, and Cadillac convertible. She’s sharp, straight-talking, takes her job very seriously, and abides by her own rules….mostly. As the summer unfolds, Ada and Marilyn head for the Jersey shore, where Marilyn helps Ada scope out eligible matches―for anyone but Marilyn, that is.Because if there’s one thing Marilyn’s learned from Ada, it’s that she doesn’t have to settle. With the school year quickly approaching and her father threatening to disinherit her, Marilyn must make her choice for her future: return to the comfortable life she knows or embrace a risky, unknown path on her own.

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Homecoming by Kate Morton

Ok, this is not a “light” read. I’m also going to lay out the trigger warning- there are child deaths in this book. And there is suspected filicide (mother killing self and children). I thought that would be a deal breaker for me, but Kate Morton’s writing is so magical and thoughtful, I needed to keep reading to discover what really happened. I’m so glad I did, because I loved, loved this book!

See below for full description.

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of a grand country house, a local man makes a terrible discovery. Police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most baffling murder investigations in the history of South Australia.Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for two decades, she now finds herself unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and is seriously ill in the hospital.At Nora’s house, Jess discovers a true crime book chronicling a long-buried police case: the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. It is only when Jess skims through its pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this notorious event – a mystery that has never been satisfactorily resolved.An epic story that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, how we protect the lies we tell, and what it means to come home. Above all, it is an intricate and spellbinding novel from one of the finest writers working today.

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The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

If you’ve seen me in person this summer, I’ve most likely already recommended this book to you. Because I really have been recommending it to everyone I see. I love, love Fiona Davis. She’s on my auto-buy list and I had pre-ordered this book long before it came out. I’m so glad I did, because it truly was- Spectacular!

See below for what makes this book so awesome!

New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s glamorous precision-dancing troupe. It’s an honor to perform in the world’s most spectacular theater, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well as grueling rehearsals, not to mention exacting standards of perfection to live up to, Marion quickly realizes that the life of a Rockette has both extraordinary highs and devastating lows.Then one night a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s only the latest in a string of explosions around the city orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber.” They have been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a years long manhunt, the police, at Marion’s urging, turn in desperation to a radical new technique: psychological profiling.As Marion finds herself pulled deeper into the investigation, she realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. But she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

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I hope you enjoyed and feel inspired to pick up one of these great reads for yourself. Happy Reading!
If you enjoyed this book list, make sure you check out Joyana’s other Book Lists HERE!

Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!

Are you a VIP Member yet? If you’re interested in seeing Joyana’s Bonus content and ALL of her past newsletters make sure you sign up today! JOIN HERE.

Have you read my FREE Triangle Short Story? Get your copy HERE!

Check out the Amaryllis Co. Shop, fully stocked with custom designs perfect for every book loving Amaryllis Girl! From shirts, mugs, wine glasses, and more, I have curated a shop with all of my favorites! SHOP HERE!

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Road trip book picks

What Do Great Books & Road Trips Have in Common?

They both take you on incredible adventures, have unexpected twists and hopefully leave you wanting more!

It’s that time of summer where everyone’s cleared out of the DC area. Swim team’s over. School begins in a few weeks. Everyone is squeezing in their family vacations. We’re hitting the road ourselves for a NY beach trip and “glamping” with family. So, to get in the mood, I’ve put together a fun Road Trip Themed Book List. Enjoy!

In the Face of the Sun by Denny S. Bryce

This is an inspiring dual narrative, journey themed tale. Bryce weaves together two powerful stories as they unfold decades apart. See full description below.

1928, Los Angeles: The newly-built Hotel Somerville is the hotspot for the city’s glittering African-American elite. It embodies prosperity and dreams of equality for all—especially Daisy Washington. An up-and-coming journalist, Daisy anonymously chronicles fierce activism and behind-the-scenes Hollywood scandals in order to save her family from poverty. But power in the City of Angels is also fueled by racism, greed, and betrayal. And even the most determined young woman can play too many secrets too far . . .

1968, Chicago: For Frankie Saunders, fleeing across America is her only escape from an abusive husband. But her rescuer is her reckless, profane Aunt Daisy, still reeling from her own shattered past. Frankie doesn’t want to know what her aunt is up to so long as Daisy can get her to LA—and safety. But Frankie finds there’s no hiding from long-held secrets—or her own surprising strength.

Daisy will do whatever it takes to settle old scores and resolve the past—no matter the damage. And Frankie will come up against hard choices in the face of unexpected passion. Both must come to grips with what they need, what they’ve left behind—and all that lies ahead . . 

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On the Road by Jack Kerouac

What road trip book list would be complete without including Jack Kerouac’s classic? On the Road has become a symbol of America’s beetnik culture and was one of the first adventure books about road trips and searching for meaning on the open road. If you haven’t yet read it, it’s definitely worth checking out! See full description below.
The classic novel of freedom and the search for authenticity that defined a generation.


On the Road chronicles Jack Kerouac’s years traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal Cassady, “a sideburned hero of the snowy West.” As “Sal Paradise” and “Dean Moriarty,” the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge and experience. Kerouac’s love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz combine to make On the Road an inspirational work of lasting importance. Kerouac’s classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be “Beat” and has inspired every generation since its initial publication more than fifty years ago.

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Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck, his dog and the open roads of America in the 1960s. This is another road trip classic that has inspired generations. This is an intimate look at Steinbeck himself as he takes off to explore America. What follows is a 10,000 mile trip where he shares his experiences and the good and bad he finds along the way. If you haven’t yet read it, it’s another one that’s definitely worth checking out! See full description below.


An intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers. To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck’s goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years.

With Charley, his French poodle, Steinbeck drives the interstates and the country roads, dines with truckers, encounters bears at Yellowstone and old friends in San Francisco. Along the way he reflects on the American character, racial hostility, the particular form of American loneliness he finds almost everywhere, and  the unexpected kindness of strangers.

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Don’t Make Me Pull Over by Richard Ratay

A book for parents everywhere! What parent has not uttered these words at some point? This is a fun and unique read about both the history of American road trips and our interstate system while also offering intimate family narratives of road trip experiences. See full description below.


“A lighthearted, entertaining trip down Memory Lane” (Kirkus Reviews), Don’t Make Me Pull Over! offers a nostalgic look at the golden age of family road trips—before portable DVD players, smartphones, and Google Maps.

The birth of America’s first interstate highways in the 1950s hit the gas pedal on the road trip phenomenon and families were soon streaming—sans seatbelts!—to a range of sometimes stirring, sometimes wacky locations. In the days before cheap air travel, families didn’t so much take vacations as survive them. Between home and destination lay thousands of miles and dozens of annoyances, and with his family Richard Ratay experienced all of them—from being crowded into the backseat with noogie-happy older brothers, to picking out a souvenir only to find that a better one might have been had at the next attraction, to dealing with a dad who didn’t believe in bathroom breaks.

Now, decades later, Ratay offers “an amiable guide…fun and informative” (New York Newsday) that “goes down like a cold lemonade on a hot summer’s day” (The Wall Street Journal). In hundreds of amusing ways, he reminds us of what once made the Great American Family Road Trip so great, including twenty-foot “land yachts,” oasis-like Holiday Inn “Holidomes,” “Smokey”-spotting Fuzzbusters, twenty-eight glorious flavors of Howard Johnson’s ice cream, and the thrill of finding a “good buddy” on the CB radio.

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Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon

This last one is not US based. Based in the 1970s, Ted Simon set off from London and traveled the world by motorcycle for four years. See full description below.

Simon rode a motorcycle around the world in the seventies, when such a thing was unheard of. In four years he covered 78,000 miles through 45 countries, living with peasants and presidents, in prisons and palaces, through wars and revolutions. 

An incredible journey in the days before cell phones and the internet, and all done solo with no support team or social media updates.

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I hope you enjoyed and feel inspired to explore the road yourself, whether it be physically or through a book’s pages. Happy travels!

If you enjoyed this book list, make sure you check out Joyana’s other Book Lists HERE.

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Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!

Check out the Amaryllis Co. Shop, fully stocked with custom designs perfect for every book loving Amaryllis Girl! From shirts, mugs, wine glasses, and more, I have curated a shop with all of my favorites! SHOP HERE!

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Make sure you are the first to hear when I release a new book or novella! Subscribe to my blog below to never miss an update!

Books for Men

MORE Historical Fiction Books for Men

Books HE will WANT to read!

Happy Father’s Day everyone! Do you have book loving dad in the house? Last year I posted about historical fiction books for men and it’s actually been my most popular post ever! So, here’s an update- check out MORE historical fiction books for men!

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

Books for Men

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell is hailed as Game of Thrones but real! It chronicles the making of England during the ninth and tenth centuries with King Alfred the Great and his grandson fighting to protect against fierce Viking invaders. 

This thrilling adventure is masterfully told and meticulously researched, utilizing records of Cornwell’s own ancestors. See the full description below!

The first installment of Bernard Cornwell’s New York Times bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England.

In the middle years of the ninth century, the fierce Danes stormed onto British soil, hungry for spoils and conquest. Kingdom after kingdom fell to the ruthless invaders until but one realm remained. And suddenly the fate of all England—and the course of history—depended upon one man, one king.

From New York Times bestselling storyteller Bernard Cornwell comes a rousing epic adventure of courage, treachery, duty, devotion, majesty, love, and battle as seen through the eyes of a young warrior who straddled two worlds.

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Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

This Pulitzer Prize winning book is a classic for a reason! If you’ve never read before, be prepared for ALL the emotions. It’s a love story, adventure– all the above! 

It does fall into Wild West stereotypes with depictions of Indian savages, but please don’t let that stop you from reading this amazing book. See the full description below.

The Pulitzer Prize­–winning American classic of the American West that follows two aging Texas Rangers embarking on one last adventure. An epic of the frontier, Lonesome Dove is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.

Books for men

Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.

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Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

Books for Men

This epic novel on the Battle of Thermopylae has been hailed as an education in warfare. It’s even on the Commandant of the Marine Corps’ Reading list. 

Although written as a fictional account through the eyes of a survivor of the battle, Pressfield demonstrates his attention to detail and meticulous research in every sentence. It’s a definite Must Read! See the full description below.

Thousands of years ago, Herodotus and Plutarch immortalized Spartan society in their histories; but today, little is left of the ancient city or the social structure of this momentous culture.

One of the few antiquarian marks of the civilization that has survived lies scores of miles away from Sparta, at a narrow Greek mountain pass called Thermopylae.

It was there that three hundred of Sparta’s finest warriors held back the invading millions of the Persian empire and valiantly gave their lives in the selfless service of democracy and freedom. A simple engraved stone marks their burial ground.

Inspired by this stone and intrigued by the lore of Sparta, author Steven Pressfield has brilliantly combined scholarship with storytelling. Narrated by the sole survivor of the epic battle–a squire in the Spartan heavy infantry–Gates of Fire is a mesmerizing depiction of one man’s indoctrination into the Spartan way of life and death, and of the legendary men and women who gave the culture an immortal gravity.

Culminating in the electrifying and horrifying epic battle, Gates of Fire weaves history, mystery, and heartbreaking romance into a literary page-turner that brings the Homeric tradition into the twenty-first century.

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The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This is a beautifully written book that is in essence an ode to literature. But it’s also an intricately woven mystery and homage to 20th century Barcelona. See the full description below.

Barcelona, 1945—just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother’s face. To console his only child, Daniel’s widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again.

Books for men

Daniel’s father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him. And Daniel so loves the novel he selects, The Shadow of the Wind by one Julian Carax, that he sets out to find the rest of Carax’s work. To his shock, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written. In fact, he may have the last one in existence. Before Daniel knows it his seemingly innocent quest has opened a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets, an epic story of murder, magic, madness and doomed love. And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly.

As one leading Spanish reviewer wrote, “The originality of Ruiz Zafón’s voice is bombproof and displays a diabolical talent. The Shadow of the Wind announces a phenomenon in Spanish literature.” An uncannily absorbing historical mystery, a heart-piercing romance, and a moving homage to the mystical power of books, The Shadow of the Wind is a triumph of the storyteller’s art.

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The Eisenhower Chronicles by M.B. Zucker

Books for Men

This is an informative inside glimpse of the life of President Eisenhower. Ike had not only an illustrious military career, but was president during a particularly tumultuous time in U.S. history. Zucker masterfully shares his story. See full description below.

A Five-Star Book about a Five-Star General.

In 1938 he was a lieutenant colonel stationed in the Philippines; by 1945 the world proclaimed him its savior. From leading the forces of liberal democracy against history’s most evil tyrant to the presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower fought for and kept the peace during the most dangerous era in history.

The Eisenhower Chronicles dramatizes Ike’s life, portraying his epic journey from unknown soldier to global hero as only a novel could. He is shown working with icons such as FDR, Winston Churchill, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and confronting challenges like D-Day, the Little Rock Crisis, and Sputnik.

Eisenhower’s legacy is grounded in defending the world from fascism, communism, and nuclear weapons. This novel shows how he accomplished it all and takes readers into his mind and soul, grounding the history in the man who made it.

“An ambitious novel that illuminates the complexity of one of the great figures of the twentieth century. Ike’s homespun manner concealed a remarkably skilled, at times Machiavellian, leader who guided the nation through perilous times. M.B. Zucker brings us inside Eisenhower’s world as he wrestles with a series of decisions affecting the survival of free government and the fate of humanity. This is a fun, fast-paced, informative read that captures the man and his times. Highly recommended.”

Stephen F. Knott, Professor of National Security at the Naval War College and author of Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America.

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Hope you enjoyed this historical fiction books for men round-up and it gave you some inspiration. Happy Reading!

If you enjoyed this book list be sure to check out my others HERE and subscribe for my blog below to get alerted whenever I post another. Thanks for your continued support!

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