The READ THIS! Book of the Month Announced Plus Other Things!

Happy May! The Mini Gini Con was great, and it was nice to be "home" for a week, too. But now I'm home for reals, and that means, you know, I get to actually write. (And there was much rejoicing.) Mother's Day is on the horizon, so here's wishing all those who've ever handled the Mom Job in any way a wonderful day filled with love. (Also, as a mention, books make wonderful gifts for the Mom Job doers in your life.) It's a short one this time, but we have the READ THIS! Book of the Month announced, which is the big deal, after all, as well as some interesting info about the next blue moon. So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

It's Alive!

Spread the word: Aliens Like Use -- aka the book EVERYONE has been waiting for -- is large and in charge from Ginger Blue Publishing, as in, if you've somehow missed it, it's available right now! So, now's the time to get your copy from your distributor of choice:  Amazon -- ebook, trade paperback, and Hardback B&N.com -- ebook, trade paperback, and Trophy Hardback Kobo -- ebook Apple Books -- ebook  A reminder that reviews are hugely vital and if you enjoyed (or didn't) the bookie wookie (and any of the others) a review is the best way to show it!

Read Out Loud! Do you have your copy of the Touched by an Alien audiobook yet? If not, don't wait! Grab yours today and start your year right!

Speaking of Reading Out Loud... Graphic Audio has renewed the contract for The Legend of Belladonna, Part 1: Natural Born Outlaws, by moi writing as A.E. Stanton. If you haven't grabbed this fantastic audiobook, don't delay, grab it today!

New Aloud Reading! Behold! The first Ginger Blue audiobook is A Cup of Joe by moi writing as Anita Ensal!

More New Aloud Reading! The second audiobook from Ginger Blue is The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal by moi writing as Jemma Chase!

New Funny Aloud Reading! Random Musings from the Funny Girl is now available in audio! Listen while laughing!

READ THIS! A Book Club by Moi for All Y'all Welcome to READ THIS! A Book Club by Gini Koch. This is my chance to introduce you to some great authors that I love and know you will, too. Every month I'll spotlight a book and, even better...every month I'll host a live discussion with the author, that all y'all can join! I know, it's too happy to be true, but true it is!

May 2026 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for May 2026 is:  Surviving the Starways by Vincent Bek Gini's Take: The first book in an exciting, new SF adventure from a Book Club favorite! About the Author: Vincent Bek grew up in the Appalachian Mountains dreaming up stories while making trails through the woodlands. He has since been seduced by science and technology and now spends his days dreaming about where humanity's creativity will someday lead. Vincent has been writing for several decades in both the Fantasy and Science Fiction genres while working in the technology sector to pay the bills. Blessed with an amazing wife and two beautiful children, he is currently living happily in Pennsylvania and loves to hear from his readers. https://www.vincentbek.com/

May 2026 READ THIS! Author Q&A

So, you've read the READ THIS! selection and you want to share what you thought with the author, hang out with them and Gini, and generally talk books for an hour. Well, guess what? You can! The third Thursday of every month will be READ THIS! Author Q&A time. The event will be held utilizing Discord, and the invitation to Gini's READ THIS! room will come out in the week prior to the chat. And that's not all! Near the end of each Q&A session, we'll be doing a raffle and one lucky winner will get a copy of the next month's READ THIS! selection! (You must be present in the Q&A to win. Physical book prizes will be U.S. only. Ebook prizes will be worldwide.)

May's READ THIS! author Q&A  featuring author Vincent Bek will be on Thursday, May 21, 2026 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend!

June's READ THIS! Selection   WE ARE DARK

The READ THIS! Selection for June 2026 is:  WE ARE DARK. Due to my travel schedule and my guest hosts' travel schedules, we are dark this June. We will see everyone in July with the next great reading selection!

Random Randomness This section is normally for Hook Me Up! Subscribers only, but it's pretty cool, so I'm sharing it with the Blog, too. (Want this kind of info monthly? Subscribe to Hook Me Up! from the bottom of most of the pages of my website.) We get two full moons this month. One, the Flower Moon, already happened on May 1st. But the other will happen on the 31st, the rare Blue Moon. See what EarthSky has to say about it!

So many bookie wookies, so much time to catch up on all of them while waiting for Aliens Like Them and the next READ THIS! selection. Check out my Bookstore for all the things!

That's it for today but, never fear, another Update, including the Discord Q&A chat invitation, will be arriving mid-month. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy, remember we're all in this together, be kind to one another, give love and support to all those who are on the front lines in any capacity, and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, aka my Rabid Raccoons, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Love, Gini