This is a pretty cool Web site that lets users exchange and trade books. I know I have TONS of books taking up space in my room that I won’t ever read again and just create even more clutter. This is the perfect solution if you like reading! Which you should if you’re reading our amazing blog site!

PLUS the name is good: Book Mooch. I enjoy mooching consistently, especially food and drinks, but books are good too! Give books away and get books you want = simple. It’s easy to become a member and FREE. And it’s fun to get stuff in the mail! There’s only 4 easy steps:

1) Type in the books you want to give away.

2) Receive requests from other people for your books.

3) Mail your books and get points!

4) Ask for books from others using your points.

[The following was written by Synthesis Weekly columnist Emilie Clark. She can be reached at emilie@synthesis.net.]

Coming Soon

It’s a well-known fact that people like to adapt movies from books. It’s also a well-known fact that most of these efforts suck. So it’s my job to warn you about upcoming adaptations so you have ample time to read the book. This gives you the chance to complain about inconsistencies and general “suckiness” while still in the theater, making you look learned and therefore more attractive. You can thank me later.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, July 4th: This is a documentary, so I guess it won’t really do to get mad about liberties taken with the adaptation. But it can’t hurt to read some of the famous Gonzo’s work if only for your own amusement. From the description it seems like the filmmakers are big fans, which can be bad in a documentary if you’re trying to eek out truth. The gist I get is that the point the film makes is that Thompson did what journalists are too afraid to do nowadays, namely get high and write caustic things about politicians. This may be true, but I easily tire of ‘60s and ‘70s nostalgia. Sure people were a bit crazier back then and I’m sure there are things to be learned from that era, but it’s over, so deal.

Journey To the Center of the Earth 3D, July 11th: Based on the classic Jules Verne novel about a rogue scientist who travels to, you guessed it, the center of the earth. According to Wikipedia, this novel didn’t age as well as some of Verne’s other works, because he was mostly wrong about what is contained in the center of the earth. However, none of that really matters because this movie is in 3D. And I will watch anything in 3D, even if it stars Brendan Fraser.

more upcoming adaptations after the jump.
(more…)

Borders, the second-biggest bookseller in the US, is looking for potential buyers after suspending its dividend in the face of a funding crisis:

Borders said its largest shareholder, Pershing Square Capital Management, agreed to loan it $42.5 million, and will receive options to buy a 19.99 percent stake in the company at $7 a share. Without the financing, Borders may have faced liquidity issues, it said.

“Borders effectively announced this morning that they are out of cash and took a stopgap funding” from Pershing, Credit Suisse analyst Gary Balter said in a research note.

While some analysts raised the possibility of a deal with Barnes & Noble, the company said on Thursday it had not been approached by Borders’ investment bankers, but would review a possible acquisition if it were contacted.

In so many words, there will soon be one less place for Americans to not buy books. But hey, at least we have BLOGS!, which are like books only for stupid people.