Borders Is Going Out Of Business. Oh Snap! Is The Golden Era Of Books Ending?

What sad news. BORDERS is going away. All stores are expected to close by September.

Everything is 10-40% off, so if there's anything good coming out of this, it's that you can get good books at a cheaper price. Still, it's sad to see so many people losing their jobs. Barnes & Noble & BOOKS-A-MILLION can oly hire so many people.

Even worse, it doesn't look like this economy situation is getting any better. News is breaking that Speaker Of The House John Boehner has pulled out of the debt talks. It's rather frustrating that while Congress & The White House are barely making progress, Americans are suffering.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, with E-Readers & Kindles(?), it seems that simply reading a hardcover or paperback book is being phased out. Do you think this? Please comment. Thanks, and have a great weekend, and don't stay outside too long(It's been 95+ Degrees In STL for the past 5 days)!

Books On The Road

This post today is coming from Lost Valley Lake Resort in central Missouri. I'm currently taking our family's 4th of July vacation, and thankfully, the resort has WiFi technology.

I'm down here until the 10th. I brought about 7 or 8 books with me to read, so I expect to finsh them all by the 10th.

CAMPING IS AWESOME!!!

Son Of Neptune Cover & Excerpt:

<<< This is the cover for The Son Of Neptune, out October 4th!

You can read an excerpt here.

Scorpia Rising

Synopsis:

Scorpia has dogged Alex Rider for most of his life. They killed his parents, they did their best to con Alex into turning traitor, and they just keep coming back with more power. Now the world's most dangerous terrorist organization is playing with fire in the world's most combustible land: the Middle East. No one knows Scorpia like Alex. And no one knows how best to get to Alex like Scorpia. Until now.

The chases have never been more intense, the fights more treacherous, or the risks so perilous to mankind. And this time, Alex won't get away.

INHERITANCE: COMING THIS NOVEMBER!

3 Years Of Books!

On Saturday, March 22nd, 2008, I happened to discover the magic of Blogger. Then, I created the magic of Books.

It's hard to beilive it's been 3 years. It doesn't feel like it has. But it has.

So, in short, thank you all so much for allowing me you bring you the latest Book news for the past 3 years.

The 3/14/11 WWE RAW- The day after...

March 15th-

Monday Night RAW episode #929 emanated from my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, from the Scottrade Center, yesterday. It was a fine, fine show.

Even guest star Snooki couldn't ruin it. In a way, she helped make it better.

She not only unleashed a beat down Jersey Shore style, but she will do it again in three weeks at WrestleMania XXVII, WHEN SHE ACTUALLY WILL WRESTLE IN A MATCH!

Yep, you heard that right.

In other news, legendary WWE announcer(and my role model)Jim Ross made a triumphant return that got a humongous ovation. Since I had never got to see him in person the previous two times because of his condition, Bell's palsy, this was a very special moment for me. However, and former broadcast partner & best friend, wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler, were attacked & injured, thus being removed from the broadcast(King actually; J.R never announced last .)

Before King Left, he got in the line of the night(for the crowd anyway): "You're a bigger screw-up than Charlie Sheen!" Whether or not that was a positive comment for Charlie or not, we will never know.

Soild matches were thrown in, and "The Rock" cut a rather hilarious promo at the top of the show. All in all, a great RAW!

March

It's hard to believe Books is 3 years old this month. What an incredible 3 years it has been.

I'm currently reading Virals, a sort of spin-off of the TV show Bones.

Did I mention I like Bones? If I didn't now you know.

On March 14th, I will be attending WWE Raw at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis. Hoping to get on TV(fingers crossed!)

Everyone have a great weekend!

My Blog's Newest New Look... & More Changes Are Coming

My blog has a new look... again. Nice background, don't you think? But, the text color on some of my posts is a little dark and hard to read. If you have trouble reading some of my posts, highlight the text with your computer mouse.

Also, this blog isn't all about books anymore. They still will be the primary focus of the blog, but more frequently will the posts will be centered around other activities & current issues. Same with my Twitter. Hey, you know the guy who co-founded & created Twitter went to a school near my house?

Anyway, that about sums up the changes. Take Care, everyone.

-Jake, Creator Of Books

Could This Book Have Been A Human?

Strange video I just watched.

Power Play

From stitchkingdom.com:

The next in the incredibly popular series which centers on what happens inside the Walt Disney World theme parks at night (at least until they hit the high seas of the Disney Cruise Line in book five), Power Play ‘s official synopsis is as follows:


For the five teens who modeled as Disney Hologram Imaging hosts, life is beginning to settle down when an intriguing video arrives to Philby’s computer at school. It’s a call for action: the Overtakers, a group of Disney villains, seem to be plotting to attempt a rescue of two of their leaders, both of whom the Disney Imagineers have hidden away somewhere following a violent encounter in Epcot. A staged attack by new Overtakers at Downtown Disney, startles the group.

One of their own, Charlene, is acting strange of late. Has she tired of her role as a Kingdom Keeper or is there something more sinister at play? When caught sneaking into Epcot as her DHI, acting strictly against the group’s rules, Finn and Philby take action.


Has the ‘impossible’ occurred? Have the Overtakers created their own holograms? Have they found a way to ‘jump’ from the Virtual Maintenance Network onto the Internet, and if so, what does that mean for the safety of the parks, and the spread and reach of the Overtakers? Are they recruiting an army from outside the parks?

A dark cloud in the Kingdom Keeper era is unfolding, and with dissention in their own ranks, it’s unclear if there’s any chance of escape.

The Throne Of Fire, Vespers Rising, Zombies & More Stuff...

Yes, I know this is my first post since September. I'll try to blog a bit more from now on.

In other news, it has been announced that on May 3, 2011, Rick Riordan's Second Installment in The Kane Chronicles, The Throne Of Fire, will hit shelves. I personally can't wait for this one because I very much enjoyed The Red Pyramid when it came out last year. It appears this novel will be shorter than Red Pyramid (Barnes & Noble says about 464 pages) but it will still be great anyway. Here's a summary from the Kane Chronicles website:

THE THRONE OF FIRE



Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians. And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.






To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished. First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?






Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.

A preview chapter is available here. I think you can download it, but I'm not sure.

In other news, It appears that the 39 Clues will continue when Vesper's Rising is released April 5th. I don't think the Cahills vs Vespers Series Name caught on. Here's a summary from B&N:


The Cahills thought they were the most powerful family the world had ever known. They thought they were the only ones who knew about Gideon Cahill and his Clues. The Cahills were wrong.



Powerful enemies the Vespers have been waiting in the shadows. Now it s their time to rise and the world will never be the same. In Vespers Rising, a brand new 39 Clues novel, bestselling authors Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman and Jude Watson take on the hidden history of the Cahills and the Vespers, and the last, terrible legacy Grace Cahill leaves for Amy and Dan.

I actually enjoyed the ending of Into The Gauntlet, and I personally don't think continuing the series would be a good idea. However, this doesn't mean I won't read it. I think KK4 is released on that same day, but I'm not sure.

I have been reading a horror novel titled The Enemy by British author Charlie Higson, and let me say it is brilliant. In these troubling days when a excellent book is hard to find, The Enemy stands out, altought I recommend it for mature audiences. The book has been out since May of last year, so its taken me a while to find it. It comes out in paperback May 10.

It's sequel The Dead comes out June 14. You can bet I'll buy it.

The fourth installment in the Tunnels Series Comes Out February 2nd and will be called CLOSER. The summary is below:

Closer to victory...or closer to death? An army of darkness is on the march: Who won't escape with their life? The fourth book in the New York Times Bestselling TUNNELS series!

At long last reunited with his dad, Will now spends his days exploring the "land of the second sun," decoding the cryptic glyphs carved into its three mysterious temples--or eyeing the wild animals with renegade girl Elliott. Chester, meanwhile, has finally returned Topsoil, where his homecoming is rapidly becoming a horror show. But an army of darkness is on the march. And the ruthless Rebeccas have once more cheated death. With a corps of cold-blooded Limiters at their command, they're determined to hunt Will to the bitter innards of the earth. This time, who WON'T escape with their life?