A treasured moment in my life was the chance to sit down and talk with Adelma Simmons shortly before her death. The conversation was wide ranging and, of course, included the phenomenon of gardening as a hobby in the 80's. As Mrs. Simmons is undoubtedly the author who brought herbs out of the closet and into the mainstream, her comments suprised me. Though she encouraged anyone with a pen to give it a shot, her concern was that the garden book world would be overrun with "fluff" and little substance. This prophecy seems to have come full circle. There are just so many "how to design a border" books that one can read and gain from. Publishers took full advantage of the surge in interest and flooded the market for a quick buck. I really think that this is why there is a decline. Those of us who are serious gardeners (serious enough to "talk" about it on a daily basis with webfriends) will always buy anything that's there of interest. But the backyard hobbiest only wants one or two coffee table books, not anything of substance. So, while book sales may be declining, it could be that there's not a lot out there to buy that hasn't been rehashed many times before. You're right, Ginny, everyone wants to see their name in print and publishers take full advantage to make a quick buck despite the quality. I admit that I have stopped buying gardening books en masse. I don't have the room, nor the time, to read 10 or 15 new books at a clip. Substance seems to be what's missing. "How To's" have given way to "look how lovely this is." The "lovely" books rarely mention the financial part of designing and implementing a full-blown garden worthy of publication. So, IMHO, while I feel for the writers whose rights are contracted away, and I feel for those of us with this plant passion who can't get enough, I give Amy all the credit in the world for doing an ad hoc "market survey" and not putting out pages for the sake of putting out pages. And, I truly still believe, that the masses sway the market. The decline in sales is a perfect example of this. People still have money, people still have interest, and now the publishers need to catch up. Martie

wait what does your phone have to do with it? You want it for your new tablet right? To add apps is super simple, go to the app store, one had to come on your tablet it may be getjar on that one not sure just do a search on the app store for the app or just browse through them for ones you might like to try, download and install from there if you don't like it you can remove it. You can get the kindle app from most app stores and also from amazon, you will need to install the amazon app store app first then you can use their app store but you do have to have an amazon account set up so you can log in. I recommend this guide to those new to android it really will help plus read the guide that is on your tablet for any specifics. The Complete Android Guide one thing you do need to do is go into settings,applications, and check mark to allow apps from other sources/unknown sources so you can get them from places other than the one app store on your tablet. How To Install Apps on Android eReaders and Tablets I am pretty sure it is getjar that comes on coby if so here is the link to the getjar store and the kindle app just go there using your tablet and hit the orange download button at the top for kindle it will then install to your tablet show you the progress and ask you if you want to accept say yes to all that then it will ask if you want to open it. The apps you use the most you can select to put on your front pages on your tablet so you don't have to scroll through all your apps to find them. How To Get Free eBooks From Libraries Using Overdrive This blog is a great resource for any tablet users I would hang on to it and check it regularly he does also list free book sources. a few other free ebook sources now since I am on my pc. Smashwords Visit Omnilit free ebooks free-online-novels.com Get Free Ebooks If you would go to settings, look in the info about the tablet there and let me know what exact version of android you have it would help. Plus if you have done so already be absolutely sure you have the tablet plugged in then go to the update tablet area in settings and check for the latest update to the system, they usually all have one waiting.

Does that make him 2nd grade? I agree that Magic Tree House books are very popular. I also agree they are sort of boring. They are excellent for first independent chapter books, 1st and 2nd grade. But if he reads even a little above that level, they will not be challenging. They are not the kind of books anyone would want to read more than once. And not the kind that parents and kids would enjoy reading together. I cannot read them with my kids, can't stay awake long enough. ;o) I just don't care for the writing. However, kids do love them. At the book fairs, they fly off the shelves. There are non-fiction companion books with them and the author has recorded them herself on CD. I also agree Harry Potter should wait a couple years. The first one is much easier and lighter than the rest. So a kid that is just old enough for the first is too young for the rest. Me, I'd get him 2-3 nice Shel Silverstein books. Those are great for a 7 y/o and will be enjoyed for years, real keepers, and parents and kids love to read them together. The Silverstein books we have are among my kids' favorites even as they get older. They make great gifts. Here is a link that might be useful: shelsilverstein.com for some excerpts from different books

Another Sort of Learning (James V. Schall) 1988 In this book with the unorthodox subtitle, "Selected Contrary Essays on the Completion of Our Knowing or How to Finally Acquire an Education While Still in College, or Anywhere Else: Containing Some Belated Advice about How to Employ Your Leisure Time When Ultimate Questions Remain Perplexing in Spite of Your Highest Earned Academic Degree, Together with Sundry Book Lists Nowhere Else in Captivity to Be Found", Father Schall has written a delightful collection of essays for people like me who made it all the way through college without managing to get a truly liberal education. The book talks about gathering books on diverse subjects for a personal library. There are essays on reading, education, teaching, philosophy, sports, politics, history, and prayer. After each essay there is a short list of the books such as, "SchallÂs Unlikely List of Books to Keep Sane By", "Books You Will Never Be Assigned", "Eight Collections of Essays and Letters Not To Be Missed", "Ten Books on Grace and Thought", and "Five Books Addressed to the Heart of Things". True bibliophiles will love the lists. Schall states in the book: "Education, philosophy, science, politics, history, revelation - these are the themes that I have considered here in various ways. I have often talked of Plato and Aristotle, of Augustine and Aquinas, of Chesterton, Pieper, and C.S. Lewis. I have done this to underscore their importance. And I have repeated favorite book titles worth emphasizing in different contexts. I wanted to suggest that anyone with some diligence and some good fortune can find his way to the highest things even if such higher level concerns are not formally or systematically treated in the schools, even if they are in fact denied there or by our own friends or culture. Indeed, I would suspect that there is a certain basic loneliness in our relationships to the highest things. I am not a skeptic here, but we should not expect too much from our formal educational institutions in this regard. "Throughout these pages, I have talked of 'another sort of learning.' I have talked about why we should read, what we should read, books we should keep. In a sense, we can tell a lot about anyone by looking at what books, if any, he reads, at what books are on his shelvesÂ."