I just wanted to jump in and say there are many many more great tablets out there other than the ipad and much cheaper too. I have a few and absolutely love them, I can do pretty much what I do on my pc and I have several different ereader apps on them so I can read kindle format books, I can read epub format like nook books and get ebooks from the library since they also use epub format. That way I can get my books from pretty much anywhere I am not limited to just Amazon. I have lots of free books I get from sites all over the internet. I tried my brother in laws kindle before I ever made a purchase and it just was not for me, the flash of page turns messed with me and gave me headaches. And if I was going to spend the money I wanted one that did more than just one thing. If you do searches here and at the computer help forum you will find many of us here have other tablets like the Pandigital Novel, and other Android OS tablets. I just recently bought a sylvania one which I am really enjoying. I do have one device that is strictly an ereader, it has color and it connects to wifi so I can get books directly to it, it is a Lookbook and they have had them on sale from time to time at CVS for $50 an amazing price it looks very much like the kindle and it comes with a very nice case. Do some searches here for the many many threads we have where we discuss them and the various options. I have paid under $150 for all of mine. I just can not see paying so much more for an ipad. My hairdresser was looking at my new tablet recently and said she liked it a lot better than her ipad, to me the ipad it a little large and heavy that was her complaint also. I also love the Andorid OS and all the tons of apps out there you can add to the device. I have a ton of games on mine and like I said several ereader apps, I watch youtube, videos, music, pictures, surf, post here from them, do my email. Honestly I am rarely on my desktop anymore since I can sit anywhere in the house with my tablet, and it is lighter weight than my netbook (netbook is just a small version of a notebook or laptop) Pandigital Novel eReaders LookBook a great place to see how many of the tablets are available is to check out China Grabber, I would not get any that were not at least Android 2.2 they can do a lot more stuff.There are some however that come with android 2.1 and then do an update which brings them up to 2.2 which is how my sylvania was. Android 2.2 Froyo Tablets here are some that have Android 3.0 which is the most recent versions android 3.0 tablets" So don't think just ipad if you do you are really limiting yourself. These little tablets pack a big punch and can do a LOT of stuff. AND none of the tablets I have use a cell phone connection so there is absolutely NO monthly charges involved, they connect to wifi easily and you can do all your internet stuff that way. I found one of the topics we had here recently you can check out, there are many more if you search lookbook ereader & sylvania tablet at CVS this week If you keep watch at CVS it goes on sale for $50 Shift3 LOOKBOOK Wireless Reader In fact I am just now looking at the current CVS flier on their website and the same sylvania touch screen tablet I have and love is on sale right now for $99.99 it is on page 6 of the flier. On sale through Oct 8! If you want to try out a tablet this is a great way to give it a shot and not spend a ton of money. They sell out fast and I had to call several stores to find them available. Hey you can always return it... http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/user/home/home.jsp Here is a link that might be useful: cvs

Many of the free books are spiritual or romantic fiction which are not of interest to me, but if you watch you can occasionally catch something you like. And the ereadernow website itself is helpful too. It's nice to stockpile a few books on the Kindle so you have some extra choices when you start a new book. Happy reading.....

I haven't received this book from the library yet, but I was lucky enough to spend some quality time in a bookstore yesterday and skimmed through much of Wesley the Owl. The author strikes a balance of facts and sentiment in an enjoyable way. I will be happy to read it in its entirety. In case anyone is interested, the link below lists many animal-themed books from the last several years. I see quite a few I would like to read. Here is a link that might be useful: Animal-themed books

I agree with the points that both of you made. None of the factors which made marriages with such age differences a practical choice existed in this particular relationship. However, in a society where such relationships were common and accepted, no one was likely to blink when someone who didn't have a practical reason for it also made that choice. It looked normal to them. About Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, I don't like such editing. Books reflect their times, and readers should understand this. Besides, I don't think of them as racist. Yes, they do use language which we no longer tolerate, but it was standard practice at the time. Omitting it is a distortion. I do understand that I might have a different emotional reaction to that language if I had different life experiences. Anyway I have long thought that the runaway slave Jim is the real hero of Huck Finn. For all his humility, he is far smarter, wiser, and far more moral than Huck. In his parochial ignorance Huck looks down on Jim, but that says more about Huck than it does about Jim. And in the end, even he comes to value Jim's qualities.