Did I need it? No. Who really needs an electronic reader rather than having real books? However, the reality is that I had almost $100 in gift cards to B&N (the benefits of being a teacher,) but I didn't really want $100 worth of junk fiction that I would only read once. It seemed wasteful and like I would be filling my house with more stuff that would only have to be disposed of later.
I paused before purchase though when I looked at how much the books cost. (Or costed as I have been forced to hear several times lately. ::shudder::) For some reason I assumed books would be less expensive in their electronic format. Nope. In many cases they were MORE expensive. Humph. Then I decided to peek at the County Library website. I can check out e-books! Now they don't have the biggest selection, but it's enough to easily supplement my school library selections. It also means that when I travel later this summer, I won't have to lug around tons of huge hardback books! Woohoo!
I've already ready two books (a free one- Throwaway and a Daniel Silva spy novel) on the Nook and I like it a lot. I can read in the sun and I don't get a crick in my neck when I'm reading in bed because the book is so heavy. I'm sure if I was able to use public transit, I would love it even more.
Now, I chose the Nook 2. It is the smallest and lightest e-reader that B&N sells plus it has a touchscreen. It also has very few features. It does use wireless, but I didn't get 3G. It is a black and white display with no games or anything. The lady tried to upsell me to the Nook Color, but I have an iPhone. Why do I need to browse the internet and play Angry Birds on my Nook too? It seemed like a waste of the extra money.
So there you have it. My summer splurge with the extra money I earned teaching. I'm sure I'll post some actual book reviews soon. :)
