I like new and interesting things. They don’t scare me; they intrigue me. So when I first heard about ebooks several years ago, I remember thinking e-reading would become popular in the near future. And I was right.

Of course, I couldn’t participate in my own product prediction at that time. My budget didn’t allow for that particular extravagance. But with some meticulous saving, and a surprise monetary birthday gift from a friend for just that purpose, I was able to purchase the Nook Color this past summer.

Why the Nook Color? I spent a few months researching and trying out a few  e-readers. I liked how the pages turned without blacking out. I liked the potential of reading items (especially picture books) in color. I even liked that I can check my email from my Nook while my kids use my main computer, saving me from constantly calling out, “Do I have any mail?”

I don’t like the short battery life, but my current lifestyle keeps me close to electrical outlets, so it’s not a problem at the moment.

How do I feel about it now that I’ve had it for a few months? I enjoy it. One of the reasons I wanted an e-reader was to get old editions of books for little cost. This is a huge plus for all the research I have to do. The downside is that I have to be careful how these editions were scanned. Some optimizers misread the old fonts, making a guessing game out of particular words. With a little effort, though, editions can be found that are very readable.

I like that I can carry my current selections all in one package. Many of the volumes I’ve used for research are large, so it’s nice to have a hand-size version of what I’m reading that’s easy to carry.

I’m still getting used to bookmarking and highlighting. It’s not the same as flipping book pages back to reread a passage you liked. It’s a lot more work to find something. But at least you can peruse a list of those favorite lines you highlighted.

Will my e-reader keep me from buying books? Absolutely not. I still enjoy my paperbacks, especially since not everything I’m reading has been converted into an e-book.

Would I recommend buying an e-reader? I’d advise borrowing a friend’s for a day or two to see if it’s something you would enjoy. It’s really a personal call. For me it’s useful, though I don’t use it as often as some. But for others, they wouldn’t even think of turning an electronic page. It takes away that real book feel.

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