Ryan was very good to me and got me a Nook for Christmas. The last few years it seems we have either not bought presents for each other or mutually agreed that some needed household item we purchased around that time of year would be our Christmas present to each other. Maybe, we're too practical, but it's just what seemed to be the best decision. I'm not sure what next year will bring us, so it was a fun to have a year where we felt we could get each other a nice gift.
I have been known to profess my love for a good old fashioned paper and ink book where you can smell it, feel it, and drink it in. I've read lots of raving reviews for Kindles over the past few years and just didn't believe it was worth all of the hoopla. And then, I saw one - my sister-in-law received a Kindle as a gift from work and had it the night of Ryan's birthday dinner - and I think I drooled a bit, or maybe that was because of the cupcake. Either way, I was smitten - the accessibility, the beautiful e-ink screen, the versatility - I could see all of my reading dreams coming true in that simple device.
In the end, I chose the Nook because it seems to be a little more versatile than the Kindle, and I'm so happy with it. It can read books purchased elsewhere and library ebooks, which the Kindle doesn't do. I love having all my books available to me at once. I am usually reading three or four books at the same time and I seem to be plowing through them faster when I can switch so easily between them. I spent almost all of last weekend reading - when I would get tired of one book, I would switch to another without having to get up and look for the other book. Normally I would just read the one book, get tired of it and fall asleep or move on to something else. My other favorite thing about it is that it's a lot easier to read while lying down than a paper book with its small size and weight and no pages to hold open (I've been re-reading Harry Potter #7, so that's a pretty significant difference).
I made this super simple sleeve for it out of some thrifted plaid wool and a felted sweater. Initially this post was going to be a tutorial for it, but then I carried on so much about the Nook, that I decided I would leave the tutorial for the next post.
Awesome gift! I have a Kindle and really enjoy it.
Posted by: natasha | January 07, 2011 at 05:23 AM
Just wait til you take it on a road trip! AMAZING!
Posted by: Beth | January 07, 2011 at 04:06 PM
I am becoming more and more intrigued by the Nook. Maybe by next year I'll be converted:)
Posted by: Phoebe | January 07, 2011 at 04:19 PM
I have thought very seriously about one of those. Nice to have a review from you on it. I'm still probably a couple years away since I'm still spending so much on yarn and fiber, but that's hopefully tapering off and once I've paid off my PRK I can start saving for something like that. I wondered if you could get books from the library on them. How does that work? Is a time-limited download? I'm glad you are enjoying yours so much.
Posted by: Cayenne | January 07, 2011 at 08:06 PM
How fun for you! Did you get Harry Potter 7 on the nook?
Posted by: Karen | January 09, 2011 at 03:06 PM
Hmm ... this may make your b-day present an easy choice this year!!
Posted by: Mom | January 10, 2011 at 12:25 PM