Fellow Readers,

I obviously love books, why else would I dedicate a blog to reviewing them? But when I speak of books, I mean BOOKS. I love the feel of the pages turning between my fingers, the smell of a book, the weight of it in my hands. I love that it is not just another computer screen, its an escape from the technology that surrounds me everyday.
When I first heard of the Kindle and Nook, I felt a fierce hatred of them both. I couldn’t deny that it saved trees or that it may save a student’s back from carrying fifty pound text books. But I could argue that the magical illustrations of amazingly crafted children’s books like Goodnight Moon couldn’t translate as well on a computer screen, and that turning on a tablet does not have the same wonderful experience as opening the cover of a book. My family was entirely aware of my views on this subject, which is why the event of last December was so surprising to me.

This past Christmas, for me, was college themed. I received all my dorm room supplies (mini-fridge and all), a printer to go with the laptop I will get this summer, and everything else I could possibly need. What I wasn’t expecting was for my Grandparents to buy me a Nook Color. I wasn’t sure how to respond the gift. I smiled and said thank you as they explained how they thought it would come in handy in college, but inside I was afraid of becoming a huge supporter of the thing I had all along claimed to detest.

Ultimately I decided to give it an honest try, rationalizing the Nook based on two things: one, spending money with this would help keep Barnes and Nobles alive (unlike the Kindle) and two, I could get free books with it and if they turned out to be really good books, I would then go buy an actual copy.

So, after the first three months of using the Nook I can say that it is highly convenient. I will definitely be using it to put my college text books on and it is also a great way to check out new, upcoming authors because a lot of them release their work for free so they can get their name out there.

However, whenever I find myself in need of an escape I can still be found at Barnes and Nobles with a stack of books, reading the first chapter of each to see which one(s) I decide I want to take home; feeling more and more at peace with each turn of the page.

Read on,

The Redeyed Reader