To Kindle or Not To Kindle. That is the Question.

Last Christmas my husband gave me a Kindle Touch. At first, I thought it would be fun-- I love reading and figured I could download some classics and such for free, check some titles out through the library's Overdrive website (if you haven't been to Overdrive, you really should. Ask your library about checking out free audio and e-books. If you're in Utah, I know they have access codes for you!!) and I wanted to be up-to-date (or close) on what's being used right now. Not having the funds to justify a Kindle Fire, we went with the Touch.

It was okay, as far as the technology goes. I have an iPod Touch, and I couldn't help comparing the speed of the Touch's response to the Kindle's. No comparison. The Kindle was slow to respond and often didn't do what I was trying to tell it to do. I did figure it out, though, and downloaded some free books, including a demo version (I think one chapter) of "The Eye of the World", which I was planning on reading again as this is the year of the "Wheel of Time" for me. 13 books, the 14th coming out at the end of the year, I can average 1+ a month easily.

I began reading "Eye" and enjoying it so much that I considered buying it for the Kindle so I could continue that way. Each book in the series costs between $7 and $10. Each. Um... I already own them in print, so why would I spend that much? I opted not to buy them.

I put the Kindle aside, picked up my book version and didn't pick up the Kindle for a week. Then I realized a few things.

1. I didn't want to spend money on ebooks. I work at a library and I own the books I was planning on reading for most of 2012 already.
2. As such, I probably wouldn't even use it very much for the entire year. 
3. In a year, maybe I could afford something better, like an iPad or a Kindle Fire or some other tablet-type thing that I could use as an e-reader as well as the best toy EVER.

So I returned it. He had put half the cost (total was about $100) on a credit card, so I paid that off and took the $50 and spent it on... drumroll please... books! Yep. I bought books with it. Sigh. I'm incorrigible. 

Would I recommend a Kindle non-Fire? Absolutely. It would be the perfect thing to take on trips-- especially if you can afford trips. And eBooks that you actually want to read. In fact, if I ever get to go on trips, I might just invest in another Kindle for that very purpose. Maybe. I'm hopeful that they will just continue improving so that by the time I'm ready for one, they will be as awesome as my iPod Touch, but big enough to read comfortably on.

I'm curious about how others feel about their Kindles, Nooks and e-readers. Have you enjoyed them more than I did? Do you feel like it's justified to pay money for books you already own, just to be able to read them on the e-reader?