Carolyn,
Wishing you every success with Every Little Step She Takes! I'll put that on my "To Order" list. I love reading books by authors with whom I can communicate, and enjoy supporting other authors. My first novel, Eyelash, taught me a great deal about the publishing process, and I am currently editing my second novel, Never Say Perfect. I find it so difficult to draw a line in the sand and declare, "It is finished!" Again, I wish you the best with your latest release, and I'll definitely post a review for you once I have read it.

Blessings to all the authors here!

Welcome, Mary Anne, I hope you will become a regular participant in the forum.

I am delighted to hear that your next book is done... Can't wait to read -- and review --it!

I don't have an e-reader yet, but my mother got one, and she loves it for its ease of use -- her hands are arthritic.

I have been planning to get an iBook soon, and thus have thought I would use it as a book reader - as well as a computer, so I have been interested in the comments on this thread with regard to the different products out there!

Ladies,
After much deliberation, I took the plunge and purchased a Nook from Barnes & Noble. I chose the Wi-Fi + 3G model, as I felt it would be best for travel, checking email, etc. It holds up to 1,500 books, which is amazing when you hold this small device in your eager little hands!
The staff at Barnes & Noble could not have been more helpful in answering all of my initial questions and then marching me to Customer Service to get me registered, acquire my first e-books, and walk me through all of the basics.
Just to get started, I ordered The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Noticer by Andy Andrews, and the NIV Study Bible because I'm in a women's weekly Bible study group in Georgetown, SC. When I travel, I don't want to neglect to keep up with the study, so having the NIV at my fingertips will be extremely helpful. I meant to purchase South of Broad by Pat Conroy, but was so caught up in the process and excitement, I couldn't remember the name of it! So that will be the first book that I order without assistance.
I'll let you all know how this goes in a future post. Whatever you are reading, I hope it is a book that pulls you into that state of mind that we avid readers enjoy--where you are so engrossed in the story that light has evolved into near darkness and you didn't even realize that you needed to turn on a light.

I read The Help some time ago and was mesmerized by the story and by the writing. Hope you enjoy it, too!

I have to say that I'm LOVING that Nook. I had the urge to purchase a couple of books the other day, and didn't exert any effort at all. I just hit the WiFi button on the device, then touched the Shop button, and within minutes, both of my choices, South of Broad, and The Writing Circle, were there for me to read. This technology absolutely amazes me! Of course, Kindle and Nook, etc. will always be releasing the next generations of their products, but for now, I'm very pleased with my choice of e-reader. It certainly serves the purpose!

Mary Anne, I recently bought myself an e-reader (the Kobo) and am thoroughly delighted with it. So portable, light, fits right in my pocket or purse. It came with 100 free books already installed, then two more free ones that I could go and grab from their website. Every week they add more free books to download. When we go south for the winter, we're restricted in our luggage weight...now I won't have to sacrifice my books! It will be so lovely whenever we travel, not to have to carry any books anymore!!

I have a Kindle and really like it. However, that doesn't mean I don't also check books out of the library, buy paperback and hardback books, and read books loaned to me by friends. The Kindle is just more convenient when traveling, plus it's a pleasure to read a really heavy tome (Pillars of the Earth, for example) on a lightweight Kindle.

FYI, I lot of libraries are now checking out online versions of books that can be downloaded to e-readers. Our library is getting ready to start something called Overlook, which does not work with the Kindle but does with other e-readers. It will be just like a regular loan: you'll get access to the book for several weeks and it will disappear if you haven't read it.

I think readers like having anything in their hands; I know I certainly do. I'm thinking of an e-reader myself. A woman in my office just got a color Nook and she says it's wonderful. Right now I'm saving my pennies!

I'm thrilled with the Kindle Santa brought me. It is so compact and light weight compared to a book. I also tend to read more than one book at a time and it makes that so much easier than having several books lying around. As much as I hate to admit it one of my favorite things is being able to download a couple of games. I find myself playing the NY Times crosswords almost as much as reading. At first it seemed cumbersome compared to paper and pencil but once i made the adjustment it is fine. It is so convenient to pull out while waiting for a Dr apt or something like that. I have enjoyed it a great deal.