The Big e-Reader Decision :: To e-Read or not?

Those of you closest to me have known about my "Big e-Reader Decision" and you would also know that I've had a really hard time making a decision not only which e-Reader to purchase, but whether or not I want an e-Reader at all.

To e-Read or not?

Ever since the first generation of Amazon's Kindle was released, I was very adamantly AGAINST e-Readers. I felt like the integrity of reading was being compromised because the written word was being removed from all the things that I hold dear about reading... turning the pages, knowing how far you are into the book, putting in a bookmark to hold your spot in the book to return to later, flipping back to look at the cover art and understanding more and more about why the illustrator included all the little details as you read, and even the smell of the book... I felt like all those things were being stolen away from what made reading so special to me.

Finally, something in me changed last year as it was hard to ignore the tremendous rise of the e-Readers. The changing point for me in my decision was actually having a baby. I spent a lot of time nursing at the beginning, like many other breastfeeding mothers before me, and I found it very difficult to nurse and read at the same. I figured, I might as well be doing something, anything, while I would sit for hours each day nursing my sweet baby girl.

In addition to that, with the help of PaperBackSwap, my book collection has grown almost exponentially this year and we are quickly running out of bookshelf space in our little home. My husband and I jokingly say that I should call it "PaperBackCollect" because I rarely swap books back unless I didn't like the book or the book is not in the greatest condition.

So, that is how I came about to accept the idea of e-Reading, but now comes the decision I've been grappling with for almost 10 months now, which e-Reader should I purchase? I've been very wishy-washy and I've gone back and forth hundreds of times now. I can't seem to decide, but I am going to make a decision... once and for all. My birthday and anniversary is coming up in the next month and I'm ready to pull the trigger.

I am open to any and all suggestions. What do you think?