I have always been a fairly skeptical critic of e-readers.  When I first heard of the Kindle, I thought the idea was pretty absurd, to need an electronic device that mimics something as universally understood as a book.  However, as I grew older and grew more cynical that I will probably never get my 10+ books I've lent out over the years back, the idea of an e-reader started to sound more desirable.  Enter the Nook.