Hey Winter... where are you!?

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I am actually craving a snowy, cozy, winter's day. We've been unseasonably warm (and often rainy) in the northeast for most of December and January and I've had enough. If I can't be wearing flip flops, the least mother nature could do is give me some snow.

Wrapping up a long week (because the weeks before long weekends are always the longest!) I've got some brief and random thoughts for you: First, I must confess that I've had  a relapse. I am currently reading my second consecutive bona fide paper book. I abandoned my Nook to re-read something I already owned for my Book Club and it just felt so GOOD to have PAGES in my hands again. When I was done with the first book, I picked up the second. Oh dear. Second, the Golden Globes are on Sunday night. If you ask me, this is the one awards show worth watching because a) it's tv AND movies; b) it's funny to watch the celebs sit at tables and get drunk; and c) Ricky Gervais is hosting. Again. Next up - how superstitious are you!? Today is Friday the 13th! Ohhhhhh!!! Finally, this YouTube compilation is bound to get you smiling. Happy Weekend!

Why I love and hate my Nook.

The summer that I read The Help changed my reading habits forever. Available only in hardcover, I lugged around the 300+ page novel daily so I could read during my commute, lunch break and those random moments which pop up throughout the day (this is how I do most of my reading). My best-seller-list cargo also severely limited my purse options and no doubt contributed significantly to my chronic back pain. After weeks of reading and self-shoulder massaging I said to myself, “I can’t handle it anymore, I must join my fellow commuters on the eReader bandwagon!!” Up to that point I had resisted eReaders hard core. I love the FEEL of a book. I like to dog-ear pages of importance and underline memorable quotations. Those eReaders looked so sterile and unromantic. Nevertheless on to my Channuka list it went (thank you mom and dad!) and now I’m the proud owner of a Nook.

Over a year later I still can’t decide how I feel about the device. There are lots of pros to reading on an eReader, but something about it just doesn’t feel right. My Loves: portable; easy to get new books; great for reading in bright sun; built in dictionary. My Hates: can’t flip back to pages easily; can’t write notes; needs to be charged (my books never ran out of battery!); lending/borrowing is limited to certain books and only with fellow Nook-ers. And my chief complaint: it’s NOT COZY or BOOK-Y! I liken the feeling to telling someone that loves movies to never go to the theater because everything is streaming on their iPad. It’s the experience that we cherish, not just the story. How do you feel about eReading? Do you have any suggestions for making the experience more book-like? (<---see how I’m baiting you to leave a comment here? Do it, you know you have something to say... :)