to nook or not to nook

So I've been going through this ongoing internal dilemma about whether I should buy an e-reader or not.

As an aspiring librarian and self-proclaimed bookworm, I was always pro-traditionally bound books and anti-ebooks. Being a Communications major, I came to believe that the medium can be often times more important than the message. And putting books in this convenient, but sterile electronic form took away from their antiquated charm & essence; they were nothing more than glorified blog-posts, one extremely long e-mail.

But though I've been vehemently against these products when they first came out, protesting that we need to "Preserve the sanctity of books! Save publishing!" - When I had to lug around my 5 lb. Murakami in the subway or carry 3+ books on my past vacation, I couldn't help thinking how much easier it would be to have a slim, handy e-reader.

And I'm so weak to the powers of persuasion (and peer pressure); my friends have been adopting these trendy little nooks and kindles left and right, fawning over how light & convenient they are.

I know, there was once was a time when I felt just as strongly (or even more so) against smartphones, and finally when I succumbed to getting one (with my poor sense of direction and the industry that I work in, it was inevitable), I promised that I wouldn't be one of "those people" - you know the ones that are habitually checking their phones especially in a social setting. But look at me now- checking my emails/updates every 5 seconds and going into panic mode once my droid is out of eyeshot (is that a word?). The little black demon owns me.

So what to do, what to do...

speaking of, here's maurice sendak's (author of "where the wild things are") opinion on e-books (first 30 sec):