We'll have to see how this works, because as Bob Dylan said, "Times they are a changin'." I gave in. I did something I never thought I'd do. I bought an e-reader. In fact, I bought Barnes and Noble's nook® tablet to be exact. And that's how I'm composing this blog.

I shrugged and said, "It's not really for me" when Amazon released it's Kindle. I was raised by parents who hold a deep respect for books. Rarely did an occasion go by where a book wasn't presented as… well, a present. Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, a book of Emily Dickinson poems. In fact, one of the last gifts Mike ever gave me was Nicholas Sparks' The Choice. I still have yet to read it. At first it was because I just never got around to it. Now, the memory of how I came to own it is so bittersweet I just can't bring myself to crack open the cover let alone actually read it.

I digress.

My second bedroom here at my apartment is littered in homeless books. I had 12 moving boxes of books to unpack when I moved my things out of storage, and I have yet to bring the books I've acquired since moving back to Michigan over to my new abode. Romance novels, mysteries, biographies, self help, cookbooks, and how-to books. They're homeless as I have yet to buy bookcases, though purchasing bookcases will happen much sooner rather than later thanks to monetary Christmas gifts. I stood in the center of the room looking about me one afternoon muttering aloud about the sheer quantity of my collection and wondering where I had kept them all in Chicago. My dad happened to be over and was watching me and said, "Two words. Built ins." Ahhhh yes. One of the many beauties of pre-war apartments.

I find bookstores and libraries comforting. Like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City: The Movie I love the smell of books (and yes, the older the better). Like Gidget in the movie Gidget, I believe you can find the answers to all life's questions in books.

Holding a book is a comfort. Balancing the book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other is a delicate act, yet so worthwhile. And some of the best books I've read are in fact ones I've judged by their cover.

So when Barnes and Noble released their eReader, the nook®, I still was unconvinced. And then several months later, the nook® came in a color version. I admit, I was intrigued. Even more so when I found out you could get magazines on the nook® color.

Not going to lie, when I found out nook® had a tablet version, I began salivating. My saliva reached St. Bernard proportions the longer I went without my computer at my apartment (it's yet another thing I still have yet to bring over from my mom's house).

 I had been talking with my dad about them during the summer, so I thought that maybe, kinda sorta hopefully, he would've grabbed me one for Christmas. No dice. So I bought one myself. Last night. And once I figured out how to use my phone as a wireless device, I was set.

I like it. I love the web browsing capability.  nook® is having issues with third-party Android apps right now but I'm able to get Evernote, my favoritest app ever. No apps for Facebook yet, but I've got my phone for that.

Typing on it isn't as easy as I'd want. I've become so used to Swype on my phone it's ridiculous. As well as the good parts of auto-correct, including how it always capitalizes "I" for me.

And as far as it being an eReader…. I downloaded two samples of books that intrigued me. They were quick to download, and there was no "funky" formatting issues. The font settings make the nook® pages larger than an actual book, which in all honesty is a good thing for these aging eyes of mine. And the price of books truly isn't outrageous. They mostly range between $9.99 and $12.99, which is still cheaper than a trade size paperback. Another bonus? If you have nook® using friends, you can buy the "Lend It" version of books, which means you can "lend" your eBook to your nook® friends.

For $250, I'm extremely happy with my new nook® tablet. With Amazon releasing it's Kindle Fire right at the same time, I'm sure there are those of you who would like to know why I chose the nook® over the Fire. It's simple. I'm rooting for the underdog. With Barnes and Noble being one of the last few brick and mortar bookstore chains, and the only one in Michigan at that, I'd like to see them stay in business. Hence why I went for the nook® over the Fire. Yes, it really is that simple.

But last night, as I sat in my warm cozy apartment playing with my new "toy" and the wind whistling around the corners outside and the occasional draft coming through my patio doors, I realized that the physical act of holding the book, turning it's pages, and yes, that delicate act balancing a book in one hand and sipping tea with the other, is all still vastly appealing to me.

P.S. – Need something to keep you warm this coming January? Check out my Mo Livin' Large Facebook Page to see how you can win one of the four $10 Starbucks Gift Cards I'm giving away.