+1 on the Kindle Fire HD
My wife and I use ours all the time. Mostly I just read books on it. As khalling pointed out , that is a great experience. I do also use it for other things like watching a short technical video on youtube, looking up something on wikipedia, twitter, etc.
I also like the form factor a lot. It just feels like the right size for what it is to me. I think I have the 8.9'' one.

We love our Kindle Fires! You cannot lose the books, unless you want to. A whole library in the palm of your hand. You can highlight favorite parts for future reference, you can organize your library, you can use the audio feature, which is not bad.
I have actually used the dictionary function. You can adjust the back screen brightness. Of course, the Fire has internet access. Handy and portable.
Although you can watch movies on it, I am one of those that says Why? I want to see my movies on a larger screen so I can appreciate it. If you don't keep the wifi enabled, the battery life is excellent.

I have a Kindle. The basic $79 one. I wanted it to read books only so I didn't want all the bells and whistles. It's light weight and I can easily stuff it into my purse. That isn't always possible with a print book. I do use it and like it. One of the things I like the best is when I finish a book on my Kindle I can instantly get another one delivered electronically. I do get hard copies of some books, even if I have a copy on my Kindle. I always have Fahrenheit 451 in the back of my mind I guess. I hope this helps. Ask away if you have any more questions about it.

Love my Kindle Fire! I read books, watch movies, go to the Gulch, Internet, etc etc. I use it all the time :)