Comment by progmetaldev

An e-reader without a web browser, especially one in black and white, and a local library card can probably get her books loaned from the library without a large investment (and more importantly a device just for reading, rather than all the other distractions). The earlier Kindle, and whatever brand name Barnes & Noble e-readers have, would probably worth the investment compared to the cost of buying books regularly.

At the same age, I read a ton, and I unfortunately got into fiction in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Those books were WAY too overpriced, simply for using the D&D properties in their naming and stories. The books I felt were excellent, but the authors could have replaced names with something generic, and they would have been just as captivating. Having an e-reader would have made those costs far less painful, and I probably would have read at least twice as many books. I imagine if the books aren't highly trademarked or being made into movies, now you could probably get 3 times the number of e-books for the cost of a physical book.