(Yes, we know it is Tuesday. Work with us here.)

We are thoroughly enjoying our new toy, an EZReader Pocket Pro in Slate Blue. (We ordered it of our own volition and paid for it out of our own purse, if anyone from the FTC is lurking.) So far we’ve downloaded a couple of ePub format books, and while they work, there are some limitations to Adobe Digital Editions software, which allows one to read DRMed books on the device. However, we understand that Astak is working on a firmware update that will improve the reading experience for Adobe Digital Editions ePub format. There also is rumor of the addition of eReader format DRM, which means ebooks purchased from Barnes and Noble will be able to be read on the device; it seems a bit bogged down in contractual issues, but hopefully will be resolved soon.

For non-DRMed books, such as the great public domain classics offered by Girlebooks and other publishers, the Mobipocket format works best and looks fantastic on the Pocket Pro. This is great as we already have a very large collection of public domain classics in Mobipocket format! We’ll write up a more comprehensive review once we’ve spent some more time with it.

One of the books we’ve been reading on the device is a new release from Girlebooks, Nachtstürm Castle by Emily C.A. Snyder. If the title sounds familiar, that’s because the novella was formerly featured on The Cult of Da Man site, a Henry Tilney fansite which the Editrix helped to create and hosts on her website. After reading and thoroughly enjoying Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, we remembered this novella, which is similar in theme and feeling, but which features Mr. and Mrs. Tilney (neither of whom join the undead). We suggested to the authoress that she submit the book to Girlebooks, and now it’s available to purchase as an ebook. Read our review of Nachtstürm Castle on the Girlebooks site, and look for a review by another AustenBlog reviewer soon! We really love this story and encourage our readers to check it out. It is a fun read, and we have three words for you (actually it’s one kind of compound word): ActionHero!Henry. Enough said.

Full disclosure: As already stated, we paid for the EZReader Pocket Pro and received no compensation from Astak for our mention. We mention Girlebooks because we really like their books and they look great on our devices. They gave us two free copies of Nachtstürm Castle for review: one in Mobipocket format so that I could review it for the Girlebooks site, and one in PDF format for an AustenBlog reviewer. The Editrix suggested to Emily Snyder that she submit NC to Girlebooks for publication, because she thought it would be a good fit, and because we wanted to read NC on our new toy! We have received no other consideration or compensation for the reviews.