I got this Kobo touch ereader in 2011 or 12 and I've used it and abused it (I lost it a couple of times between moves and who knows what adventures it went on!). It still does what it was advertised to do. It's harder to read on now as I've gotten older and can't handle as much eye strain, and I can't use it to read in bed in low lighting. This early version did not have the backlighting and other brightness features that all the ereaders started to include a few years ago.

I bought the Kobo Libre 2 for Christmas and so far so good. I appreciate the simplicity of Kobo readers and they feel sturdy and hold up over the years (disclaimer: I've only had the two models so far so YMMV but it seems like the common consensus about kobos is that they're a good buy if you're in the market for an ereader). I'd also recommend opting for simpler ereaders like these models rather than ones that emphasize all sorts of other fancy stuff like notetaking, internet browsing etc. instead of the reader experience! They all pretty much come standard with WiFi etc. and other capabilities but you're more likely to use that just for syncing libraries than to actually browse the internet.

I've never had a bad experience with e-readers they are consistently long lasting and because features don't update so quick, stay relevant for much longer!

I had a kindle from 2013 till this year when the ink from the screen broke up and you couldn't read anything so I bought a new one with a case, I learned the lesson

eReaders are awesome! I had hard time reading big fantasy hardbacks on bed cos it started to feel like an exercise. Our local library also supports epub books via overdrive so its super convenient to just browse books and loan them with kindle :) love it!