Blossom, if you really just want a nighttime lcd reader, the original Pandigital Novel works very well and can be had for 80 bucks nowdays. I use one every night. Coolreader and Aldiko work great in night mode. The kindle app works fine, but is a little bright even in night mode.
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=RR7T10WWH7
But if you want a better res screen and some horsepower under the hood, I think the Kindle Fire is a good buy. The Nook Color has been going for 150 bucks refurbed on and off for a while now and is bound to go that low (or lower) in the upcoming Holiday season.
I'm tempted to buy the fire even though I can't really justify it and the lack of a slot bugs me. Really hoping B&N is going to respond sometime soon with a NC2 to see what it might offer.