@BWinmill
Thanks for sharing your wishes.
To "automatically returning":
I disabled the automatic shutdown/standby in my reader.
It seems, that the extra energy drain of an active display versus one in standby or shutoff is not relevant.
But I found no measures of a laboratory about that.
Yes, a gesture for next/previous would be great.
Like you I spent most of my time with an individual book - when it's a novel.
But my needs are completly different, when I read a reference book. Or a news magazine. Or a ...
Than efficient operation modes are essential. It counts in fractions of seconds
If you perform a task or if you resign. And do not read reference books on an eInk.
IMHO.