Looking to buy a Kindle or something along those lines. The basic features I need are the ability to buy or load my own e-books, wi-fi and a note taking app. I'm leaning toward a Kindle Fire HD or Nexus 7..any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated.
Neither device that you listed is an e-Reader. Those are both tablets that have an eReader app. The big difference is the screen. The Kindle (not the Kindle Fire) has a screen that is electronic ink. For one thing, it is a LOT easier on your eyes when you are reading. Much less eye strain. But also you are talking 30 days of battery life, not 1-3 days. So IMO if the purpose is an eReader then I wouldn't consider anything with an LCD screen. That's just me. I don't know about note-taking abilities on the Kindle so you'll have to research that.
Kindle is the best. However, don't get a kindle fire, it's a tablet not an e-reader. The actual e-readers don't have a backlight and have a 2-3 month battery life. Comparatively, the kindle fire only has about 11 hrs, which is completely useless if you want to spend a lot of time reading. Not particularly good for your eyes either. The Kindle touch definitely has what you're looking for, and it's only about £100
I appreciate your responses. I'll look into what you both said. I forgot to mention that I was also interested in a tablet (thanks for the clarification) because I saw you could download dictionaries and other literary applications.