If you install Cyanogenmod you will lose the Nook app store, which isn't a great loss. You will still be able to buy/read Nook books if you install the Nook app, but you will need to either find the apk or install the 1mobile app store, as the Play store will say the app is incompatible if you're running Cyanogenmod. CM11 (Android 4.4) will give you vastly better performance than the stock ROM, though, which is a heavily customized and somewhat locked down Android 4.1. As long as you install a gapps package you will have Play store access on CM. Play store and various Google apps are built into the latest stock ROMs, so either way you can have Play store access. If your books are DRM-free there are many choices for epub readers. I prefer Overdrive Media Console, Readmill and Play Books (note that while Overdrive and Readmill can load locally stored epubs, Play Books requires you to first upload the book you want to read to the Play Books site and then re-download the book through the app). Those are just my personal favorites, though; there are a ton of epub readers out there. Fabrik is also another outstanding epub reader, but I don't use it because it's very slow to load. If you are using the mobi format you can use the Amazon Kindle app. I can't tell you much of anything regarding the capabilities of the Chrome browser, as I prefer Opera or UC Browser, nor can I vouch for article view, as I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean exactly. You might investigate the Readability app if Chrome doesn't do it for you, but the capabilities are the same as any other Android phone or tablet, so if you have an Android phone you can test out Chrome in advance, before you buy the tablet.