I prefer physical media, but I appreciate the utility of ereaders. I, too, would prefer buttons if I used an ereader with any frequency; I still lament the disappearance of them from my phone!

However, in case this is a problem you really need fixed: my wife is an avid ereader user. She didn’t like the page turning for many of the reasons you listed, so she bought a ring that has Bluetooth and a singular button. The ring connects to your reader, then when you press the button, simulates a click or screen tap. You get the page turning experience it sounds like you want and, after setup, the only thing you need to physically exert at all is your thumb.

edit: Fixed an embarrassing number of typos.