You need four things: an ESP32-S3 dev board, an e-paper panel with its adapter board, a five-way button module, and a way to power it. Total cost lands between $35 and $60 depending on the panel you pick. The ESP32-S3 is the right microcontroller for this because it has WiFi built in, enough flash to store a few books, and a hardware SPI bus that drives the panel at full speed. Buy a board with 8 MB or 16 MB of flash if you can; the 4 MB boards work but leave little room for text. For the buttons, any five-way navigation module (up, down, left, right, center click) from the usual hobby suppliers will do, wired with one common leg to ground and five signal legs to free GPIO pins. Add a BME280 breakout if you want temperature and humidity on the status line; it is optional and costs a couple of dollars.
