In the article, the Buddhist says of the JW, "At the end of the conversation, she was *glowing* with positive energy."
I would hate to tell him that it's just because she "placed" books with him and he promised to read them. She sees him as a potential convert or at least someone to count much time with. As a matter of fact, she will count the time of their discussion.
But on to better thoughts: You ask "Also, I wonder has anyone else dabbled with the idea of buddhism? Not as a replacement theology but as wanting to be a more contented person."
Many ex-JW's have included eastern thought and eastern reading and eastern meditating in their spiritual journey. I am one of those. I favor Tao and Zen Buddhism. Whether we were seeking God or enlightenment or just inner peace, eastern thought is an excellent place to look. The beauty of such thought is that you can embrace some of it and not all of it. You don't need to "believe" a certain way to appreciate the ideas that "less is more" or that "all are equal" and that "life is precious."
I don't care for books by "The Dalai Llama" but I have found excellent wisdom from other eastern sources. I particularly like Pema Chödrön, an American author relating to Tibetan Buddhism. She is an ordained nun and I just ignore the brief references to "master so-and-so" and focus on the thoughts when I read her books. (So even those who preach "all are equal" show that some are "more equal" than others.)