30-day Challenge! - Day 26: Reading gear! Do you use a booklight when reading?

[MK]

Day 26 - Reading gear! Do you use a booklight when reading?

I never used to - I could read in bed til sleepy, no problem. But, as I get older, reading in bed is more difficult, in terms of eyestrain. I tried to find the 'perfect booklight'. They all seem a bit unsatisfactory, to me.

Of course, reading on a Kindle with a backlit screen eliminates this problem. It's just reading physical books that I had trouble reading at night.

Who wants to play!

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

When I want to read in bed(my favorite place) at night, I just turn off the light and read on my iPhone kindle app. I don't bother with book lights for dead tree books.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Tried to use a book light, but for some reason it just didn't work out for me.

[Kelly B]

No--I almost never read in bed:-). My husband goes to bed hours before I do, and he's a light sleeper--it would definitely wake him up if I read in bed.

Instead I read either on the couch or "my" recliner. I just turn on the overhead lights.

[Melanti]

I do quite a bit of reading outside in the evenings, so some sort of light is really great! If I absolutely have to I can squint and tilt a book just right to catch the light from the streetlights, but a light of my own is much more preferable.

I've tried book lights of various sorts - from clip-ons to light wedges to the lights built into the covers of the older Kindles. None of them provide fantastic lighting. But I love the front lighting of the Paperwhite. Very easy to read, and if I leave it on at a low level, it evens out the shadows on the page during the day in a very subtle way that I don't even notice it's doing so unless I turn it off.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Going to have to get myself a Paperwhite -- sounds like a good way to get light.

[Rachel]

Day 26: I have tired using a booklight on many occassions, and the bulb never really lasted. Granted I bought it from the dollar store.

When I paid more than a dollar for a booklight, it never really brighten the page. A lamp works better for me.

[MK]

I even tried a headlamp. That sorta worked, but it turns out wearing a headlamp for a few hours gets a little noticeable after awhile. You don't notice the headlamp when you first put it on, but eventually, it gets more 'present', if that makes sense.

Kathy, I want a paperwhite too, I think. Melanti, I have kindle envy :p

[Melanti]

I've steered clear of those cheap dollar store booklights after one scratched my first Kindle pretty badly.

I've done headlamps before - especially while camping. Back in middle school days I used a plain ordinary flashlight to read on the school bus. (We had about an hour bus trip to get to school and it was still dark out in the mornings when we first got on.)

The e-ink Kindles are awesome. The Kindle Fire's okay for reading in a pinch, but I'm constantly having to tilt it this way and that to avoid glare... Especially since my favorite seat at the coffee shop is right up against the window.

[MK]

Ya, Kindle Fires don't do well in sunlight glare at all.

[Melanti]

Natural light is the ideal lighting for the e-ink Kindles. I read at the park all the time. I've done that with my Fire (did it yesterday, in fact) but I FAR prefer doing it with an e-ink one.

Though I will say if it gets near freezing and you're outside reading for more than half an hour, it starts taking forever and a day to turn the page.

[[deleted user]]

MK wrote: "I even tried a headlamp. That sorta worked-- Kathy, I want a paperwhite too...."

The latest generation of Kindle paperwhites do not have the audio feature, so if you like listening to books that may be an issue. (I was considering buying one last December to replace/use in addition to my old Kindle Fire but did not buy it due to the lack of audio.)

I am hoping this Christmas Amazon comes out with a new version of the paperwhite including audio. In addition, I would love it if they made the larger size 8.9 inch screen available as well, as I often find the 7 inch screen to be too small.

[Gavin]

Nah, I just use the overhead lights or read outside with sunglight.

[MK]

oh, good to know, Lisa. Thanks for posting about that!

[Melanti]

I only used the text to speech a few times - mostly on newspaper articles where inflection wasn't important - so it actually took me a month or two to realize that it was missing -- and I only realized it because one day I noticed there weren't any speaker holes in the cover.

For actual audiobooks, I just use my phone. But yeah, the "immersion reading" where the text follows along with the sound has never worked on the e-ink Kindles. That's unique to the Fires.

I'm not sure they'll do another big screen e-ink reader. The DX wasn't quite a flop, but it didn't do very well, from all accounts. One of the problems is that there's just one manufacturer of the e-ink screens. So, with all the e-ink devices having a standard sized screen, there's a lot of cost savings involved in mass production. Once you go out of the standard sizes, you lose that discount and the prices go through the roof.

But I agree on needing a bigger screen for some books. That's one of the reasons why I got the bigger Kindle Fire rather than the little one.

[[deleted user]]

No. I have never used a booklight, and probably won't.

[Tytti]

Nope, I don't think I have ever even come across one of them IRL... Well maybe somewhere but I don't see the need to get one.

[Hilary]

No. It would wake my husband!

[Joseph]

Nope...either good lighting, or ebook with lighting.

[siriusedward]

Ebooks come in handy for night reading.
No, I don't use booklight.

[Loretta]

No. No booklight per say. I do however have a lamp over my reading chair. :)

[Terris]

I have one but don't usually use it. Usually do ebook at night.

[Rhedyn]

On long night drives when I'm in the back, I become so desperate to read I hold a flashlight in my mouth. I've lost all my nice booklights :(

[Loretta]

Rhedyn wrote: "On long night drives when I'm in the back, I become so desperate to read I hold a flashlight in my mouth. I've lost all my nice booklights :("

Now that's what I call a reader Rhedyn!! :)

[Pamela]

I've tried some booklights, but haven't found one that works for me. My hubby always goes to bed before me and he's a heavy sleeper, so I just use a table lamp on my nightstand.

[Rhedyn]

Loretta wrote: "Rhedyn wrote: "On long night drives when I'm in the back, I become so desperate to read I hold a flashlight in my mouth. I've lost all my nice booklights :("

Now that's what I call a reader Rhedyn..."

Unfortunately, yes :)

[siriusedward]

Loretta wrote: "Rhedyn wrote: "On long night drives when I'm in the back, I become so desperate to read I hold a flashlight in my mouth. I've lost all my nice booklights :("

Now that's what I call a reader Rhedyn..."

Very dedicated reader!

[Lena]

I do but they are not enough on their own, even with three LEDs.

[Bat-Cat]

No

[Jehona]

No.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

No, but I would like one.

[Joseph]

Nope...just a clean well lighted place

[Lynn, Old School Classics]

haha My parents told me not to ruin my eyes reading in the dark, but I still do it. When reading the book travels with me. I read in my easy chair, my bed (light on or off when using electronics); I read inside or outside. I read alone or in groups. I read when sitting and eating at restaurants. Of course, I read while at school, but those are usually part of the curriculum. Sometimes we have "SSR" time. That means 15 or 20 minutes of silent, individual sustained reading - children actually need to build something called "reading stamina". I pull out one of my books and conspicuously sit in a big chair reading during SSR time.

Booklights? Nope just the backlit chromebook or phone; also, ambient lighting.

[Sara, New School Classics]

Uh, what Lynn said.

[Lynn, Old School Classics]

Sara wrote: "Uh, what Lynn said."

Haha, wordiness is one of my failings.

[Wreade1872]

Oops nearly missed this one but the answer is a simple NO. My ereader isn't backlit either.

[Robin P]

I have tried book lights that clip onto the book and always had issues in that they would fall off or get in the way or stop working. I have a small gooseneck light clamped onto the headboard of my bed and I use that at night. Sometimes I read on kindle/iPad at night but generally we are advised to avoid that right before bed if we have sleep issues, which I do.

I envy those who can read in a car, daylight or night. I will get carsick within a short time if I try it.

[Tara]

I sometimes use a clamp on reading light either in the bubble bath, or if my husband has gone to bed early and I want to continue reading without leaving the table lamp on. For some reason I hate reading on the Kindle, but will use that light at times as well.