It’s hard to say when my reading life tanked.
Was it having babies? Or getting an iPhone? Both happened about 10 years ago. Both put the kibosh on what I recall as a “before time,” when I was a voracious reader of paper books.
Distraction, of course, is the issue. I usually read at night while sitting in my kids’ room as they fall asleep. To keep the room dark, I read on my phone—with the intention of chipping away at a Libby or Kindle book.
But inevitably my attention drifts to Instagram, a news app, or Google, and whoosh! It’s time for bed, and I’m no further along on my reading list.
Over the years, I’ve tried reading paper books with book lights, but all of them either produced feeble light, clipped awkwardly to the book, or broke.
Then I bought a Glocusent Bookmark Style Reading Light, Wirecutter’s pick for the best all-around reading light.
Since then, I’ve read more paper books in the evening. And it provides a great alternative to reaching for my phone in the wee hours when I’m struggling to sleep.
I won’t claim this light has magically transformed me back into a deep reader, but it’s helping. And because the light is sleek and fun, my children immediately stole mine. So I bought them each their own (they’re under $20 each), and now all of us are reading more old-fashioned books before bed.
Our pick
This chic and compact device offers the most light settings of all our picks, and its power indicator lets you know when to charge it.
