Lately, I’ve been reading physical books instead of my Kindle. You know, the kind printed on dead trees? It’s been nice, but I had one big problem to overcome when I made the switch: Kindles are backlit, which makes them easier to read in dark rooms, while physical books need some amount of ambient light to read the words on the page.
While I enjoy reading in the sunlight as much as the next bookworm, sometimes I just want to curl up in bed after a long day of tech and get my eyes away from digital screens. Enter paper books. And with fall nearly here and the New England winter stretching before me, I bet I’ll be doing a lot of cozy reading in the dark in the months ahead.
Lucky for me, I found a solution that helped me bridge this gap: a book light that’s worn around the neck.
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
This flexible battery-powered reading light works way better than a traditional reading lamp or clip-on book light. It hangs around my neck, illuminating the pages in front of me at the exact angle I need. It lasts an impressive 80 hours on full battery, recharges via USB-C, and only cost me about $20. A crazy good value, if you ask me.
No hyperbole here: this neck-worn book light solved all my reading-paper-books-in-the-dark problems. Unlike conventional reading lamps on bedside nightstands, I don’t have to worry about holding my book in a particular way just to avoid shadows. It’s also nice for reading in bed with a partner as the light isn’t so bright that it’ll wake them.
It’s portable, too! I don’t have to think about my lighting strategy in every room I end up in, nor do I have to worry about the perfect setups and combinations of reading lamps throughout my home. For just $20, this neck light conveniently goes with me everywhere, room to room.
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
And it’s dead simple to use. It has buttons for turning the brightness (up and down) and changing the light’s color temperature of the light (yellow, warm white, cool white), but it’s no more difficult to operate than a flashlight. To recharge, I just plug in the USB-C cable. And thankfully it isn’t “smart” in any way—no companion app to juggle.
This inexpensive book reading light can be used for all kinds of other stuff, like knitting (according to my newsletter readers). But for me, it’s helped me rediscover physical books and how awesome they are. In a world that’s drowning in AI-generated content, there’s something nice about reading a paper book… wherever and whenever I want to.
This budget-friendly neck light is a must-have for avid readers
