What's the best way to read a book in a dark room?

Submitted ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨sonovebitch@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

Hello everyone.

I want to get back into healthy habits. This includes reading books before bed and no screen before bed.

The thing is that (for now) my partner and our child all sleep in same bedroom. I tend to get to bed after they are already asleep. I don’t want to disturb them.

What’s the best option to read in the dark that doesn’t involve blue light screen (smartphone) or high luminosity?

Are there e-readers with very very dim light that still allow comfortable reading?

Thanks for your input.

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Comments

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ForestOrca@kbin.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Braille

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- perviouslyiner@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Book of Eli
  
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BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I’ve had kindle devices for over a decade, and my latest (kindle paperwhite) is perfect to read in bed at night while my wife is sleeping, adjust the brightness down to 2-3 and it’s easy on the eyes to read in the dark, and dim enough that you can’t even use it to find your way to the bathroom.

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- Palewon@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I second this. It also has a dark mode setting with white text and black background. One of the best purchases I’ve made. I use it every night and the charge lasts weeks.
  
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- Tangent5280@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  inb4 you get ads according to the books you read
  
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  - BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    My ads right now are all for shit I bought my wife for Christmas, so maybe this would be an improvement.
    
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DeadNinja@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

Are there e-readers with very very dim light that still allow comfortable reading?

I have not used any myself, but I have heard that both Kindle e-reader and Kobo support this.

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- bionicjoey@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Seconding Kobo! I have the Clara and it is very comfortable in the dark. Plus, it’s very easy to load books from many sources onto a Kobo, unlike Amazon’s walled garden approach with Kindle.
  
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ABCDE@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Yes, the Kindle Paperwhite and Oasis have good low level backlights. I’ve had both and currently use and recommend the latter for clarity, touch sensitivity and size.

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- Kusimulkku@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Aren’t at least all Paperwhites front lit? No backlighting
  
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  - ABCDE@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    You might be right, I just auto-typed backlight. I guess the Oasis is backlit judging from how mine appears.
    
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- PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I love my Oasis.
  
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- june@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I really want to upgrade to an oasis but I haven’t been able to justify the cost. My paper white works so well but the touch swipe is finicky fairly frequently which makes me miss page turn buttons a lot.
  
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  - ABCDE@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I got mine secondhand for around £90, so keep your eyes peeled perhaps. The touchscreen is definitely better than the Paperwhite.
    
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bionicjoey@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Any e-ink display eReader will work for you, but I personally recommend Kobo. They have a more open approach to loading files compared to Kindle, and they tend to be very affordable for a high quality device.

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- ominouslemon@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Agree. Also the new Kobo Libra 2 has a dark mode option (white text on black background).
  
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- DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Upvote for Kobo - I have a kobo Clara. The backlight can change colour with time of day and brightness can be changed.
  
  Or what about listening to audiobooks or podcasts?
  
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VelvetStorm@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Well you could read a book and use a red light.

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CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Use a headlamp with red light 🔦🔴. They are specifically made for not waking other people up while camping. The red light also is not a problem before sleep, unlike blue light.

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- Critical_Insight@feddit.uk ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  That’s not why the light is red lol
  
  Red light doesn’t mess up your night vision. With a red light you can turn it off and still see as long as there’s some ambient light such as moonlight. With white light you need to wait for 10 to 15 minutes for your eyes to get accustomed.
  
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  - CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    That’s what the eyepatch is for though.
    
    Mine stated the above on the package. But of course you’re right too, there are multiple benefits of having red light instead of bright white.
    
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Acamon@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Ereaders like kobo / kindle have gentle backlight, just make sure you get one with adjustable warm /cool white backlight, so you can make it warm and not blue. I also use a little clip on booklight with adjustable brightness and color. If it’s dim and red/orange you’re not disturbing anyone but it illuminates the page perfectly.

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- fievel@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I read every night with a kobo e-reader (next to my partner who generally sleep before me). I use night mode and a very dim brightness (2-3 %, the max I use is 4 %). It’s sufficient in my opinion.
  
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DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I have a Kobo Clara 2E for pretty much this reason. The lit screen has multiple levels of luminosity and adjustable yellow tone. I keep mine at a cool stone white but it can go really yellow if that’s what you want. On top of that, Kobo is much more user friendly for loading ebooks, it’s compatible with a whole range of ebook formats unlike Kindle.

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- cfi@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Seconding the Kobo Clara for its dim, warm light.
  
  Also want to mention using the KOReader software instead of the stock software for it’s fantastic feature set
  
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  - StijnVVL@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I’m also Kobo Clara for a couple of years now and very happy with it.
    
    Could you maybe elaborate on your experience with KOReader? It’s the first I hear about this. Maybe the only downside to Kobo is its unresponsive software. It’s just so slow. Does this KOReader improve on that?
    
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nutsack@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I use a fucking goddamn clampy lamp that clamps onto the fucking goddamn headboard of the bed holy shit it’s fucked

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DontTreadOnBigfoot@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I have a Kobo, and it allows for a very dim backlight and warm backlight temperature. I find it super comfortable for reading in the dark

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ExLisper@linux.community ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you don’t want to give money to Bezos Pocketbook e-readers are really good and have good backlight that you can set to very dim level.

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MataVatnik@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I use a red light. I put a red light bulb on my nightstand lamp.

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- TheActualDevil@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  🎵 MaaaaaaaaaataVatnik 🎵
  
  🎵 You got to put on the red light 🎵
  
  🎵 The day is all gone, You’ve got to read your book into the the night. 🎵
  
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  - MataVatnik@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I love u
    
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Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I use a $15 book light with adjustable brightness. It has a flexible arm so it only shines light on the page, versus an electronic device which shines light on your face.

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givesomefucks@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Everyone is saying e-ink, but if everyone is asleep, a very dim light is something most people easily sleep thu. Give your eyes a minute to adjust and you’ll be able to read tho.

There’s a shit ton of reading lamps with dimmers these days.

And it’s better than moving from physical books to kindle if you already have a bunch of books and re-read often.

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the16bitgamer@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Most kindles and kobos with color temp front lights are your best friend.

Kobo Clara 2e or the Kindle 11th Gen should work.

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AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I didn’t see anyone mention things like this. Amber light with a dimmer that you can put on a physical book.

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- cheesymoonshadow@lemmings.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I used something similar but no purchase necessary.
  
  I used my phone as a light to read a physical book in bed. I would open Google Keep to a blank yellow sticky note, and my screen was so dim that it was really a dark amber light, and I’d rest my phone on my chest facing up so it lit up the pages.
  
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Ludrol@szmer.info ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Kobo and pocketbook are good e-readers. Kindles have harder time with piracy and independent bookstores and you give money to bezos.

I had pocketbook. Not the best way to read comics or pdfs but for books is great. Customization is tricky but doable.

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- june@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I haven’t had a problem pirating books and reading them on my kindle. Just make sure you’re downloading an epub and you’re gucci. The send to kindle feature is excellent and your ebook shows up in your kindle within minutes.
  
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RandoMcGuvins@kbin.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Audiobooks with earphones?

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calypsopub@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
My Kindle Touch has a night mode with blue light inhibitor

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HopeOfTheGunblade@kbin.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Alreader, I believe on both android and iphone. I use it at a very low intensity level with red text and black background.

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mamaMiata@midwest.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I got my wife an adjustable spotlight for reading with a controllable brightness this Christmas and she loves it. We usually use it while we’re on the couch and I’m watching TV, but it can focus the light down to a small enough spotlight that it doesn’t even register in my perifieral but still lights the book she’s reading plenty bright enough. It might not be the best solution to use in bed, but it was a lot cheaper than a kindle. (Which she has and doesn’t use)

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hedgehog@ttrpg.network ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
The Kindle Paperwhite is great. I think the Oasis gets even dimmer, but you’ll need to pay a premium for it. Personally, I prefer to stay away from Amazon e-readers now that there are other good options available, though.

If you don’t want to be locked into the Kindle ecosystem, the Kobo Libra 2 is a good option. It lets you set the warmth of the front light, lights the screen very evenly, and even supports dark mode for ebooks.

I really like the Onyx Boox line myself (though my experience is admittedly limited - I’ve only used the Note Air 3C), but their full Google Play store support might be a negative for you, if you don’t trust yourself to not install social media apps. My experience is that having apps for Hoopla, Libby, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, etc., all on the device is a huge improvement to my experience.

The Onyx Boox e-readers are also a bit more expensive than alternatives - the cheapest e-reader by them that I would recommend is the Poke5 at 180 USD and the one I personally want is the Page at $250. (There’s also an in-between model, the Leaf2, at $200, that looks solid.) Of course, if you want a phone-sized e-reader, the Onyx Boox Palma is the only good option that I know of. Unfortunately, it’s also $280.

All that said, is there a comfortable place outside your bedroom (or at least outside your bed) that you can read? It’s technically better if you don’t read in the same place that you sleep (though reading on an e-reader in bed is still gonna be better than being on your phone late at night).

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solrize@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
E-reader is screen time. Wear a headlamp and read a printed book. Or possibly, listen to music or an audiobook through earbuds in the dark. Or even just sit quietly and relax your mind.

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- hedgehog@ttrpg.network ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  In the same sense that books are screen time (in that books, e-readers, phones, tablets, etc., all cause eye strain because you’re looking at something close to you), sure, but from a blue light perspective and from a psychological perspective, not so much.
  
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- dustyData@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Music listening and audiobooks involve screen time, to set up and control. Namely bright screens made of blue light emitting LEDs. An e-ink reader doesn’t involve any of this, it’s kind of the whole point of an e-reader.
  
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  - solrize@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I thought blue light wasn’t considered such an issue any more. Certainly a few seconds to operate an audio player isn’t much. And maybe the player app (if you use an app) can be themed to not give off blue light.
    
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Twinkletoes@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I read in the dark on my iPad with white text on a black screen and night mode on. It’s easy on the eyes and I can read in the dark without disturbing anyone.

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Bebo@literature.cafe ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I read in my phone using an ebook reader app with amoled black background and a peach-ish font colour. I keep brightness on minimum, have phone’s night light setting on (it reduces blue light). Also ensure that my phone is on silent and dnd mode. Best combination IMO for reading in the dark before going to sleep. Another idea is, listen to an audiobook with sleep timer on.

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BrerChicken@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Can’t beat an audiobook in that case!

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NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Turn a light on

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DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Braille would be the best.

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VanHalbgott@lemmus.org ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Where I live, I would a Nook GlowLight 3 because the device filters blue light when you read late.

But I usually like to read with the lights on instead though I hope this answers your question better.

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