This Little Reading Light Helped Me Ditch My Phone and Get Back to Real Books
Christine Cyr Clisset is an editor overseeing home coverage. As a writer, she's tested blenders, food processors, sheet pans, and other kitchen gear.
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.
Why the Glocusent bookmark light beats other lights
The Glocusent bookmark light comes with three light temperatures and five brightness levels. I use the brightest setting if I want to stay awake. And if I’m awake at night, I use the warm yellow temperature at its dimmest setting, which usually allows me to doze off (and also doesn’t wake my husband).
The end of the light pivots to shine directly on the left or right page without getting in the way of my turning the pages (a flaw of many other book lights).
The compact design—about the size of a Snickers bar—allows it to fit easily in a purse or bag for travel.
It clips unobtrusively to both soft and hardcover books. And in testing for our reading light guide, we found that this light was better at clipping to the front or back cover of books than the competition.
It recharges using a USB-A connector, solving my other long-standing book-light problem: forgetting to buy replacement batteries. (I’m a busy parent!) Now I just need to remember to charge it when it dies. But that won’t be often, considering that the battery lasts 12-plus hours.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Some of the testers for our reading light guide found the buttons to be a tad sensitive and accidentally switched light settings when adjusting the clip’s placement. I haven’t had that problem.
If you’re just not into a clip light
Some people don’t like clipping a reading light to a book. If that’s you, Glocusent also makes a version that you can wear around your neck. It works well for books and as task lighting for hand crafts like knitting or crocheting.
The Glocusent Neck Reading Light has three brightness levels and three light-temperature settings. You can turn both bulbs on at once or just go with one of them at a time.
The battery in this model also lasts up to 12 hours. One of our staff writers took this light on six flights and hotel stays before having to charge it.
In our tests, people with fuller chests found that the light cast a shadow on their books, depending on how the lights were angled. This model is also bulkier than the bookmark version, so it’s less convenient for travel.
Regardless of the version you choose, if you, like me, are searching for that former self who read a lot, consider a book light. It’s no silver bullet—the internet is still seductively distracting, and kids and pets and modern life still need your attention. But this little light might just help you find your way.
This article was edited by Catherine Kast and Ben Frumin.
Meet your guide
Christine Cyr Clisset
Christine Cyr Clisset is a deputy editor overseeing home coverage for Wirecutter. She previously edited cookbooks and craft books for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and she started reviewing kitchen gear back in 2013. She sews many of her own clothes, which has made her obsessive about high-quality fabrics—whether in a dress or bedsheets.