Reading in the dark

[sraun]

Yeah, I know - it's a silly subject. But it's a serious question.

I recently got a Kindle. I've been trying to decide if I want the Amazon Deluxe Case with Built-In LED Light, or something cheaper. And I've been thinking about my reading habits. I haven't read by anything other than ambient light since I was in elementary school, reading by flashlight under the covers when I was supposed to be sleeping.

My options:
1) Get the fancy Amazon cover - pros: all in one, only one thing to carry; cons: all in one, more expensive, heavier
2) Get a plainer cover and an external light - pros: possibly cheaper, possibly lighter; cons: adds another thing to my 'carry around' pile
3) Get a plainer cover: pros: probably cheaper, probably lighter, only one thing to carry, can upgrade to option 2 at my convenience; cons: can't read in the dark

So, here's the question: if you own an eInk-based ereader - Kindle, non-color Nook, some Sony devices - how often do you read on it using a booklight or other light source that just illuminates the device? Is this more or less frequently than you read dead tree books by booklight or similar illumination?

If you have an opinion - regardless of whether or not you own a relevant ereader - which of my options would you go for, and why?

ETA: FYI, part of what's going on here is I'm trying to convince myself that I'd actually find the light useful. So I'm likely to be poking fairly hard at some of the 'yes' entries, to try to figure out if they really apply to me.

Comments

[nishatalitha.livejournal.com]

I thought ebook readers had a good enough backlight that you could read on them in the dark?

[sraun]

Most eInk ereaders have no backlight - all of the Kindles at least.

If one of the talking points is "you can read this in direct sunlight", it probably doesn't have a backlight.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

For me, one of the advantages of the Kindle over Palm Pilots etc. I've looked at things on is that the lack of backlighting makes them easier on my eyes; it is more the effect of time with a book than time with a monitor or TV. One of the unexpected corollaries of this was that when I was struggling with a headache, going to bed with the Kindle and its light was easier on the said headache than going to bed in a normally lit room with a book (or, of course, a monitor or TV; that part does not bear considering in this circumstance).

The other time I will want the light is when reading in a hotel room with another person who has not yet awakened. Other congoers might find this relevant also, particularly those who are morning people like me.