Having the perfect book light is crucial
One of my favorite things to do is to curl up with a good book on a Thursday night and pass the evening away. Although my work week is not technically over, my Fridays are always easy. I can sort of coast through the last day of my work week, leaving me plenty of time to stay up really late on Thursday night. Everything has to be in perfect order. Sometimes, I will have a nice glass of scotch to drink. Other times, I simply have a cup of tea. I dim the room lights, put on some mellow classical music in the background, and relax. Above all, the room has to look right. You want a warm, diffuse lighting - not bright, but bright enough to see without any eye strain. Having the perfect book light is crucial.
Like most people, the first book light I ever had was my flashlight. I was a kid, and my parents would always make me go to bed before I was finished reading I suppose that staying up late and reading under the covers by flashlight is one of the healthiest forms of rebellion. I wasn't sneaking out and doing drugs, and the girls didn't want anything to do with me. Instead, I was staying up to all hours of the night, reading fascinating fantasy literature. Flashlights are the book lamps of childhood. The sense of sneaking around, getting away with something, and hiding out in an impromptu cave made of your bedsheets is irresistible for a kid.
I actually made my own book light when I was in high school. We had an assignment to make a table lamp in shop class. When I first found out that I had to enroll in shop, I was terrified. I assumed that would be awful at it, but to my surprise, I was actually pretty good. I had a knack for building things, although I had never had time to figure it out until then. Anyway, I made the book light of an old statue that I got at a flea market. I hollowed it out, cleaned it up, and even painted it. Then I attached everything together, and turned it on. It worked perfectly, and I was able to enjoy it that very night.
As I get older and my eyes continue to degrade, I need a little more from my book light than I used to. Nowadays, I use one of those itty bitty book lights that attaches directly onto the book. It may look less elegant than the Tiffany lamp I used to use, but it certainly provides all the light that I need to read.
