I’ve seen those cute little LED clip-on lights at Borders and Barnes and Nobel and resisted buying them, but last weekend we were at Half Price Books and they had them for $5 so I bought one with the intent of testing it for reading in bed.

Now, you wouldn’t think light for reading in bed would be a problem if you saw our bed, because it has a lightbridge that casts illumination down on us from above the headboard, but the problem is that if you’re holding a book and reclining in the bed as well, a shadow is cast on the book. We do have an overhead light, but that’s too bright, especially if I’m awake and Fuzzy is asleep, which often happens when he’s working a more normal schedule than the vampire hours he’s been keeping since his return from San Jose, and while I often joke that our back neighbor’s outdoor lighting is bright enough to read by, the light is blocked if the wind blows the trees the wrong way, and gone if they remember to actually flip the light switch (which is a rare, but possible occurrence). Hence the LED.

I have to say it’s impressive. Light enough for a paperback. Completely bendy. Has a clip wide enough to stick on the screen of my laptop so I can see my control keys if I’m computing in the dark, and they claim the battery will last three years. Also, the light is bright without being harsh, which is great for working with text.

So, I spent about $5, and I’m tickled to death by the light, and I suspect many of my family will find similar gadgets in their Christmas stockings or Hanukkah stashes this year.