📚 Reading By Candlelight
🔥 Fireside
Gather your books in one warm little place
Ever stand in front of your shelves wondering if you already own that book — or where the one you loaned out disappeared to?
Reading by Candlelight is a cozy, private little nook for tracking your real-world books — what you own, where they live, and what you’ve actually read.
- 🕯️ Add books fast with Title/Author search or ISBN lookup.
- 📚 Browse your shelves anywhere with clean search & filters.
- ✅ Mark read/unread and enjoy quick stats.
- 🎨 Name your library, pick a theme, and keep it private.
Most people add their first book in under a minute.
Take a look inside
Calm, simple, and made for readers who love real books. All those books you joke about? This is where they finally live.
Your library at a glance — read/unread, totals, and gentle stats.
Browse your shelves anywhere — fast search, clean lists, no clutter.
Add books quickly — search by Title/Author or look up by ISBN.
Make it yours — name your library and pick a theme you love.
Share a gentle read-only link — friends can browse, nothing can be changed.
Optional community — browse other libraries and peek at global stats.
Use it like a real app
You can install Reading by Candlelight on your phone or computer — or simply log in from your browser. No App Store. No subscriptions.
📱 Install on your phone
- Open Reading by Candlelight in your browser.
- Tap Share (or your browser menu).
- Choose Add to Home Screen.
After that, it opens from your Home Screen like any other app — with its own icon.
💻 Or just use your browser
Prefer not to install anything? No problem — just log in anytime from your browser.
What is Reading by Candlelight?
Reading by Candlelight is a cozy, private home library tracker that helps you keep up with the books you own, the ones you’ve read, and the stories waiting on your shelf. It was built for readers who love real books, quiet evenings, and a simple way to see their whole collection at a glance.
Track your home library
Whether you have a single shelf or a whole room of books, you can quickly catalog your collection with ISBN lookup or by typing titles in by hand. Add authors, years, genres, locations, and editions so you always know exactly what you own and where it lives.
New to organizing a home library? Read a quick guide to cataloging your home library without spreadsheets.
A private book tracker you control
Many book apps are busy, social, or built around recommendations. Reading by Candlelight is different on purpose. Your library stays yours alone: no feeds, no public profiles, no ads — just a quiet place to keep track of your books.
Built for readers, collectors, and home library lovers
It works beautifully if you’re organizing a small home library, tracking a growing collection, or simply keeping a gentle log of what you’ve read. Add books as you go, and let your library slowly fill up with the stories you love.
Share cozy windows into your shelves
If you’d like to show off your shelves a little, Reading by Candlelight lets you share a gentle, read-only view of your library — and even see how you fit into a small, bookish community.
- 🔗 Create a private, read-only link so friends and family can browse your books.
- 👀 Visitors can search and filter your collection, but they can’t change a thing.
- 👥 Opt in to a quiet Community Library directory to see other readers’ shelves.
- 📊 Peek at global stats across all libraries — total books, popular authors, and more.
- 🔒 Everything is strictly opt-in: nothing is shared unless you ask for it.
How it works
- Log in (or create your account).
- Add your books by ISBN lookup or by typing them in.
- Tuck them away by shelf, room, or “loaned to…” using your custom locations.
- Browse & track your collection from anywhere.
That’s it. No ads, no ratings, no reviews, no social feed — just you and your books.
Why readers love it
- 🕯️ Feels calm and cozy — no “busy app” energy.
- 📱 Mobile-first — works nicely on your phone, tablet, or laptop.
- 🔒 Built with privacy in mind: your library is yours.
- 🧩 Fun touches like themes, stats, hidden Easter eggs and little achievements.
- 💡 Designed by a book nerd — built with a love for books and libraries, not ads and algorithms.
Privacy & small print
Curious how your data is handled? Take a look at:
Questions or feedback?
You can email the Librarian anytime at: librarian@readingbycandlelight.ca
About your Library
Reading by Candlelight starts with a small free library — perfect for getting your shelves out of your head and into one place. If you love it and need more shelf space, there’s a simple one-time upgrade that unlocks all the shelf space you could ever need. No subscriptions, ads, or surprises — forever.
Ready to start?
Create your own cozy library — it only takes a minute to start.