[mikekchar]

I went for a few months without lights at night as part of an experiment. I found that 3 candles with a reflector made from aluminium foil was enough light to read by. But it's dangerous. Another thing I tried was to buy some solar powered garden lights and charge them during the day. This provided about an hour of reading light in the evening. Probably you could build something very much more effective (and it would be quite fun to boot).