← Silent Book · Русский · O'zbekcha
Rain sounds for reading, and five other quiet scenes
Silent Book's reader plays a quiet sound while you read and draws its weather over the page: spring rain, a summer night, autumn wind, a winter hush, a campfire or sea waves. It is free, it runs in your browser with nothing to install, and a book opens at once.
Why read with a quiet sound
A steady, soft sound covers the small noises that pull you out of a book: a television next door, traffic, voices in an office or on a train. Because it does not change, you soon stop hearing it, and what is left is the page.
It has no words to follow, so it does not compete with the words you are reading. And a sound you keep for reading becomes a signal of its own: rain, and it is time for the book.
Keep it low. The sound is meant to sit under the reading, not over it: the reader starts it quietly, and the volume is in the sound panel.
The six sounds
Each button opens a short guide to the reader with that sound chosen. Browsers play no sound before you touch the page, so the sound starts on your first tap or key in the reader. You can change the scene at any time with the sound button in the reader.
Spring rain
Steady rain on a spring evening, with no thunder: the classic sound for reading. Drops fall across the page and splash on the lines of text.
Summer night
Crickets in the warm dark, a sound many people fall asleep to. Fireflies drift over the page, and now and then a grasshopper comes by.
Autumn wind
Wind in an autumn forest, with birds far off. Leaves blow across the page and settle on the lines, and a sparrow may stop among them.
Winter hush
A soft winter wind over a deep quiet. Snow falls over the page, settles on the lines of text and falls off when you turn the page.
Campfire
Wood crackling in a fire in the woods. Sparks rise over the page from a bed of glowing embers that flares up now and then.
Sea waves
Calm waves on a sandy beach, coming in and going out. Water runs up the page with foam and glints of sun, and the words it reaches float up for a moment.
A soft piano over the sound
Under + Piano in the sound panel, two calm piano pieces can play over any of the six scenes. While the piano plays, the scene's own sound steps back, so the two never crowd each other: rain behind a slow piano, or the sea behind it.
The weather over the page
Each scene draws its own weather over the book, softly, so it shows on the page and all but disappears over the letters. In the sound panel you choose how visible it is (very faint, medium or quite visible), and you can switch the motion off and keep the sound, or keep the weather and switch the sound off. If your device asks for less motion, the weather stays off until you switch it on.
A sleep timer for reading in bed
Set the sleep timer in the sound panel to 15, 30 or 60 minutes. When it ends, the sound and the weather fade out together, and reading aloud stops with them, so you can fall asleep over a chapter.
Your own books, with the same sound
The sound you choose stays for every book you open here: your own EPUB, FB2 or PDF file, or one of the classics on the home page. The book opens in your browser and is never uploaded. Looking for something to read? See where to find free e-books.
The same sounds in the Android app
Silent Book for Android has the same six sounds and both pianos, over your own EPUB, FB2 and PDF books on your phone. It is free, with no daily limit, no ads while you read and no sign-in needed. The sounds come with the app, so they play with no connection.
Silent Book opens on Google Play country by country, so it may not be in yours yet.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. All six sounds, both pianos, the weather and the sleep timer are free, here and in the Android app, with no time limit. Reading here needs no account and shows no ads.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The reader works in a current browser on a computer, a tablet or a phone. On an Android phone you can also install Silent Book for Android, for the books on your phone.
Why does the sound not start at once?
Browsers play no sound until you touch the page. Tap anywhere in the reader or press a key, and the sound fades in. The weather does not wait for a tap.
Can I use it offline?
Yes, after one visit with a connection. Your browser then keeps the reader, and each sound once you have played it, so they open without a connection. In the Android app the sounds come with the app and always play offline.
Can I add music?
Yes, a soft piano. Under + Piano in the sound panel, pick Piano 1 or Piano 2: it plays over any of the six scenes, and the scene's own sound steps back while it does.
Does the sound stay for my own books?
Yes. The sound you choose stays for every book you open on the home page: your own EPUB, FB2, PDF, TXT or CBZ file, or one of the classics. Nothing is uploaded: the book stays on your device.
Can I download the sounds?
No. The recordings are part of the reader and are not offered as files: they play while you read, on this site and in the Android app.
The recordings come from Pixabay, under the Pixabay Content License, trimmed and looped for Silent Book; the reader's notice names each one.