diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read.hs
index 7b597a3c1..75f21561b 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read.hs
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ readJournalFile mformat mrulesfile assrt prefixedfile = do
     (mprefixformat, f) = splitReaderPrefix prefixedfile
     mfmt = mformat <|> mprefixformat
   requireJournalFileExists f
-  readFileOrStdinAnyLineEnding f >>= readJournal mfmt mrulesfile assrt (Just f)
+  readFileOrStdinPortably f >>= readJournal mfmt mrulesfile assrt (Just f)
 
 -- | If a filepath is prefixed by one of the reader names and a colon,
 -- split that off. Eg "csv:-" -> (Just "csv", "-").
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ readJournalFileWithOpts iopts prefixedfile = do
     (mfmt, f) = splitReaderPrefix prefixedfile
     iopts' = iopts{mformat_=firstJust [mfmt, mformat_ iopts]}
   requireJournalFileExists f
-  t <- readFileOrStdinAnyLineEnding f
+  t <- readFileOrStdinPortably f
   ej <- readJournalWithOpts iopts' (Just f) t
   case ej of
     Left e  -> return $ Left e
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ latestDatesFileFor f = dir </> ".latest" <.> fname
     (dir, fname) = splitFileName f
 
 readFileStrictly :: FilePath -> IO Text
-readFileStrictly f = readFile' f >>= \t -> C.evaluate (T.length t) >> return t
+readFileStrictly f = readFilePortably f >>= \t -> C.evaluate (T.length t) >> return t
 
 -- | Given zero or more latest dates (all the same, representing the
 -- latest previously seen transaction date, and how many transactions
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
index 33a7e0b98..5bec0fd86 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ readJournalFromCsv mrulesfile csvfile csvdata =
     if rulesfileexists
     then do
       dbg1IO "using conversion rules file" rulesfile
-      liftIO $ (readFile' rulesfile >>= expandIncludes (takeDirectory rulesfile))
+      liftIO $ (readFilePortably rulesfile >>= expandIncludes (takeDirectory rulesfile))
     else return $ defaultRulesText rulesfile
   rules <- liftIO (runExceptT $ parseAndValidateCsvRules rulesfile rulestext) >>= either throwerr return 
   dbg2IO "rules" rules
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ instance ShowErrorComponent String where
 -- and runs some extra validation checks.
 parseRulesFile :: FilePath -> ExceptT String IO CsvRules
 parseRulesFile f = 
-  liftIO (readFile' f >>= expandIncludes (takeDirectory f)) >>= parseAndValidateCsvRules f
+  liftIO (readFilePortably f >>= expandIncludes (takeDirectory f)) >>= parseAndValidateCsvRules f
 
 -- | Inline all files referenced by include directives in this hledger CSV rules text, recursively.
 -- Included file paths may be relative to the directory of the provided file path.
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
index a66d57b09..963c53d66 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ includedirectivep = do
     liftIO $ runExceptT $ do
       let curdir = takeDirectory (sourceName parentpos)
       filepath <- expandPath curdir filename `orRethrowIOError` (show parentpos ++ " locating " ++ filename)
-      txt      <- readFileAnyLineEnding filepath `orRethrowIOError` (show parentpos ++ " reading " ++ filepath)
+      txt      <- readFilePortably filepath `orRethrowIOError` (show parentpos ++ " reading " ++ filepath)
       (ej1::Either (ParseError Char MPErr) ParsedJournal) <-
         runParserT
            (evalStateT
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
index 41fb05c39..89092064a 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
@@ -150,30 +150,23 @@ firstJust ms = case dropWhile (==Nothing) ms of
     [] -> Nothing
     (md:_) -> md
 
--- | Read a file in universal newline mode, handling any of the usual line ending conventions.
-readFile' :: FilePath -> IO Text
-readFile' name =  do
-  h <- openFile name ReadMode
-  hSetNewlineMode h universalNewlineMode
-  T.hGetContents h
+-- | Read text from a file, handling any of the usual line ending conventions.
+readFilePortably :: FilePath -> IO Text
+readFilePortably f =  openFile f ReadMode >>= readHandlePortably
 
--- | Read a file in universal newline mode, handling any of the usual line ending conventions.
-readFileAnyLineEnding :: FilePath -> IO Text
-readFileAnyLineEnding path =  do
-  h <- openFile path ReadMode
-  hSetNewlineMode h universalNewlineMode
-  T.hGetContents h
-
--- | Read the given file, or standard input if the path is "-", using
--- universal newline mode.
-readFileOrStdinAnyLineEnding :: String -> IO Text
-readFileOrStdinAnyLineEnding f = do
-  h <- fileHandle f
-  hSetNewlineMode h universalNewlineMode
-  T.hGetContents h
+-- | Read text from a file, or from standard input if the path is "-", 
+-- handling any of the usual line ending conventions.
+readFileOrStdinPortably :: String -> IO Text
+readFileOrStdinPortably f = openFileOrStdin f ReadMode >>= readHandlePortably
   where
-    fileHandle "-" = return stdin
-    fileHandle f = openFile f ReadMode
+    openFileOrStdin :: String -> IOMode -> IO Handle
+    openFileOrStdin "-" _ = return stdin
+    openFileOrStdin f m   = openFile f m
+
+readHandlePortably :: Handle -> IO Text
+readHandlePortably h = do
+  hSetNewlineMode h universalNewlineMode
+  T.hGetContents h
 
 -- | Total version of maximum, for integral types, giving 0 for an empty list.
 maximum' :: Integral a => [a] -> a
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
index 4c1bb615d..8f272e50f 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ openBrowserOn u = trybrowsers browsers u
 -- indicating whether we did anything.
 writeFileWithBackupIfChanged :: FilePath -> T.Text -> IO Bool
 writeFileWithBackupIfChanged f t = do
-  s <- readFile' f
+  s <- readFilePortably f
   if t == s then return False
             else backUpFile f >> T.writeFile f t >> return True
 
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ writeFileWithBackup :: FilePath -> String -> IO ()
 writeFileWithBackup f t = backUpFile f >> writeFile f t
 
 readFileStrictly :: FilePath -> IO T.Text
-readFileStrictly f = readFile' f >>= \s -> C.evaluate (T.length s) >> return s
+readFileStrictly f = readFilePortably f >>= \s -> C.evaluate (T.length s) >> return s
 
 -- | Back up this file with a (incrementing) numbered suffix, or give an error.
 backUpFile :: FilePath -> IO ()