A glaring white background is common on websites, but a little subtlety in the background colour can make things a little easier on the eyes.
There are a number of websites that will provide color palettes, but it's best to choose a faintly off-white tone. The idea is to cut the glare, not burden your website with a coloured background remeniscent of the web design abuses of the 90's
Pick what works for you, but a good example is #FDFDF0
. Here's a sample. The difference is subtle, but effective;
#FFFFFF PURE WHITE |
#FDFDF0 OFF WHITE |