It’s difficult to read while you're taking classes, participating in extracurriculars, working three jobs, and hanging out with your homies. Time management is a thing, and sometimes you have to sacrifice certain activities (i.e. leisure reading), or at least put them off until later. Thanks to summer, we have arrived upon the “later,” and as we finish up with finals, I have compiled a little list of books that I think deserve attention too. Just because they might not end up on your fall syllabus, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be checked out. Here’s a list of books that make for some good summer reading:

1. "Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened" by Allie Brosh

Best to ease yourself back into the leisure reading scene with this collection of short stories and comics by internet sensation Allie Brosh. A collection of stories from her website (along with some new content), she covers a wide range of events from her life ranging from childhood traumas to current issues trying to behave like an “adult.” This witty, brutally honest, relatable autobiography-esque paperback will give your brain a break after trying to slosh through all that Foucault all semester.

2. "Child 44" by Tom Rob Smith

The first in a trilogy by Smith, this book is set in Stalin’s Soviet Union and follows protagonist Agent Leo Demidov as he investigates the deaths of children. Unfortunately for him, murder is labeled a “capitalist illness” and he is forced to work in secret to get to the bottom of the crimes. Paranoia. Thriller. Romance. Orphanages. Homosexuality. Mental hospitals. Brotherhood. This book is an extremely well written, fast-paced labyrinth of a mystery in the best way possible. And if you think it can’t get any better, hold onto your horses because it’s based on true events. Also, it was adapted into a film released in April 2015 that stars Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, and Noomi Rapace. The film has 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes… and I haven’t seen it yet so I can’t vouch for it, but Hardy and Rapace are supposed to have done a fine job.

3. "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert

Yes, we are throwing it back to Flaubert, and no, I promise it won’t make you fall asleep. If you’ve never given Flaubert a chance, this summer is the perfect time to dive into his beautiful, and controversial, narrative of an adulterous French housewife. Emma Bovary basically does anything she can to escape the mundane present she finds herself in, and Flaubert does a wonderful job of depicting life as it truly is. His most famous work, the book uses realist narration to develop a protagonist that the reader doesn’t really like, but still roots for anyway. Better yet, when it was published Flaubert was thrown in jail because of “obscenity.” Give it a whirl, I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

4. "Glass, Irony and God" by Anne Carson

Prepare yourself: We are finishing with some poetry. Here is why you should dive into the world of poetry this summer: because it’s a fabulous world with almost no rules and anything can happen. Everyone, poetry fanatics and newcomers alike, will enjoy Anne Carson’s 1995 collection. She’s one of the greatest poets of our time and since it is poetry, you can pick it up and read however many you want with very little commitment. This collection contains “The Glass Essay,” a narrative poem that explores the end of a powerful love affair, and it will tear you up. This is a good summer read because if you do find you have a taste for Carson, there’s plenty more out there for you to read next.