Whenever I talk to friends about reading, we always just repeat the same phrase over and over again, "I wish I read more, but I just don't have time." I'm not saying that this is really a bad thing, or that it isn't true. It is. I've read (for fun) less in college than I have in pretty much every other year of my life, but there are a lot of easy-to-read and engaging books that you can definitely get done on a college schedule. Here are a few of my absolute favorite novels that I finished within a few hours or days, despite a busy schedule:

1. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

David Sedaris is one of my all-time favorite authors. He's a gifted storyteller who skillfully combines humor, sentimentality and relativity, which makes his books all the more engaging.The book's format as a series of essays also makes this a super quick and enjoyable read. I love all of his books, but this one is his most popular and my personal favorite because he writes about his seriously weird family and his struggles with living abroad. Trust me. Read this book.

2. Blankets by Craig Thompson

Graphic novels are definitely still novels and a hugely unappreciated art form. "Blankets" is an autobiographical novel taking place during two winters of the author's life; a less-than-idyllic early childhood, and the blossoming first steps of love in high school. Full of religious and spiritual turmoil, sibling rivalry, love, lust and contentment, it is easy to feel yourself immersed in "Blankets." I found myself completely drawn into the story and left my normal world for the few hours that it took me to read this.

3. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore" is hands-down my favorite book of all time, and I definitely recommend it for anyone with enough time and energy to read a long and complicated novel. This one, though, is super breezy and sweet. It's a story of love, sex, loss and mental illness set in the backdrop of 1960's Tokyo. It's refreshing and simple, quite a change from Murakami's typical metaphysical and magical novels, but delightful nonetheless.

4. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (or really anything by him)

I've never spent more than about three hours reading a Mitch Albom book, but I've also never read a Mitch Albom book without crying. Despite their extremely short length, Albom has a way of writing extremely meaningful and poignant stories that just have a way of getting to you. I read "Tuesdays with Morrie," which is about the slow decline of a mentor, shortly after the passing of a very influential teacher in my life, making this story all the more meaningful to me. "Tuesdays with Morrie" will make you re-evaluate your relationships with those you love and appreciate the important people in your life you sometimes forget to acknowledge.

5. Persepolis and Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi

The "Persepolis" series combines pretty much all of my favorite things: feminism, history, literature and art. This is another autobiographical story about the life of a young girl during the Iranian Revolution of the late 1980s. To be honest, "Persepolis" taught me so much about what really happened during the revolution and what life was like there. Part of what makes this series so easy to read is that it is a graphic novel with beautiful symmetric designs and shapes. If you still don't think you can give up a day or two to read the books, watch the movie--which is equally incredible and inspiring. I recommend this series to literally all of my friends, sometimes multiple times. It's literally amazing.