J-Term will officially begin on Jan. 4, but we at FlyBy know better than anyone that it will be difficult to make the coming three weeks into anything other than a colossal waste of time. So, in the spirit of genuine or—who are we kidding?—feigned intellectualism, we've compiled a list of reading recommendations from several campus mailing lists. We've also provided, of course, the requisite value judgment on each title.

Some of these books are ones you've probably heard of before, others are ones you haven't. But since none of them are assigned in any classes you’re currently taking, all are sure to qualify as reading you might actually do.

Because we know both how good it feels to actually finish a book and how rarely that actually happens at Harvard, the titles are arranged roughly from shortest to longest. (Thanks to the members of the Eliot, Mather, Pfoho, and FUP mailing lists for providing the recommendations.)

Now, without further ado, the list:

Best way to remember what life was like before Expos

Curious George and Me

Author: H.A. Rey

Page Count: 56

Pitch: Aww, you don't need us to explain this one.

Best short classic

Mrs. Dalloway

Author: Virginia Woolf

Page Count: 216

Pitch: Taking place in a single day, this novel follows a London society woman (Mrs. Dalloway) as she prepares for a party that she is to give that night.