That’s right: The illustrious Penrose Library offers more than the boring academic criticisms on Virginia Woolf and complicated theories on psychology you attempt to digest for research papers. When you’re finally in the market to read for pleasure, try one of these truly satisfying reads, available for free at our very own campus book house. -Sophie Johnson

NONFICTION: “Hubris: The inside story of spin, scandal, and the selling of the Iraq War” by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
CALL NUMBER: E902 .I84 2006
DESCRIPTION: I know you’ve been wanting to read a book about the Iraq War and why, exactly, it’s so wrong. This is the one to read. It’s not convoluted in the way these journalism texts usually are, and makes a particularly persuasive arugment that the Bush administration had invested, unspoken interest in overturning Saddam Hussein.

NONFICTION: “Millennial monsters: Japanese toys and the global imagination” by Anne Allison
CALL NUMBER: GN635.J2 A55 2006
DESCRIPTION: I haven’t actually read this yet, but doesn’t it look awesome? It’s about Japanese culture and has lots of pictures of cool toys you can buy and descriptions of sick monsters.

JUVENILE: “Millions of Cats” by Wanda Gag
CALL NUMBER: PS3513.A242 M55 1977
DESCRIPTION: Here’s the premise: A little old man and a little old woman can’t have a baby so they decide to get a cat. The man goes to a field where he discovers millions of cats. Then they all eat each other. You think I’m kidding.

COFFEE TABLE: “Walla Walla Valley Memories: The Early Years” by the Union-Bulletin
CALL NUMBER: F897.W2 W35 2006
DESCRIPTION: Do you have a weird fascination with looking through old photo albums like I do? Well, this is the ultimate old photo album, featuring great pictures from all different walks of life in the olden days of our lovely Walla Walla Valley. It’s also printed on the kind of paper that smells really good.

FICTION: “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Michael Chabon
CALL NUMBER: PS3553.H15 A82 2000
DESCRIPTION: Do yourself a favor and curl up with this award-winning novel about a comic-writing duo in the golden age of comic books. There’s romance, magic, war, and Salvidor Dalí, too. This is one of those novels that you’re really depressed about finishing because you’d just like it to go on forever. Unfortunately, it’s only, like, 700 pages.