There’s nothing quite like kicking back with a quality novel. Unfortunately, the demands of the college lifestyle typically leave little time for recreational literature. If you find yourself yearning for a quick book fix, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve got this week’s installment of a quality novel brief enough to read in a weekend.

TITLE — “This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life”

AUTHOR — David Foster Wallace

In “This Is Water,” the late David Foster Wallace muses on the subject of self-importance, examining the way a self-centric worldview influences our behavior and happiness.

Adapted from a 2005 commencement address to the Kenyon College graduating class, this brief publication is particularly relevant to the aspiring young professional (like many here at the University of Wisconsin are or soon will be). With frank candor, he presents the inevitable dilemma resulting from fixation upon one’s own itinerary, both immediate and long-term.

Holistic and self-aware, Wallace delivers a distilled dosage of truth regarding how to deal with life’s frustrations. With direct and useful lessons condensed in such a small, accessible book, “This Is Water” is the perfect serving of digestible philosophy on living happily in a busy lifestyle.

The book is remarkably short, with fewer than 150 pages, most containing fewer than four sentences. At most, it should take 30 minutes to complete.

“This Is Water” can be found through the UW Library system or for a very reasonable price through online retailers.