We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(7) Snow Line
We're not just calling this one snow line because it starts in the middle of winter—Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is a challenging book, as Pulitzer winners tend to be. There's no plot to speak of; instead, the author spends a year walking in the woods pontificating about nature and existence. She mentions approximately seventy billion books, authors, and explorers, give or take a couple million, and it will probably be necessary to read paragraphs several times. You'll want to have your Google finger ready to go as well.
Pro tip: There are books you can totally procrastinate about finishing before class. If you wait until the last minute to read this one, though, there won't be enough coffee in the world to race you through its pages. That said, we promise the dense, poetic writing is worth the haul.