The bathroom: a great place to catch up on some pleasure reading. Nobody wants to do that pesky reading for class while enjoying a few minutes of precious alone time in the W.C.

But maybe the magazine rack with old issues of Cosmopolitan and Maxim dating back to June 2001 is getting just a little monotonous. There are only so many times that one can read about those 15 ultimate sex tips, so then the inevitable question comes to mind: what to read?

Most “bathroom books” aim for funny and certainly fulfill the criteria for a quick read, but why not try something other than the obvious? Bathroom reading should be quick, painless, gripping and, hopefully, picture saturated, which is why Brian Froud’s “Good Faeries, Bad Faeries” is an ideal choice.

Don’t jump to conclusions and think this book is about faeries in the genre of Tinkerbell or other cheesy animated characters. Readers may be asking themselves at this point, “Why on Earth would I want to read some book about faeries?”

Well, because this book actually makes faeries interesting. Froud’s passion for the faery world is evident in all his works, including this particular book, and his enthusiasm for the topic is contagious.

Using his masterful talents, Froud’s sequel to his first book, “Faeries,” is a beautiful, ornate collection of drawings of faeries, both sweet and wicked, as the title suggests. There are also written explanations of the faeries placed next to many of the drawings, so you can either skim through the book looking at pictures or take the time to read some of the accompanying stories.

The pictures are just short of mesmerizing, and Froud’s artistic ability undoubtedly shines through. Froud has also had experience in film, as he designed many of the characters in “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal.” So fans of the movies will probably be able to detect some of the stylistic similarities in these detailed drawings.

To keep your interest even more, the book also has two different covers, one for good faeries and one for bad, so halfway through the good/bad section, the book flips and becomes the opposite.

Readers can also decide which half of the book to enjoy based on his or her humor for any given day, so if the reader is not in the mood for the good faeries, the bad faeries section is close at hand.

So forget the “1000 Uses for Duct Tape,” (there are really only 900 until they start stretching), Froud’s “Good Faeries Bad Faeries” will make a great addition to any household–or college apartment–bathroom’s library. So sit back, relax, push the SI aside and enjoy.

— Alexandra Stieber