Last-minute costumes for a literary Halloween

Bookish friends, are you feeling the time crunch? Halloween parties are unspooling as you read this, and the pressure to don a disguise is high.

If you've got a bad case of costume block, consider these literary-minded outfits for those with little time.

Six super simple costumes for lazy book lovers

1) Got a coat? Got a dusty surface in your house? Run your coat over that grime and put it on — voila! You're a dust jacket. (Beware: You'll be explaining this one all night.)

2) Put on every piece of black clothing you own and flit around the room — you're Peter Pan's shadow. (This costume also doubles as Poe's "The Raven," if you just refuse to stop knocking on the door.)

3) Raid your notebooks for some paper and attach the loose sheets to your back. You are, in fact, a paperback. (If you wear this costume, be on time. Don't make your friends wait for the paperback.)

6) Head to the paint swatch section of your local home improvement store and raid every grey sample they have — if you can get exactly 50, you're doing well. Attach them to your clothing and prepare to be an erotic bestseller: You're "Fifty Shades of Grey."

5) Cut out the letter "A" and wear it proudly. Then get your monster mash on, Hester Prynne!

6) You can wear whatever you want to dress up as Godot — we don't know what he looks like. If you choose this costume though, you can never show up at the party.