diff --git a/BasicPrelude.hs b/BasicPrelude.hs
--- a/BasicPrelude.hs
+++ b/BasicPrelude.hs
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@
   , Text.unwords
   , textToString
   , ltextToString
+  , encodeUtf8
+  , decodeUtf8
     -- ** Text operations (IO)
   , Text.putStr
   , Text.getLine
@@ -64,14 +66,11 @@
   , Prelude.reads
   , Prelude.readParen
   , Prelude.lex
+  , readMay
     -- ** IO operations
   , Prelude.putChar
   , Prelude.getChar
   , Prelude.readLn
-    -- ** Exceptions
-  , Prelude.IOError
-  , Prelude.ioError
-  , Prelude.userError
   ) where
 
 import CorePrelude
@@ -105,8 +104,9 @@
 import qualified Data.Text.Lazy.IO as LText
 import qualified Filesystem.Path.CurrentOS as FilePath
 import qualified Prelude
-
-
+import Data.Text.Encoding (encodeUtf8, decodeUtf8With)
+import Data.Text.Encoding.Error (lenientDecode)
+import qualified Safe
 
 -- | > map = fmap
 map :: (Functor f) => (a -> b) -> f a -> f b
@@ -174,3 +174,12 @@
 
 ltextToString :: LText -> Prelude.String
 ltextToString = LText.unpack
+
+-- | Note that this is /not/ the standard @Data.Text.Encoding.decodeUtf8@. That
+-- function will throw impure exceptions on any decoding errors. This function
+-- instead uses @decodeLenient@.
+decodeUtf8 :: ByteString -> Text
+decodeUtf8 = decodeUtf8With lenientDecode
+
+readMay :: Read a => Text -> Maybe a
+readMay = Safe.readMay . Text.unpack
diff --git a/CorePrelude.hs b/CorePrelude.hs
--- a/CorePrelude.hs
+++ b/CorePrelude.hs
@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@
     , Data.Function.on
     , Data.Ord.comparing
     , equating
+    , GHC.Exts.Down (..)
       -- ** Applicative
     , Control.Applicative.Applicative (..)
     , (Control.Applicative.<$>)
@@ -137,6 +138,7 @@
     , Control.Exception.Lifted.bracket
     , Control.Exception.Lifted.onException
     , Control.Exception.Lifted.finally
+    , module System.IO.Error
       -- ** Files
     , F.FilePath
     , (F.</>)
@@ -205,6 +207,8 @@
 import qualified System.Environment
 import qualified Data.Text
 import qualified Data.List
+import System.IO.Error hiding (catch, try)
+import qualified GHC.Exts
 
 #if MIN_VERSION_base(4,5,0)
 import Data.Monoid ((<>))
diff --git a/basic-prelude.cabal b/basic-prelude.cabal
--- a/basic-prelude.cabal
+++ b/basic-prelude.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                basic-prelude
-version:             0.3.5.0
+version:             0.3.6.0
 synopsis:            An enhanced core prelude; a common foundation for alternate preludes.
 description:
     The premise of @basic-prelude@ is that there are a lot of very commonly desired features missing from the standard @Prelude@, such as commonly used operators (@\<$\>@ and @>=>@, for instance) and imports for common datatypes (e.g., @ByteString@ and @Vector@). At the same time, there are lots of other components which are more debatable, such as providing polymorphic versions of common functions.
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
                      , system-filepath          >= 0.4     && < 0.5
                      , ReadArgs                 >= 1.2     && < 1.3
                      , lifted-base
+                     , safe
 
 source-repository head
   type:     git