52 Book Challenge

Last year I made a goal to read 50 books, and I completed it. This year I'm going to read 52, and 20 of those are "required" reading (I made a list of books that I MUST read because I already own them and they've been hanging around my house for too long!). I've done quite well so far in the new year -- I've already completed two books. For a change of pace, these are both adult books, one fiction and one non-fiction:

1.) The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter
 by David Colbert
Because I'm a big ole Harry Potter nerd (at least right now, after reading and watching the seventh book). This book was really cool because it explains the folklore and mythology behind the Harry Potter series. JK Rowling has a background in the study of literature, so her choices to use names, symbols, and archetypes were deliberate. I enjoyed learning more about how these stories all fit together in the series.

2.) Room
by Emma Donoghue
Though Room is told through the eyes of a five-year-old boy, it is not a children's story. Jack has lived in Room his entire life with his Ma, and Room is the only world he knows. Ma has been locked in Room for seven years by Old Nick, who is their only connect to the world outside. This is a dark and troubling book, but very well written. Jack's narrative is believable and realistic. I have a hard time saying I enjoyed this book, as it tells about terrible crimes that no one should experience, but I give it five stars because I couldn't put it down.