Welcome the Catmalojin’s first Book Report. You can feel the excitement too, right? Keen readers with interests ranging from Arctic Exploration to Insider Trading, Cat Malojin’s vast collection of second hand, scrunched up paper back books have inspired not only this blog thingamajig but also an extraordinary adventure to the South Pole. The South Pole you say….

Anyway, we have compiled a concise list (we like lists) of five non-fiction books that adorn our bookshelf and may tickle your fancy.

5. The Wolf of Wall Street – Jordan Belfort

Everybody knows the story, billion dollar deals…ends up in jail…Leo does a good job but not a great job and so on. What some people may not know is that the book is excellent, exceeds the critically acclaimed film reviews and gives an intricate insight into the world of Wall Street. Pick this up on Amazon for next to nothing.

4. Red Heat: Conspiracy, Murder and the Cold War in the Caribbean – Alex Von Tunzelmann

Forget everything you know about Fidel Castro! That was quick, wasn’t it?! Red Heat chronicles the rise of Castro and shows how Eisenhower and JFK’s petty grievances, and a more wide scale fear of communism, helped create the tensions and eventually the ridiculous embargo which only ended in the past few months. Learn how America forced Cuba into seeking support from the USSR, while openly supporting far more despotic, corrupt and bat-shit insane regimes in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Highly recommended.

3. Andrea Pirlo: I think, therefore I play – Andrea Pirlo with Alessandro Alciato

Not like most sports books, which are generally not all that interesting, but then Andrea Pirlo is not like most other sports stars. A short and funny book, including details of the relentless pranks he pulled on Gennaro Gattuso, who seems borderline mentally challenged. The quote below taken from the book pretty much sums the man up:

“I don’t feel pressure, I don’t give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, July 9, 2006, in Berlin sleeping and playing the Playstation. In the evening, I went out and and won the World Cup.”

2. An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean – Antarctic Survivor – Michael Smith

Is there anything is this world cooler than Antarctic Exploration? Agreed, there is not.

I could go on for literally minutes preaching about this book but the below quote from an Irish Times review does it in a nutshell:

“A ripping yarn…The epic struggles, heroics and the unbelievable hardships of the voyages are wonderfully told. Compulsive reading…”

Irish Times

Side note: Upon returning from his adventures Tom Crean opened a bar – The South Pole Inn – in his hometown of Annascaul, Co. Kerry. The walls of the interior are decorated with various photos and newspaper columns celebrating the great man.

Cannot recommend this book highly enough. Get yourself a copy and head for Kerry!

1. Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson

Arr me heartys, finishing up with an absolute classic. You may be asking what Treasure Island is doing a list of non-fiction books, but between copious levels of rum drinking, an untrustworthy scoundrel called O’Brien and a long search for booty it’s probably the book that I can relate to the most on this list. Avast ye scurvy landlubbers!

List by Tony