Non-Fiction Five Challenge Finished

I successfully completed the Non-Fiction Five challenge. It was an okay challenge for me as 3 out of my 5 reads were average or below average. I will have to do a better job of picking non-fiction books in the future.

UPDATE: I have decided to update one of my picks for this challenge and replace Dreams of my Father by Barack Obama to Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper based on the great review by Lesley in March 2007 at Lesley's Book Nook Blog.

I have decided to participate in Thoughts of Joy's Non-Fiction Five Challenge taking place from May 1st to September 30th, 2007. The Five Non-Fiction Books I have decided to read are:

1. Sidney Poitier - Measure of a Man [completed June 10th, 2007]

2. Jon Krakauer - Eiger Dreams [completed August 8th, 2007]

3. Mireille Guiliano - French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure [completed June 29th, 2007]

4. Sarah Ban Breathnach - Something More - Excavating Your Authentic Self [completed May 5th, 2007]

5. Anderson Cooper - Dispatches from the Edge [completed September 3rd, 2007]


I really enjoy reading memoirs however wanted to try to include other types of non-fiction books into the challenge and I think the above is a good mix.

Dispatches from the Edge

Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper

Finished September 3rd, 2007

Rating: 7/10

Non-Fiction Five Challenge Book #5



This was a very quick and easy read. It isn't so much a biography of Cooper's life although he does touch on some major personal events that has shaped him such as the death of his father and brother. It is more about Cooper's experiences and insights with respect to major events that have shaped and touched the world such as Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq, Hurriance Katrina and the South East Asian Tsunami.

All in all it was an enjoyable read.

Eiger Dreams

Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer

Finished August 8th, 2007

Rating: 4/10

Non-Fiction Five Challenge Book #4




This is the third book I have read of Krakauer. I had previously read and really enjoyed Under the Banner of Heaven but disliked Into the Wild but decided to give this book a go anyways. I was not overly impressed.

The book is a bunch of short stories that Krakauer has written over the years for magazines about mountain climbing. Some of the stories are first hand experiences as Krakauer is an avid climber.

While some of the stories were interesting, more often I found myself a little bored reading this book. This could be due to the fact that I am not mountain climber and may not be able to appreciate the stories.

French Women Don't Get Fat

French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

Finished June 29th, 2007

Rating: 8/10

Non-Fiction Five Challenge Book #3



This book is about learning to achieve a healthy weight through balancing food, exercise, sleep, etc. in life and was specifically written for women. It is a good mix between a memoir and self-help. The author tells about her experience gaining weight while living in the US as a 1 year student exchange and how she took off the weight upon her return to France. She also provides stories of how she has helped friends lose weight.

She provides simple suggestions that are commen sense that one can easily adapt to and also provides some of her favourite recipes.

I will take the following lessons from this book:

Manage my portions;
Do not eat while doing other things;
Go for quality ingredients;
Eat food when it is in season;
Drink more water.

The focus of the book is on eating habits although she does touch on the benefits of exercise. I would recommend this book for all women who want to lose a few pounds and start living a balanced lifestyle.

Non-Fiction Five Challenge Update

UPDATE: I have decided to update one of my picks for this challenge and replace Dreams of my Father by Barack Obama to Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper based on the great review by Lesley in March 2007 at Lesley's Book Nook Blog.

I have decided to participate in Thoughts of Joy's Non-Fiction Five Challenge taking place from May 1st to September 30th, 2007. The Five Non-Fiction Books I have decided to read are:

1. Sidney Poitier - Measure of a Man [completed June 10th, 2007]

2. Jon Krakauer - Eiger Dreams

3. Mireille Guiliano - French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure

4. Sarah Ban Breathnach - Something More - Excavating Your Authentic Self [completed May 5th, 2007]

5. Anderson Cooper - Dispatches from the Edge

I really enjoy reading memoirs however wanted to try to include other types of non-fiction books into the challenge and I think the above is a good mix.

Measure of a Man

Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

Finished June 10th, 2007

Rating: 5/10

Non-Fiction Five Challenge Book #2



I was expecting this book to be different then what it was. I guess I should have had a clue based on the subtitle "a spiritual autobiography" that it wasn't going to be a true memoir. The book started out very good as Poitier discusses his childhood in the Bahamas however the book lost me in the middle and end as Poitier talks about a variety of topics and his philosophy on those topics such as religion, racisim and mostly about the art of acting (which didn't really interest me). The book jumps from topic to topic as it is not in chronological order as a typical autobiography.

There were some really interesting stories mentioned however he chose to not go into much detail which was disappointing as I would really have liked to read more of those stories.

I finished the book with a better understanding of his views on various topics however I still feel like I never got to know him by reading this book which was my intent in choosing it.

Although I gave the book a rating of 5/10 as it was average to me, I would recommend it to others who are already familiar with Poitier and are interested in reading more about Poitier's views rather than a biography about his life.

I have never actually seen any movies that Sidney Poitier has starred in so I will have to make a point to rent some of his movies.

Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self

Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self
Sarah Ban Breathnach

Finished May 5th, 2007

Rating: 2/10

Non-Fiction Five Challenge Book #1




This is the first book I have finished for the Non-Fiction Five Challenge and I am asking myself why on earth did I put this book on my list other than the fact that it has been sitting on my bookshelf for many years. There are so many great Non-Fiction books out there that I can't believe I wasted my time reading this book.

The book is a self-help book for women to help them find their "authentic self". I didn't find it helpful at all and found it confusing as I was unable to decipher at times the message the author was trying to get across.

I was not really open to this book which is part of the reason as to why I didn't enjoy it along with the fact that I don't think it was very well written. I struggled to finish this book and I almost did not finish it so I do not recommend this book to others.

Non-Fiction Five Challenge

I have decided to participate in Thoughts of Joy's Non-Fiction Five Challenge taking place from May to September. The Five Non-Fiction Books I have decided to read are:

1. Sidney Poitier - Measure of a Man

2. Jon Krakauer - Eiger Dreams

3. Mireille Guiliano - French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure

4. Sarah Ban Breathnach - Something More - Excavating Your Authentic Self [completed May 5th, 2007]

5. Barack Obama - Dreams From My Fathe

I really enjoy reading memoirs however wanted to try to include other types of non-fiction books into the challenge and I think the above is a good mix.