When the Feast is Finished

"The writer Brian Aldiss provides an account of his wife's fatal illness and her death from pancreatic cancer in November 1997. The book describes how they first found out about the cancer, which was initially masked by a heart complaint. Margaret's illness is rapid: she goes from occasionally tired, to bedridden, in a matter of months. Aldiss records the kindness of friends, and the support he receives from colleagues, doctors and the Macmillan nurses who care for Margaret. He speaks about the minutiae of existence: making his wife's progressively tiny breakfast, buying a new car, visiting an old home. He portrays his wife as stoical, uncomplaining and brave, and shows how the tragedy affects his four children. While looking through some of Margaret's old diaries, he comes across some unflattering comments about himself, along with some very loving words. The experience is humbling. He and his wife visit a hospice for the terminally ill and Margaret eventually asks to be taken there. "

Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell

"This is the biography of Joseph Cornell, an artist who was admired by the Surrealists, the Abstract Expressionists and the pop artists. Cornell lived almost all his life with his mother and badly handicapped brother. A recluse with no formal artistic training, Cornell had an obsessive fear of female sexuality, but he fantasized about ballerinas and film stars, preferably long dead. These fantasies were expressed in his remarkable ""shadow boxes"", the constructions on which his artistic reputation rests."

Turned On: The Biography of Henry Rollins

"Henry Rollins' no-holds-barred performances encompass music, acting and the written and spoken word. This biography plots the course of Rollins' career, from his punk rock adolescence in Washington DC, through his years with the seminal band Black Flag, to his current status as a cult icon. "

Tiger Garden: A Book of Writer's Dreams

"The X-Files: Book of the Unexplained, Vol 2"

"The search for the truth continues. An indispensible addition to the bookshelves of the X-Files fan and the inquisitive reader alike. The X-Files Book of the Unexplained Volume Two provides insight into the behind-the-scenes research on the show and in-depth guides to the real events, phenomena and folklore which inspired the fictional stories. "

The Virago Book of Twins and Doubles

"Penelope Farmer uses her own extraordinary story as a twin to introduce and define each section in this beautifully written autobiographic anthology. The marvelous and eccentric choice of extracts takes us through the labyrinth of myths, fears, and longings

The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline

"At the heart of the Regency period - nine years from 1811 to 1820 - lies the mismatch between the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Prince Regent, later George IV, separated privately from Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales, later Queen Caroline, within a year of their marriage in 1795. They remained separated until her death in 1821, but the mockery of their marriage resisted the public efforts to dissolve it. Barred from the Regent's court, Caroline travelled through Europe with a small court of her own. At her divorce trial, the dignity and honour of the British Crown was in shreds and Britain on the brink of revolution. Queen Caroline's story is one of a fight by an individual to see justice done to her in the face of a powerful authority. "