Beacom, Brian. The real Mrs. Brown: the Brendan O'Carroll story. 2014.
Brendan O'Carroll performs to tens of thousands of people a night in stadiums across the country. But he has had to battle hard for success. This is the magical story of how a loveable Irishman with a wig and a wit as caustic as acid surprised everyone by becoming one of the best -loved comedians in the world.
3v.
Grylls, Bear. Facing up: a remarkable journey to the summit of Mt Everest. 2001.
At the age of twenty-three, Bear Grylls became one of the youngest Britons to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Only two years after breaking his back in a freefall parachuting accident, Bear Grylls overcame severe weather, fatigue, dehydration and a last-minute illness to stand on top of the world's highest mountain.
3v.
Lewis, Matt, Last man off: a true story of disaster and survival on the Antarctic seas. 2014.
Antarctica, June 1998. Twenty-three-year-old Matt has just started his dream job. An observer aboard a deep sea fishing boat, he is amazed by glistening icebergs and killer whales. As the crew haul in their lines for the day, the waves seem bigger than usual. A storm is brewing. What follows is a story of human courage, folly and tragedy.
3v.
Mackenzie, Tom H. The last foundling. 2014.
A deeply moving memoir from one of the last children to be taken in by the Foundling Hospital, London. It stands as a testament to the love that ultimately led a family back together.
3v.
Macintyre, Ben. A spy among friends: Kim Philby and the great betrayal. 2014.
Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians. Newly released MI5 files and previously unseen family papers unlocks what is perhaps the last great secret of the Cold War.
5v.
Martin, Guy. Guy Martin: my autobiography. 2014.
In his own words, this is Guy Martin's full story - from the boy who learned to prep bikes with his dad, to the spirited team mechanic, paying his way by collecting glasses, to the young racer at the start of his first race and the buzz he's been chasing ever since.
3v.
Nolan, Coleen. No regrets. 2014.
Coleen's life since her first memoir has been splashed across the tabloids – her sensational departure from 'Loose Women', the difficulties in her marriage, the feud between the Nolan sisters, and the tragic death of her sister Bernie. Coleen reveals the truth behind the headlines, sharing her fears and hopes for the future.
3v.
Northup, Solomon. 12 years a slave: a true story. 2014.
Born a free man in New York State in 1808, Solomon Northup was kidnapped in Washington, DC in 1841. He spent the next 12 years as a slave on a Louisiana plantation, during this time he was frequently abused and often afraid for his life. Northup's account also provides meticulous first-hand recordings of slave life.
3v.
Short, Philip. Mitterrand: a study in ambiguity. 2013.
Francois Mitterrand was a man of exceptional gifts and flaws who, during his 14 years as President, strove to drag his tradition-bound and change-averse country into modern world. As a statesman and a human being, he was the incarnation of the mercurial, contrarian France which Britain and America find so frustrating.
10v.
Venables, Terry. Born to manage: the autobiography. 2014.
After a playing career that spanned more than 15 years, and took in golden spells in the sixties with Chelsea and Spurs, it was inevitable that Terry Venables would move into management. Venables is widely viewed as one of football's great tacticians and is the most successful English manager of recent years.
4v.
Yousafzai, Malala. I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban. 2013.
'I am Malala' tells the inspiring story of a schoolgirl who was determined not to be intimidated by extremists, and faced the Taliban with immense courage. Malala speaks of her continuing campaign for every girl's right to an education, shining a light into the lives of those children who cannot attend school.
3v.
Health
Marsh, Henry. Do no harm: stories of life, death and brain surgery. 2014.
In this powerful, gripping and brutally honest account, one of the country's top neurosurgeons reveals what it is to play god in the face of the life-and-death situations he encounters daily. Henry Marsh gives a rare insight into the intense drama of the operating theatre, the chaos and confusion of a modern hospital.
3v.
History
Rodriguez, Deborah. The Kabul Beauty School: the art of friendship and freedom. 2014.
Deborah Rodriguez arrived in Afghanistan in 2002 and opened the first beauty salon in Kabul that actually trained local women to become beauticians. All of these women have a story to tell, and all of them bring their stories to the Kabul Beauty School, a place of perms, friendship and freedom.
3v.
Worth, Jennifer. Farewell to the East End. 2009.
This final book in Jennifer Worth's memories of her time as a midwife in London's East end brings her story full circle. As always there are heartbreaking stories such as the family devastated by tuberculosis and a ship's woman who 'serviced' the entire crew, as well as plenty of humour and warmth.
4v.
Paranormal
Sartori, Penny. The wisdom of near-death experiences: how understanding NDE's can help us live more fully. 2014.
The results of Dr Sartori’s hospital research and that of others could not find a physiological or psychological explanation for these experiences and they can no longer be ignored or explained away. The crucial point of this book is that NDEs occur and have very real, often dramatic, life-changing after effects.
