Alan Rickman remains one of the most beloved actors of all time across almost every genre, from his breakout role as Die Hard''s villainous Hans Gruber to his heart-wrenching run as Professor Severus Snape, and beyond. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate new audiences today. But Rickman''s artistry wasn''t confined to just his performances. Fans of memoirs at large will delight in the intimate experience of reading Rickman detailing the extraordinary and the ordinary in a way that is ''anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid''. He grants us access to his thoughts, not only on plays, films and the craft of acting, but also politics, friendships and life. The Rickman Diaries was written with the intention to be shared, and reading it is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close friend.

A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK After a car accident Jarred discovers he''ll never walk again. Confined to a ''giant roller-skate'', he finds himself with neither money nor job, a shoplifting habit, an addiction to painkillers and strangers treating him like he''s an idiot. Worse still, he''s forced to live back home with his estranged father. Trying to piece himself together, Jarred comes to realise that things don''t have to stay broken after all. The Coward is about hurt and forgiveness, how the world treats disabled people, and how we write and rewrite the stories we tell ourselves about our lives - and try to find a happy ending.

After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The only suvivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra with a broken leg, a female orang-utan - and a 450 -pound Royal Bengal tiger. The scene is set for one of the most extraodinary works of fiction in recent years.

A 2024 BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK FOR BBC R4 OPEN BOOK, THE OBSERVER, GQ, GRAZIA, HERO, I-D, NYLON A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey. Miranda July''s second novel confirms the brilliance of her unique approach to fiction. With July''s wry voice, perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman''s quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic and domestic life of a 45-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectations while excavating our beliefs about life lived as a woman. Once again, July hijacks the familiar and turns it into something new and thrillingly, profoundly alive.