‘The Leopard in My House’ by Mark Steel

Hardback, Ebury Press, £22

One morning, comedian Mark Steel noticed that one side of his neck seemed larger than the other.

After a whistlestop tour of medical professionals, a consultant delivered a cancer diagnosis.

‘I feel like there’s a leopard in my house, locked in a room. I’ve contacted the leopard authorities and they assure me they are used to dealing with leopards like this, and they have a plan for removing the leopard… once in a while I can hear it growl.’

A frank and funny diary, this is an unforgettable and uplifting story of getting ill, getting on with it, and getting better.

‘Looking After’ by Caroline Elton

Hardback, Hutchinson, £18.99

Meet Lionel, Caroline’s older brother.

Born in the 1940s, when little was known about autism, Lionel was considered a peculiarity.

By age four, doctors recommended that he be institutionalised. His mother refused and Lionel went onto music college and lived his life, supported by her.

He had perfect pitch, and a remarkable mathematical brain. But when Lionel’s mother dies, and shortly after he is diagnosed with cancer, his two sisters struggle to fill the void.

‘Looking After’ is a portrait of one autistic man's remarkable life, and of a family learning to care for each other, dealing with loss and staying together.