Ian Brown once of acclaimed indie band the Stone Roses, has become a successful solo artist and self-proclaimed ‘King Monkey’. This biography by Michael O’Connell traces Brown’s life from growing up on the outskirts of Manchester to his current highly successful solo career, with a big chunk of ‘Madchester’ thrown in.

Concentrating on the Stone Roses era, O’Connell seeks to place Ian Brown as the most significant member of the band, citing the huge success of his solo work as the yardstick (only Mani has gone on to achieve a credible music career with Primal Scream – John Squire’s Seahorses floundered in early 1999 after only one album and Reni disappeared from the scene after leaving the band in 1995). Squire’s drug taking was a constant cause of upset within the group, Brown being adamantly against Class A narcotics.  Squire left on 1 April 1996, describing his departure as “the inevitable conclusion to the gradual social and musical separation we have undergone in the past few years”.

In 1998, Ian was sentenced to four months imprisonment for an air-rage incident while flying back from Paris. His time in Strangeways is fully documented here and there are some shocking tales of violence. Brown was looked after inside; the Governor ordering him to “get writing”, but the episode clearly affected him and this is reflected in his subsequent album, ‘Golden Greats’.

The book chronicles the life of Ian Brown so far, complete with pictures. The break-up of the Stone Roses after only two albums was a crime – for many reasons, the band were destined to split and the contractual and legal fiasco certainly didn’t help matters. The fact that Brown has gone on to have a thriving solo career shows that his musical influence is loved by the masses, with or without the Roses. Long live King Monkey.

Andre Agassi is easily one of the most talented and colourful players ever to take to the tennis court, and in his autobiography, he reveals the real story of how he rose to the top after being a child prodigy.

As many tennis fans will know Agassi’s story is not without its darker moments, and he spent many of his formative years disparaging the sport that would make him a worldwide celebrity. Forced into the game from an incredibly early age, he had a very turbulent childhood, turning professional by the time he reached sixteen.

The player’s style in the late 80s and early 90s served to revolutionise the sport and in “Open”, Agassi reveals what was going on behind the scenes at the height of his career. Of course, the celebrity focus on Agassi would eventually get too much for him and after failed relationships with Brooke Shields and, briefly, Barbara Streisand, he finally found true love with fellow tennis star Steffi Graf.

This is certainly a life story that is worthy of an autobiography and to date, Agassi has won wide acclaim for his candid storytelling and sharp writing style. It is a rare occasion when an autobiography of a sports personality shows good writing ability, but here Agassi has told his amazing life story with an exceptionally taut and well written delivery. This book will not be just for fans of Agassi or the sport of tennis in general, but has enough gravitas to appeal to a wider audience.

Bolton performer, actor and writer Peter Kay is easily one of the most successful comedians of the last 10 years. Not only does he have a huge following across the country, but he can also claim four British Comedy Awards and three awards from the Royal Television Society to his name. His TV shows, such as the BAFTA-winning “Phoenix Nights” and “Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere”, have been huge hits.

In the book world, Kay is also no stranger to success. “Saturday Night Peter” is the follow-up to his well received autobiography “The Sound of Laughter”, and picks up from when he began his first foray into touring the comedy circuit. Here Kay describes not only the shows and venues he visited throughout the tour, but also the low-budget accommodation, long car journeys, and the exposure to characters that would be the inspiration for his material.

Of course, “Saturday Night Peter” will be high on the list for any fans of the Bolton comedic genius and is packed full of his sharp-witted and unique observational humour. Some critics have suggest that the story of his rise to fame seems a little bit too easy compared to most comedians, but the fact of the matter is that Kay was always a good, natural stand-up comic. Many of the book’s subjects, such as the weird and wonderful tribute acts he met on the road, were the original source material for “Phoenix Nights”, and it is a great insight to see how Kay draws his inspiration.

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have become one of the most successful TV duos in the history of UK broadcasting. Their autobiography titled “Ooh! What a Lovely Pair: Our Story” – released by famous celebrity publisher Michael Joseph – is one of the biggest selling autobiographies of recent times, and has charted at an incredible 15th place on Amazon’s UK website.

Many TV-viewing members of the public will be familiar with the loose outline of their story – beginning their television careers on the northern-based drama “Byker Grove” before becoming the darlings of Saturday morning television, prime-time presenters on ITV and also hosting countless award ceremonies. The wide variety of shows and exciting locations the pair has found themselves in makes for plenty of humorous anecdotes and a real entertaining read.

But some people will obviously want to find out about their off-screen relationship, and it’s true that they didn’t always see eye to eye.  During the early days of “Byker Grove” the two were by no means the best of friends but soon developed an inseparable bond, as well as an extremely complimentary working relationship that has been the key to their success.

McPartlin and Donnelly, naturally, also shared the writing duties for “Ooh! What a Lovely Pair” and come across as just as charming and humorous in print as they do on television. Many non-fans can also enjoy this book for its comedic value, and admirers will of course be given all the stories of the behind-the-scenes antics of Britain’s most-loved TV pairing.

Considering that he has built a second successful career out of being barely intelligible, “I am Ozzy” is a well-written account about Ozzy Osbourne’s life so far. The book covers his life from his days growing up in Birmingham to his rise to fame as the lead singer with the 70’s hard-rock/metal group Black Sabbath to – almost 30 years later – becoming one of the biggest stars of reality TV across the globe, with the MTV show “The Osbournes”.

Osbourne’s career has been almost a cliché for rock & roll autobiographies: from his humble beginnings sharing one room with his whole family to changing the face of music with his fellow members of Black Sabbath, Ozzy was making the headlines as one of the most out-of-control rock stars in the history of music. Decapitating bats and birds with his teeth and a lengthy spell as a drug addict, his rise to the top was soon to be met with a hard fall to the ground.

In this book, Osbourne is able to speak about all the famous moments that changed his life, but also shares some behind-the-scenes stories that were to be every bit as significant. This autobiography not only gives a reliable and insightful view into the life of the star, but with such an incredible story to tell, will make for real entertaining reading. Fans of his music and fans of his ‘reality’ TV persona will both enjoy his humorous and candid writing style and you can rest assured that he will leave no stone in his life unturned.

“It’s Not What You Think” is an autobiography by television host and Radio 1 DJ Chris Evans. His life story is certainly one that makes the perfect plot for a great read: Growing up in a council estate in Warrington, at age 13 he was forced to go to work after the tragic death of his father. He then had a total of 20 different jobs before leaving school and embarking on his presenting career.

Many will know of Evans’ meteoric rise through the 90’s – from his humble beginnings on Manchester Piccadilly Radio to being the host of the immensely popular TV shows “The Big Breakfast”, “Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush” and “TFI Friday”. He then went on to be the biggest radio personality at the BBC, with a staggering average of seven million listeners tuning in for each broadcast.

But a good autobiography will always need a point of tension and this comes at the point when his career becomes affected by the hedonistic lifestyle that he was indulging in, as well as his string of ill-fated relationships. Evans soon found himself out of a job and out of favour with the British public.

Considering his reputation as a loudmouth figure, Chris Evans has used this book to show his real and more down-to-earth side. Every episode of his life so far is described in a frank and honest fashion that indicates little of the showman side to his personality. As much as this book is one for his fans, it can still be enjoyed by others.