The to-read pile gains:
Ngaio Marsh : her life in crime, by Joanne Drayton. The life of one of my favourite mystery authors ... a New Zealand-born contemporary of Agatha Christie and , IMO, far more skilled at whodunnits and at character development.
Flora mirabilis : how plants have shaped world knowledge, health, wealth, and beauty : an illustrated time line, by Catherine Herbert Howell. This is just plain purty, crammed as it is with botanical illustrations through history ... and the text looks fascinating too.
Halfway to Hollywood : diaries 1980-1988, by Michael Palin. Palin's first diary compilation was a fun read, so it's a good bet that this second volume will be the same.