Life Is What You Make It

The bond that is forged in an ice skating rink and made stronger over many tea and coffee breaks at work eventually turns crazy when love sneaks in. Meera, a carefree and successful fashion blogger, falls in love with her khadoos best friend, Ishaan. Walking together, falling together, getting up together - somewhere they find their destination, only to realise that the journey itself was far better. 

Is it possible to tell if it is love or lust? How important is sex in a relationship? Why do break-ups hurt so much? How often should you message a person you fancy? How do you tell if someone is too young or too old for you? When it comes to relationships, these are the questions that most of us ponder. No matter how young or old we are, we are all looking for ways to make our relationships better. The best way to do that is to understand what makes us behave the way we do.

Five reasons why Hary, Ryan and Alok's lives are a complete mess: 1. They've messed up their grades big time. 2. Alok and Ryan can't stop bickering with each other. 3. Hary is smitten with Neha, who happens to be his professor's daughter. 4. As students of IIT, they're expected to conquer the world - something they know isn't likely to happen. 5. They only have each other.

A new job beckons Shanaya to Bangalore. Her bags are packed, and she is all set for the new life. But she wants to pamper herself and enjoy, coz it’s her last day in Delhi, where she has spent some really good times. She is out exploring when she bumps into a stranger; he sweeps her off her feet with his magnetic charm, way with words and a well-chiseled body. What’s the harm of having a good time, she wonders! After all, she’d be gone the next day - no strings attached. While she gets adventurous, she barely knows what life is planning to throw at her.

When Deb, an author and publisher, survives the bomb blasts at Chandni Chowk, he knows his life is nothing short of a miracle. But even as he recovers, his feet take him to where the blasts took place. From the burnt remains, he discovers a diary. It seems to belong to a dead man who was deeply in love with a girl. As he reads the heartbreaking narrative, he knows this story must never be left incomplete. Thus begins Deb’s journey with his girlfriend, Avantika, and his best friend, Shrey, to hand over the diary to the man’s beloved.

Everyone has a story. Pull up a chair in Kafe Kabir and listen to four people explore friendship and love, writing their own pages of life from the cosy café to the ends of the world.

It feels like I'm on autopilot; I have no control over anything. The pain of losing you is so crippling that I can barely hold pieces of myself together. The slightest nudge could break me. But somehow, my possessed brain knows what I need. It's telling me to stick to my choice, to stay away from you, to open a Word document and bleed on paper, try to throw up all my jumbled thoughts in form of words, collect all disconnected facts, try to make sense of it all.

Hi, I'm Keshav, and my life is screwed. I hate my job and my girlfriend left me. Ah, the beautiful Zara. Zara is from Kashmir. She is a Muslim. And did I tell you my family is a bit, well, traditional? Anyway, leave that. Zara and I broke up four years ago. She moved on. I didn't. I drank every night to forget her, I called, I messaged, and stalked her on social media. She just ignored me. However, that night, on the eve of her birthday, Zara messaged me. She called me over, like old times, to her hostel room 105.

Meet Aniket. Twenty-seven, techie, Mr. Average. His best friend is Subbu, a nerd who breathes, thinks and lives code. Aniket cannot believe his luck when he starts dating Trish - a stunning, sexy model who is totally out of his league. But Trish has a list of things she wants him to work on, beginning with his potbelly and his geekiness.

Do you ever get the feeling that girls have it less easy than boys? Have you been told to behave 'like a girl’? That you should learn to cook and be nice and keep your legs crossed? Well, here are the stories of 56 women who broke the rules to forge new paths for themselves and others. Adventurous and ambitious, they fought battles and legal cases. They won elections and matches. They climbed mountains and mastered science. Best of all, they never stopped chasing their dreams.

Mirza Mohammad Asadullah Khan Ghalib began writing poetry in Persian at the age of nine and the pre-eminent poet of the time, Mir, predicted a great future for the precocious genius when he was shown his verse. But success and material rewards did not come to Ghalib easily, for the times were against him, and he did not suffer fools gladly even if they occupied positions of importance. 

In her number one NYT best sellers, Brené Brown taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. Leadership is not about titles, status and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognising the potential in people and ideas and developing that potential. This is a book for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead. 

Why be happy and how, and why not to worry if you think you are not. Why it is easy to be happy, and how you can miss happiness even if it stands before you. How a bird can fill you with joy and how a stranger’s smile can soothe you. Why happiness may not even be the word for what we really need.  

Karan Johar is synonymous with success, panache, quick wit, and outspokenness, which sometimes inadvertently creates controversy and makes headlines. KJo, as he is popularly called, has been a much-loved Bollywood film director, producer, actor, and discoverer of new talent. But who is the man behind the icon we all know? Honest, heart-warming and insightful, An Unsuitable Boy is both the story of the life of an exceptional filmmaker at the peak of his powers and of an equally extraordinary human being who shows you how to survive and succeed in life. 

So you love the spotlight and drama of Bollywood and want to make it your life. But what is the right time to become a professional actor? What sort of hindrances are you likely to face as you make your way through the film and television industry? Where will this road take you? And, most importantly, how do you make it happen? In Cracking the Code, Ayushmann Khurrana - actor, singer and television personality - tries to answer these questions and outlines a step-by-step guide to making it big in Tinseltown.