book review of life is what you make it

Evolving Beings

Book review: life is what you make it — find your own path to fulfillment, by peter buffett (personal development & self-help).

Taking accountability for our lives is something that I always encourage each one of us to pursue in our life. To help us do this, I wish to share with you a book that was brought to my attention a few months ago. Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment , written by Peter Buffett is a resource that promises to inspire and motivate us into taking personal responsibility for our lives. I have to be honest that for me the title of the book alone is what hooked me to read and review it.

Life is what you make it….not what others or your circumstances make for you. Whether we come from an affluent or poverty-stricken background, this book is about motivating us to find our passion, gain our own self-respect and create a life that we are proud to call our own.

This book is different from most of the other books I read or share with you, in that it takes a lighter approach to sharing some guidance and wisdom from the author’s life. It is not based on sharing studies which prove or disprove something, it is not particularly spiritual in nature, and definitely not metaphysical. It is not your typical personal development book either. It is a book that is geared to help the average person in our world appreciate the power of personal choice, no matter how rich or poor their life situation is on any level.

About the Author & Book

Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment is written by Peter Buffett and was newly released May 2011. It is around 250 pages, but a smaller, light and smooth read. It is composed of an introduction, 12 chapters and an epilogue.

Peter is an award-winning musician—composer and producer. He has released numerous personal albums and his work in film includes the “Firedance” scene in Dances With Wolves . He is also a philanthropist and cochairman of the NoVo foundation — a foundation committed to foster a transformation in global society from a culture of domination and exploitation to collaboration and partnership, empowering women and girls as the primary agents of change.

To learn more about Peter and his work, visit: PeterBuffett.com

Book Content

Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment is a pleasant book to read. As eluded to in the introduction, the book is not necessarily any kind of self-help or personal development book, rather it is autobiographical in nature and best to be used as an inspirational and motivational resource. As Peter himself shares in the book’s introduction, his aim is not to be a “self-help guru”, but rather to share about his life, what he learned and discovered. Instead of giving us the answers, Peter invites us into contemplation and reflection on our own lives by asking many thought provoking questions, like:

Does each and every one of us have a life vocation?
Once we’ve found our vocation, what do we do with it?
At what point does parental help, become control?
At what point in our life do we give up more than we could possibly gain?
What do we mean when we talk about a “better” life?

Prevalent themes that Peter addresses in the book are to find your passion and live it, as well as exploring the balance between time and money; being and doing; hobby and work; patience and trust. The overall purpose, as Peter shares, for writing the book is to offer some help and guidance to others by exploring how values and identity shape our lives.

Our values guide our choices; our choices define who we are. Peter Buffett , Life Is What You Make It

Here is a general breakdown of the main topics covered in each chapter:

Chapter 1 – Normal is what you are used to

This chapter begins the journey through Peter’s life from his childhood. Here he addresses the core values he feels are integral to a good life and presents lots of wise parenting advice that shows what kind of an impact a good home foundation can have on one’s future outcomes.

Chapter 2 – No one deserves anything

This chapter explores the concept of deserving and the attitudes some people adopt, based on the family they are born into. Peter discusses entitlement versus gratitude and shares some more great parenting advice.

Chapter 3 – The myth of the level playing field

This chapter examines how both the “poor” and the “rich” have their own sets of challenges, and ones which at the root level are often very similar in how they impact human life.

Chapter 4 – The (mixed) blessing of choice

This chapter is specifically geared towards parents and brings to light the often hidden or unspoken parental expectations that have a negative influence on children. It also looks at the role of choice in life, as well as privilege versus deprivation.

Chapter 5 – The mystery of vocation

This chapter begins an investigation into the concept of vocations, where the ideas of being versus doing are also discussed.

Chapter 6 – Buying time

This chapter was excellent at bringing to light the value of taking time with one’s decision and choices, and acknowledging the real value of time itself.

Pausing to look into own’s own heart is never a waste of time; it’s an investment of time. Peter Buffett , Life Is What You Make It

Chapter 7 – Don’t just find your bliss—do your bliss

This chapter focuses more specifically on the concept of vocations, what they are, how to find them and how to put them into practical terms.

Chapter 8 – Portals of discovery

This chapter explores the topic of mistakes and how they are opportunities for us to learn.

Chapter 9 – Be careful what you wish for

This chapter brings awareness to the implications of making wishes without actually doing any preparation for the outcome of them coming true.

Chapter 10 – What we mean when we say “success”

This was my most favorite chapter in the book. In it Peter dispels the societal myths of what success is and inspires us with wisdom to define success for ourselves.

Chapter 11 – The perils of prosperity

This chapter explores the different facets of prosperity and how parental influence, especially from affluent families impacts the kids.

Chapter 12 – The gentle art of giving back

This chapter touches upon Peter’s involvement in philanthropic work, and fosters a message to each of us about giving back to the world, not just taking from it.

Life is what we make it. No one else can do it for us; no one has the right to tell us what it ought to be. Peter Buffett , Life Is What You Make It

Personal Commentary

When it comes to the author, Peter Buffett, many in our world may hold false perceptions and judgements about him by assuming that his life was neatly carved out for him with little, if any challenges, or need to make major life choices. After all, he is the son of one of the most successful investors in the world— Warren Buffett . What Peter shares through the writing of this book however, is a very pragmatic story that exposes the reader to a different side. His dad may be world known for being one of the richest people on the planet, but that is his dad, not him. Despite his circumstances, he still very much had to make a life for himself, and today is inspiring others to do the same.

What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it calls us to take personal accountability for our lives and to transcend our circumstances. Both of these themes are huge for me in my life and what I teach and help others with. As long as we think we are our circumstances, titles, parents, situations or bank accounts, we continue to suffer. It is only when we move beyond all those and realize they are not us, that we really begin to consciously create our own lives. Therefore in this sense, the book is definitely empowering. Peter reminds us that regardless of what socio-economic background we come from, or what external pressures we face, we can make our lives, our own.

The more we imagine we need, the more we complicate our lives. The more we think we need, the less free we are. Peter Buffett , Life Is What You Make It

It was an interesting read to get a perspective of Peter’s life, and his views about human nature, life and the world. In the majority of the discussions in the book, I got the feeling that I was able to relate to a lot of what Peter was sharing. In some areas however, I felt that we both came from different worlds, figuratively speaking. For example, Peter did a great job explaining how privileged does not mean having money and how we need to define our own success and to not settle for anyone else’s version. He was right on about how some parents cannot see past their own vanity in the control they want to exert on their children in terms of what life decisions they make (i.e. school they go to, career they should be in, etc.) To expand on this idea I will add that whether from “rich” or “poor” backgrounds, parents alike tend to get caught up in trying to control their children’s lives. Usually “rich” parents will enforce the view of “do what I did”, where as “poor” parents will enforce “don’t do what I did”. Becoming aware of these pitfalls can help parents understand why so many kids grow up resenting their parents, since instead of empowering guidance, they are given expectation-driven control.

Peter’s discussions on the value of time versus money were fantastic, as was his wise encouragement for each person to find their own passions. Where I felt our views differed a bit was that he appeared to look at life through the lens of randomness as to which circumstances people are born into, where as I come at it from the understanding that at any given moment (and lifetime) each person is exactly where they need to be for their personal spiritual evolution. Similarly, several concepts discussed like “worthy”, “mistake”, “fair”, or “luck” aren’t part of how I understand life. Either way, it is always great to expand our personal consciousness by seeing the world through the perspective of others.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the best audience for this book can really be anyone in our world that feels called to its message. However, the book can definitely help young adults and parents of young and teen kids most specifically. For young adults, it serves to empower them to make their own choices in creating their life, rather than be pressured to follow a certain path. For parents, it serves to bring awareness to what is most influential in a child’s life, the factors that will have the most impact on what choices the kids make and how to be of most help to one’s kids without too much interference.

The right choice isn’t necessarily the safe or comfortable or obvious choice. Peter Buffett , Life Is What You Make It

In conclusion, Life Is What You Make It can make a great motivational and inspirational book for those who want a straightforward discussion on navigating through the current landscape of our world. It invites us to take accountability and step onto a path of conscious life creation.

We are all incredible beings, each richly endowed with our own unique experiences and views of reality. Thus there are many ways to present how to go about making your life your own, and in this book Peter Buffett shares his.

To hear on this topic directly from the author, I invite you to watch the video interview with Peter Buffett on EBTV, where Peter shares about his personal life lessons and wisdom for us all.

Books by Peter Buffett

Evita ochel.

Evita Ochel is an educator, researcher, and writer in the areas of optimal human nutrition and physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing. She has degrees in science and education, is a certified holistic nutritionist, and a certified yoga and meditation teacher. Evita is also the author of Healing & Prevention Through Nutrition and the creator of several online publications that feature hundreds of articles, videos, classes, and courses. She works to empower individuals to consciously create their life, their state of health, and the world they wish to see. For more information, visit: www.evitaochel.com

Book Review: 'Life Is What You Make It' by Preeti Shenoy - A Story of Love, Hope and How Determination Can Overcome Even Destiny

Most of us go through life trying to get from one day to another without paying much attention to how we feel about things. It is highly unusual for a person to keep track of their emotions, but just as popular to repress them.

With more and more attention being paid to mental health, people have started to take their feelings into account. How you feel about someone can influence much more than you could have imagined!

Introduction

Book’s Name - Life Is What You Make It

Author’s Name - Preeti Shenoy

Genre - Fiction, Romance

Language - English

Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!

The book, set in 1980s Kerala, opens up in a mental hospital, where the novel's protagonist and narrator, Ankita Sharma, a 21 year old beautiful and smart young woman, has seemingly been brought against her will by her parents.

The story of how she ended up there starts with a flashback of her exchanging letters with Vaibhav, her childhood friend and also her love interest, studying in IIT Delhi.

Ankita has just entered St. Agnes College for Girls, where she is not only an excellent student who aces her exams and excels in her extracurricular activities, but she is also an all-rounder who is adored by everyone.

She is even quickly elected as the Arts Club Secretary, and she makes a lot of friends quite quickly. These thrilling days of her life tower above her affection for Vaibhav and Abhishek, a guy from another college, takes his place in her heart and eventually they start going out.

After three years, Ankita gets into the MBA college of her dreams in Bombay and everything fits in when her family also has to move to Bombay as a result of her father's promotion. Ankita breaks up with Abhishek and not being able to cope with the separation, he gets drunk and commits suicide.

While in Bombay, even though she looks her usual self, depression slowly eats away at her and subdued by it, she tries to commit suicide. She is then diagnosed with bipolar disorder and admitted in the mental hospital and the flashback ends.

The epilogue of the book states that she is able to recover from her depression and fifteen years later, she has earned six degrees and is happily married.

About the Author

Born on December 21, 1971, Preeti Shenoy is an Indian best-selling author and blogger. She has been described as "the only woman in the highest-selling league", "one of India’s most popular authors," and a "keenly observant mind".

She debuted in 2008 with a collection of real-life incidents called 34 Bubblegums and Candies . Life Is What You Make It was her second book that came out 3 years later. Since then, she has been able to publish an average of one book a year.

Since 2013, she has been consistently nominated for the Forbes List of India's 100 Most Influential Celebrities . Brands Academy awarded Preeti the Indian of the Year award. She has also won the New Delhi Management Institute's Business Excellence Award .

About the Book

According to the Nielsen list released in Hindustan Times, Life Is What You Make It was among the Top Books of 2011 . It was also included in the Times of India's list of all-time best sellers in 2011.

Out of all her works, Life Is What You Make It is considered her best. It is an incredible love story set in India during the 1990s. It is a story of 'love, hope and how determination can overcome even destiny'.

Psychological Analysis

The book attempts at spreading awareness about the frequently heard but little known disease of bipolar disorder , also known as manic depressive illness , that the protagonist, Ankita Sharma is suffering from. It is a severe psychological disorder that causes dramatic shifts in mood which are unlike the normal mood swings one experiences in everyday life.

It's called "bipolar" because its victims suffer from its two extremes or two "poles"- manic and depressive. When manic, they feel overly cheerful and energized and when depressed, a feeling of extreme gloom and worthlessness takes over them and they start thinking of death and suicide.

The aim of the book is to show readers how suppressing their emotions harms their mental health, how their careless attitude affects their loved ones, how, even if they're devastated, they can rebuild themselves with effort and resoluteness. It guides them on a path to accept their mistakes and move on with their lives.

Famous Quotes

““If I pretended to be "normal" and behaved just like everybody else, if I masked my emotions and smiled a lot, even if I felt disconsolate, nobody would be able to tell”

“We are what our thoughts have made us. So take care what you think. Thoughts live. They travel far.”

“Never belittle love”

“You have no right to kill others. Then how can you have a right to kill yourself?”

“I wrote and wrote and poured out my twenty one year old heart into those pages.”

“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

The Bottom Line

The story reminds us of the afflictions of our first love, its power to sway us and the influence love has over how we see the world and ourselves.

My Ratings for the book - 2.5 on 5

You can buy a copy from Amazon - Life Is What You Make It

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Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment

Written during a grinding recession, but hardly in the spirit of deprivation, Peter Buffett's Life Is What You Make It is a personal collection of life lessons from the son of one of the world's wealthiest and savviest investors.

Okay, I'll admit it. As I opened the book, a voice in my head whispered, "What makes Peter Buffett an expert on life?" With typical Midwestern modesty, Buffett has anticipated the question and answers it simply: nothing. He willingly admits he has no credentials that qualify him to be a life coach, a happiness guru, or an anthropologist. And he acknowledges that his advice is unsolicited. No matter. The purpose of the book, he writes, is to share with the world what he has come to believe are simple truths and rules for living.

He starts by setting the record straight with respect to his experience of great wealth. His father's astounding financial success, he tells us, was not a result of his dad pursuing money for the sake of money, but rather the direct outcome of his father's passion for hard work. It's an important distinction for Buffett (the son), and one that shaped his values and essentially optimistic outlook on life: trust that people are fundamentally good, be tolerant and keep an open mind, pursue education as a way to feed your curiosity, and maintain a joyful work ethic — not for the sake of financial reward but for the personal satisfaction that comes from a job well done.

Other than a few references to being an impressionable youth during the 1960s and the fact that the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show sparked his lifelong interest in music, Buffett's worldview seems to have been remarkably uninfluenced by the turmoil and dramatic events that have marked the last fifty years. His values, instead, are rooted in family, friends, and personal experience, which makes reading the book less like listening to a sermon and more like sitting down for a heart-to-heart with a good friend.

Indeed, the most important lesson Buffett has to share is this: No matter what circumstances we are born into, each of us has control over his or her life and we must exercise that control wisely. In Buffett's view, luck is a residue of hard work and personal choice, and it's up to each of us to make sure we are deserving of good fortune. I use the word deserving intentionally, as Buffett dedicates a chapter of the book to exploring the connotations of the word. Among other things, he argues that no one is deserving of anything except what they earn through their own actions. Indeed, for Buffett, the sense of entitlement that often attaches the word almost invariably leads to a purposeless and unfulfilling life.

Elsewhere in the book, Buffett uses the term "gift guilt" to describe the chief motivation behind many an affluent person's attitude toward philanthropy and charitable giving. Gift guilt is the gnawing recognition in a person who has attained a certain level of wealth and status that privilege isn't a level playing field. Buffett argues that in order to mitigate one's guilt, one must strive to level the playing field — not just by writing checks, but through philanthropic deeds committed in the spirit of the word's original meaning: the love of humankind.

In fact, love is Buffett's enduring touchstone. It's love that should matter most when giving back to the world, he argues, and that love can come from any number of sources. It can be the love one has for his or her vocation; the love one has for a particular cause; or the love shared by family members or passed down from generation to generation. Whatever the source, the philanthropic act itself should be personal, selfless, and universal in spirit.

Indeed, by the end of Buffett's little book, the careful reader will realize that the most important lesson to be derived from it is not that life is what you make it, but that you should strive to infuse every aspect of your life with love. Buffett is well aware that singing "All You Need Is Love" won't put a roof over anyone's head. Nor is he interested in teaching readers how to make good investments or how to build a nest egg. He just wants to help us understand that the pursuit of happiness has nothing to do with one's net worth. In our overly commercialized, debt-ridden society, it's a lesson we should all pay attention to.

Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment

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Book Review

Life is what you make it book review.

About the book

Book Title: Life is what you make it

Author: Preeti Shenoy

Genre: Biography

Rating: 3.8/5

Life is what you make it is a novel by Preeti Shenoy, who is an Indian author. She has been nominated for the “Forbes list” of the 100 most celebrities in India since 2003. She proudly received the Indian of the year award from the brand academy. Received the Business Excellence award presented by the New Delhi management institute. She has written in the genre fiction and non-fiction.

According to “Cosmopolitan”, she is one of India’s most popular authors. Adding onto her list of pride, she is the only woman in India’s highest-selling league.

About The Book

Life is what you make it is set in Kerala in the 1980s. the story revolves around protagonist Ankita who is in her 20s. Her past haunts her. The story begins with schooling in a town where she gets into a relationship with Abhi and Vaibhav. Ankita gets into B-school and starts working hard, becoming very competitive in nature.

At college, she gets close to other guys and starts gaining feelings for them, mean-while her parents come across her love letters from Abhi and Vaibhav. They decided to burn those letters in front of Ankita and gave her a last warning. This incident proves to become a life changer for her and due to this she gets very disturbed and gets affected by Bipolar disorder.

This story is the ultimate saga of How she handles the situation and with determination, she overcomes all the challenges to make her life the way she wants.

To all those who are shattered and do not know the way out from your problems do read this amazing novel. It will guide you and will motivate you. If Ankita can, you too can.

After reading As a Life is What you Make it book review you must be wanting to read other book reviews and do comment on your favorite part of the book:

Ishika Jain

I am a freelance Photographer and have experience in Event, Street and Product Photography from past 3 years. SMM is a field of expertise and I have experience of 2 years in the same. I am an enthusiastic being who is keen to learn and explore new things. Working hard to achieve my goals and dreams is what motivates me to step out of my comfort zone daily. I see myself in as an HR Manager of a prestigious organization in the next 5 years. With my passion and dedication, I can achieve my goals and can surely become a successful businesswoman.

Book Review: Life is What You Make it by Preeti Shenoy

One of Preeti Shenoy’s bestselling books, read the book review of Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy, a poignant tale of hardships, love, failures, a depression so deep that you just want to die, and a final victory of the “never-say-die” attitude. Also check out the summary, favourite quotes and Life is What You Make It sequel in this post below.

Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy Review:

if you have not made somebody’s day happier, if you’ve not appreciated something good that has happened to you and if you have not felt thankful to be alive, then you have wasted that day of your life on earth!” Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy Quotes

Life is small make the most of it” Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy Quotes

A splendidly written book that touches your soul and rips your heart out but leaves you more strong, more in tune with your blessings and a faith that you are capable of climbing out of any deep, dark abyss and capable of changing your destiny and finally your life! In the words of the author,

The book is not just about bipolar disorder. It is a story of courage, determination and growing up. It is about how life can take a totally different path from what is planned, and yet how one can make a success of it. It is a story of faith, belief and perseverance too and charting your own destiny.” Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy Quotes

But all this is only possible “If You believe” like Ankita did and ultimately made her life the way she wanted. She won against all the odds, hardships leaving behind those days of depression, suicide attempts, uncontrolled rage and the instability. I give Life is What You Make it by Preeti Shenoy well deserved shining 5 stars out of 5 and Njkinny recommends this book to everyone. Its a perspective changing and an inspiring tale that will leave you feeling more confident and more determined to make your life the way you want it ! Kudos to Preeti for writing such an unconventional book so beautifully.

‘The world is indeed a better place when there is love , friendship, acceptance and hope. Powered by these, you can indeed overcome anything, including destiny.’ Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy Quotes

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Book Review: Life Is What You Make It,by Preeti Shenoy

About The Author:

‘ Life is what you make it’ is a book written by an Indian author Preeti Shenoy. The Indian author received the Indian of the Year award by Brands Academy. She is the writer of the bestselling novel ’34 Bubblegums and Candies’ also.

This novel has a female main character. The leading role of the story is Ankita Sharma, who is a smart, sweet, attractive and ambitious girl born into a conservative middle-class family.

The story revolves around protagonist Ankita Sharma who is in her 20s. The story began with a series of conversation between Ankita and his childhood friend Vaibhav in Kerala in the 1980s. She makes friends with many girls in her college. She was diligent and also all-rounder of her college.

Meanwhile, in college cultural festivals events, she got cosy with another guy named Abhishek. She started liking him, and her attraction for Vaibhav began fading away.

Life Is What You Make It

She was in a dilemma but ended up getting in a relationship with Abhishek. After three years, Ankita manages to get into a premier management school for her MBA and dump Abhishek. Her parents find out about the secret letters written by Abhishek. Her parents gave Ankita warming and burned those letters in front of her.

Ankita, along with her family, moved from Cochin to Mumbai. In the story, twist arises when Abhishek dies. He was heartbroken and committed suicide. Ankita starts her MBA course. She starts working hard again and becomes very competitive at her college. Anyways she feels guilt towards Vaibhav and Abhishek.

She becomes too much excited about studying, painting, writing poems etc. but her excitement doesn’t last long. The story takes another turning point from here. Ankita now suffers from Bipolar disorder. The author perfectly describes her mental breakdown, depression and how she loses all her interest in life.

The motto of the novel is to spread awareness related to young people living as well as to enlighten people about the mental breakdown and its cure. On the other hand, if you are your thirties or forties, then it will remind you of your old days.

The story ends with the rebirth of Ankita into a person who celebrates every day for being alive.

Also See: Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird-Harper Lee

My thoughts on the book:

This book holds something which will change your thought process regarding life. ‘ Life is what you make it ’ gives a profound message regarding our experience. Whatever we choose, the decision we take and the choices we made in our life. It’s all depends on you whether to fight back for your survival or get carried away by the situation. It was an enjoyable novel.

Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird-Harper Lee

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Ankita Gupta is a young, dynamic, aspiring Entrepreneur and a writer too. Ankita is a travel enthusiast as she loves exploring new places , people and possibilities as well as new creative ideas and art work.. Motive in Life: To motivate people to achieve their goals and success.

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Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment Paperback – May 3 2011

Print length 272 pages
Language English
Publisher Crown
Publication date May 3 2011
Dimensions 13.03 x 1.63 x 19.05 cm
ISBN-10 9780307464729
ISBN-13 978-0307464729
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Product description

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0307464725
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown; unknown edition (May 3 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780307464729
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307464729
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 kg
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.03 x 1.63 x 19.05 cm
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About the author

Peter buffett.

Emmy Award-winning musician Peter Buffett has an acclaimed career that spans more than 30 years as a professional musician, composer, philanthropist and author. He began his career creating music for early MTV bumpers of the ‘80s, and the climactic crescendo in the memorable “Fire Dance” scene in 1990’s Oscar winning film Dances with Wolves. Buffett received critical acclaim for his Native American-inspired music, composing the full score for 500 Nations- the eight-hour Emmy-awarded CBS miniseries produced by Kevin Costner, and the musical production Spirit: The Seventh Fire. Peter has released more than 15 records to date on his own imprints as well as Narada, Epic and Hollywood Records. He has collaborated with Grammy-nominated recording artist Akon as well as Grammy-winning artist Angelique Kidjo on human rights inspired songs. Buffett’s inspiring New York Times Best-Selling book, Life Is What You Make It, was released in paperback in May of this year. To bring the message of the book alive, Buffett has crafted Life Is What You Make It: A Concert & Conversation with Peter Buffett, a live music event that incorporates multi-media and personal stories to give the audience an authentic, inspirational, and impactful evening.

For more information, please visit www.peterbuffett.com

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Life is What You Make It: A story of Love, Hope and how Determination can overcome even destiny | The inspirational book by Preeti Shenoy

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Life is What You Make It: A story of Love, Hope and how Determination can overcome even destiny | The inspirational book by Preeti Shenoy Paperback – 1 January 2011

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Book 1 of 2 Life Is What
Print length 224 pages
Language English
Publication date 1 January 2011
Dimensions 13.03 x 1.3 x 19.69 cm
ISBN-10 955209898X
ISBN-13 978-9552098987
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ASIN ‏ : ‎ 9380349300
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Srishti Publishers; 1st edition (1 January 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 955209898X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9552098987
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 180 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.03 x 1.3 x 19.69 cm
Net Quantity ‏ : ‎ 1.00 count
Generic Name ‏ : ‎ BOOKS
#113 in Indian Writing (Books)
#379 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)
#556 in Contemporary Romance (Books)

About the author

Preeti shenoy.

Preeti Shenoy, among the top five highest selling authors in India, is also on the Forbes longlist of the most influential celebrities in India.. Her work has been translated to many languages.She is India's most loved author, on life and relationships.

India Today has named her as being unique for being the only woman in the best-selling league. She has been awarded the ‘Indian of the Year’ award for 2017 by Brands Academy for her contribution to Literature. She has also received the Academia award for Business Excellence by the New Delhi Institute of Management. She has given talks in many premier educational institutions such as IITs and IIMs and corporate organisations like KPMG, Infosys and Accenture. She is also an artist specialising in portraiture and illustrated journalling.

Her short stories and poetry have been published in various magazines such as Conde Nast and Verve. She has been featured on BBC World, Cosmopolitan,The Hindu, Verve, Times of India and many more.

She has a very popular blog and also wrote a weekly column in The Financial Chronicle for many years. She has a massive online following. Her other interests are travel, photography and yoga. Her books include A Hundred Little Flames, It’s All In The Planets, Why We Love The Way We Do, The Secret Wish List, The One You Cannot Have and many others.

Website: www.preetishenoy.com

Twitter: @Preetishenoy

Blog: Blog.preetishenoy.com

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Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment Paperback – 3 May 2011

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Personal and revealing, instructive and intuitive, Life Is What You Make It is about transcending your circumstances, taking up the reins of your destiny, and living your life to the fullest.

Print length 272 pages
Language English
Publisher Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Publication date 3 May 2011
Dimensions 13.03 x 1.63 x 19.05 cm
ISBN-10 9780307464729
ISBN-13 978-0307464729
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"Peter Buffett has given us a wise and inspiring book that should be required reading for every young person seeking to find his or her place in the world, and for every family hoping to give its daughters and sons the best possible start in life." -President Bill Clinton "Knowing and admiring Peter as we do, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT captures his spirit, passion, and values beautifully. As parents, it's the kind of dialogue about our life's purpose and opportunity we're having with our children. We will have everyone in our family read and discuss LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT ." - Bill & Melinda Gates "With home-spun, heart-felt wisdom, Peter Buffett ponders how to make a meaningful life, while making a living. LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT is thought-provoking, worthwhile reading." - Ted Turner "LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT is the ultimate book of commonsense -- except it isn't common. Because Peter Buffett could have had a derived identity and chose not to, he has power and credibility when he tells us how to find a unique self by doing what we love. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't benefit from this spirited, wise, and friendly book." -Gloria Steinem "In his searching book, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, Peter Buffett challenges us all to balance ambition and service, personal goals and work for the common good. It is a book of value and honesty." - Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues

About the Author

Download a free collection of Peter's music at: www.peterbuffett.com/PBMusic Enter code: lifeiswhatyoumakeit

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0307464725
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown Publishing Group (NY) (3 May 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780307464729
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307464729
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.03 x 1.63 x 19.05 cm
5,530 in Musician Biographies
8,283 in Women's Biographies
16,956 in Practical & Motivational Self Help

About the author

Peter buffett.

For more information, please visit www.peterbuffett.com

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Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It

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Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It Paperback – October 27, 2020

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Print length 320 pages
Language English
Publication date October 27, 2020
Dimensions 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.38 inches
ISBN-10 1982113480
ISBN-13 978-1982113483
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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria Books (October 27, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982113480
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982113483
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
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Adam savage.

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This is a blocky collage illustration in shades of orange, green, blue and white that depicts two baseball players and a baseball.

If You Read One Romance This Spring, Make It This One

Our romance columnist recommends three terrific new books, but the one she loves most is Cat Sebastian’s “You Should Be So Lucky.”

Credit... Michela Buttignol

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By Olivia Waite

Olivia Waite is the Book Review’s romance fiction columnist. She writes queer historical romance, fantasy and critical essays on the genre’s history and future.

April 24, 2024

Spring! There’s no better time of year for a baseball romance. We’ll wind up the column with a much-anticipated book by Cat Sebastian, but we lead off with KT Hoffman’s endearing and tender new novel, THE PROSPECTS (Dial, 346 pp., paperback, $18) .

The minor-league baseball player Gene Ionescu is almost living his best life. He’s a professional ballplayer, even if it’s for a minor-league team. He’s transitioned and is generally accepted as the guy he is, even if a trans man still doesn’t have quite the same locker room experience as a cis man. In this liminal space, he makes a finicky distinction between hope — which he exercises as dutifully as a muscle — and actual wanting, which would inevitably lead to disappointment because hasn’t it always?

The cover of “The Prospects” is an illustration of two baseball players colliding during a play.

Enter Luis Estrada, Gene’s former college teammate.

Luis, the son of a major-league star, was drafted before graduation. Now he steals Gene’s place at shortstop and upsets his balance — at least, until they’re forced to room together on a road trip and discover that making out turns their physical chemistry from something destructive into something electric. But dating a teammate is a terrible idea — especially when you’re certain the teammate is going to be called up and will leave you behind.

Except that isn’t quite how it goes. We’re right there with Gene as he struggles with going from almost enough to more than plenty, as he stops letting life happen to him and learns to actually reach for something. Because what if true happiness is right there, and it’s even sweeter than you dreamed?

The difference between wishing for good things and working toward them is precisely where Lily Chu’s THE TAKEDOWN (Sourcebooks Casablanca, 384 pp., $16.99) finds its footing. The diversity consultant Dee Kwan clings to positive thinking through layoffs, microaggressions and familial health challenges. All the while, her mother insists that a positive attitude is more important than any minor speed bump like your parents and grandmother moving in with you or a house that now smells constantly of medicinal weed. Her one true comfort is the online puzzle game where she’s usually first in the rankings.

Then Dee lands a new job, only to find her nearest gaming rival, Teddy, there. Even worse, he’s the son of the C.E.O. whose toxic corporate culture she’s being paid to improve.

Dee fixes upon improving Teddy’s dad’s company as a stand-in for fixing the world (and her own life). Teddy, on the other hand, has detached himself emotionally from his job, bruised by past disappointments. Chu’s couple find their solution in making small but significant changes to what’s immediate and reachable — relationships both romantic and otherwise. What they learn is that effort and hope have to work together: One without the other is never enough.

But sometimes there is no hope. Illness worsens, accidents strike, you lose people you love. It’s inevitable, as Cat Sebastian’s blunt, beautiful midcentury historical makes clear: “Unless a couple has the good fortune to get hit by the same freight train, their story ends in exactly one way.”

At the start of YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY (Avon, 382 pp., paperback, $18.99) , the journalist Mark Bailey is only 16 months out from the death of his partner. He’s coasting. It’s only when he’s assigned to write about a flailing baseball player on the sad-sack New York Robins that he finds something to connect to: “What’s happening to Eddie O’Leary is an end . That’s something Mark knows about; that’s something Mark can write about.”

Eddie, “a wad of bad ideas rolled into the approximate shape and size of a professional baseball player,” doesn’t know why he is suddenly terrible at a game he loves. He’s lonely and new to the city and shunned by the teammates he bad-mouthed to the press. He’s grateful for Mark’s attention even though he knows it’s an assignment, and he’s quick to notice all the little kind impulses Mark would die rather than admit to. Their romance is like watching a Labrador puppy fall in love with a pampered Persian cat, all eager impulse on one side and arch contrariness on the other.

People think the ending is what defines a romance, and it does, but that’s not what a romance is for. The end is where you stop, but the journey is why you go. Whether we’re talking about love, baseball or life itself, Sebastian’s book bluntly scorns measuring success merely by end results: “The crowd is hopeful, but it isn’t the kind of hope that comes with a fighting chance. It’s a hope that doesn’t need success to validate it. It’s something like affection, maybe with a bit of loyalty mixed in.”

Hoping, loving are things you do for their own sake, to mark being a human among other humans. Or as Eddie puts it: “Sometimes you want to look at a guy and say: Well, he’s f——-, but he’s trying.”

I can think of no better summary of why we do any art. If you read one romance this spring, make it this one.

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Death doula says life is more meaningful if you 'get real' about the end

Tonya Mosley

In Alua Arthur's 2023 TED Talk , she said her ideal death would happen at sunset. Yeofi Andoh/HarperCollins hide caption

In Alua Arthur's 2023 TED Talk , she said her ideal death would happen at sunset.

As a death doula, Alua Arthur helps people to plan for the end of life and, when the time comes, to let go. She says that while we're conditioned to fear death, thinking and talking about it is instrumental to creating meaningful lives.

"When I'm thinking about my death, I'm thinking about my life very clearly: ... What I value, who I care about, how I'm spending my time," Arthur says. "And all these things allow us to reach the end of our lives gracefully, so that we can die without the fear and the concerns and the worries that many people carry."

Before becoming a death doula, Arthur worked as attorney — a job she hated. Unhappy and depressed, she took a trip to Cuba where she met a fellow traveler who had terminal uterine cancer. Talking to the woman about death, Arthur realized she needed to make a change.

TED Radio Hour

Death is inevitable—why don't we talk about it more.

"Up until then, I was just kind of waiting for my life to write itself without taking any action to make it so," she says. "Thinking about my mortality, about my death, really created action."

Arthur went on to found Going with Grace , an organization that supports people as they plan for the end of their lives. She says a big part of her work is helping people deal with regret as they reconcile the lives they lived with the lives they might have wanted.

After 18 years living with cancer, a poet offers 'Fifty Entries Against Despair'

"When folks are grappling with the choices that they've made, my role is to be there with them," she says. "Sometimes the greatest gift that we can offer is grace. ... Part of the reason why I named the business 'Going with Grace' is because of the grace that needs to be present at the end of life, for people to be able to let go of it."

Arthur's new book is Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End .

Interview highlights

On the death of her brother in law, Peter, in 2013

It was the first time I was really faced with this reality that the people that we love might not be here for much longer. It felt really isolating. I knew intellectually that there were a lot of other people that were ill and getting close to ... the end of their lives, but it felt like we were the only ones that felt like we were on this little cancer planet by ourselves, where somebody we loved will soon be dying. And there wasn't some one person that I could turn to to say, "Help! Just help. I'm lost here," or "Today's really hard," or "How do we navigate this?" Or "What do we do with all these medications?" "Where can we find smaller sized hospital gowns that will arrive, like in the next days?" (Because he was losing weight so rapidly) We just needed some help and I mean, practically, but also just somebody to be there to listen, to rely upon, somebody that I could lean on as other people were leaning on me. ...

Many people have already served as death doulas for somebody in their family, and most of us will at some point. Which is why I think it's so important that we all have a functional death literacy, because we live in community. We die in community. At some point, a member of that community is going to need the support. So many of us are going to do it and already have. That's how I learned how to do it is through Peter. I took courses afterwards, but that was the initial spark, the initial practical application of the work itself.

On facing grief

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A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief.

The thing about grief is whether or not you want to face it, it's going to find its way through. Either we don't acknowledge it emotionally, and it manifests itself in work, or our relationships, or addiction or some other traumatic event, or it shows up in our bodies as illness. But grief is present. Grief lives in the body and it must be accessed at some point. It will force its way. I think that since we push so many of our sad or difficult emotions away, we don't allow space for grief because it is difficult. But I don't yet know anybody who has died from grieving. It's hard, and yet there is always another day, provided we choose the next day.

On the importance of talking to your medical proxy

Health Care

After years in conflict zones, a war reporter reckons with a deadly cancer diagnosis.

The first thing I encourage people to do is to think about the person who will make the decisions for them in the event that they can't. That is a health care proxy or a medical power of attorney, or just somebody whose job it is to make your decisions. Somebody who would make decisions the way that you would. Not the way that they would, not the things that they want for you, but rather what you would want for yourself. And to begin communicating those desires to your health care proxy, because the communication of that desire is going to open up a beautiful, rich conversation about what you want with your life, how you want your life to eventually end, if that is the way that it's going, and then get you started on the path toward planning for it.

On how not talking about death openly leads to fear and anxiety

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Why not talk about death.

I think a lot of the old way of thinking is largely responsible for the death phobia that we currently experience in today's culture and society ... where we pretend it's not happening, where bodies are whisked away to funeral homes just moments after the death has occurred. We don't take time with the body. We don't take time to talk about death. We pretend it's not happening until it's too late. That death phobia has caused a real crisis, I think, in this country and in the West overall, where we are living out of relationship with nature and with our mortality, which is ultimately a detriment to us as a culture, but also to us as individuals.

On helping people who are at their worst

People are most human when they are dying. They are at their fullest. That means their best and their worst. I think as people are approaching the end, they are grieving as well. They are grieving their own death. They are grieving all the things that they're going to leave. I think we often forget that when somebody in our lives is dying, we are losing them, but they are losing everything and everyone and leaving the only place that they've known consciously. And so that brings about a lot of emotion, and some of it is anger and frustration. And sometimes disease causes personality changes. Sometimes there is some vitriol and sometimes it's just really not pretty. ... If we can be present for their experience, which often is rooted in fear, then I think it allows us to not take it so personally and to give them some grace for what it is that they are experiencing.

On advice for caregivers

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How do you live while your brother is dying 'suncoast' is a teen take on hospice.

Give yourself plenty of grace. You, I'm sure, are doing amazing because this is really, really hard. ... I wish somebody had said that to me at various points. ... Next, I'd also encourage that people try to take a minute to check in with their bodies and take care of their bodies' needs. Make sure that you're eating to the best that you can ... find pockets of rest where you can. To the extent that you can, speak your needs and let somebody else support you in it. If you have a need, no matter how small it might be, speak it and open the space for somebody to support you in it. And I'd also say reach out for some support if you can, not only to a friend ... but there are plenty of doulas that are willing to support their community members at a free or reduced cost, maybe even a sliding scale. Reach out. There are plenty of resources that are available, but most importantly, if you hear nothing else, please just give yourself some grace for the process. It's tough.

On advice for the moment you sit with a loved one during their death

What is hospice care? 6 myths about this end-of-life option

Do your best to stay present. Do your best to stay in your body. It can be so confronting that the desire, the urge to disassociate or to distract is huge. And yet, if there's somebody that you loved and cared for, if you could hold thoughts of love and care and honor and gratitude for their lives, that's a really beautiful way to be during that time. And also, as always, give yourself plenty of grace for however it is that you're approaching it. If there is somebody in the room that is having a bigger emotional reaction, ask for their consent before touching or interrupting it or being with it in any way. And not everybody who is crying wants the tears to stop, or needs a tissue to plug them up, or wants a hug. Maybe they want to stay present in their bodies without the imposition as well. ... It's utterly profound. Getting to witness the doorway to existence is a gift and a privilege and a huge honor. And so hopefully we can continue to treat it as such.

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Sam Briger and Thea Chaloner produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.

Doctors are pushing Hollywood for more realistic depictions of death and dying on TV

9 Best Photo Book Websites

Don't let your favorite photos go to waste — use these top-tested online services and turn them into keepsake albums.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Best Overall

Shutterfly photo books.

Walmart Photo Custom Photo Books

Most Aesthetic

Artifact uprising photo books.

Best for Themes

Mixbook photo books.

Best for Beginners

Printique photo books.

Best for Amazon Prime Members

Amazon prints.

Best for Young Kids

Pinhole press photo books.

Best for Google Photo Users

Google photo books.

Best for Families

Chatbooks custom photo books & albums.

Photo albums create a tangible and lasting archive of memories — ultimately proving to be more durable and accessible than the mess of digital files on your phone and computer. Plus, a custom photo book can be a thoughtful and unique gift for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, or other special events.

Online photo book services make it easy and quick to choose a theme or layout, upload photos and ship the book straight to the recipient. Best of all, some photo book makers even have apps so you can upload photos directly from your smartphone.

Shutterfly offers basic photo books at an affordable price. You can choose from a wide selection of themes, like birthday, travel or wedding, or neutral styles , such as modern or rustic. You can also create your own book and choose the book size, cover style and page style, then embellish it with Shutterfly's extensive library of stickers and ribbons to make your book extra special. We appreciate how easily users can edit within their chosen template and the brand's high-quality photo book paper, making Shutterfly a top pick.

You can also opt for one of its 6" x 6" Instant Books , which let you add photos from your phone, tablet or computer in minutes. These mini photo books have only 20 pages, but they're a great place to store goofy candids or Instagram posts you never want to forget. The possibilities are essentially limitless, though the vast array of options could be overwhelming for those getting started.

If you don't want the pressure of deciding on a layout, the brand offers a convenient Make My Book option, in which Shutterfly's professional designers curate your photos and design the book for free. Plus, you'll still have the opportunity to put finishing touches on it before it gets printed. Whether you opt for 50 or 800 photos (the maximum), you'll receive an email notification within 24 hours that your book is complete.

Crunched for time? Design your photo book online and pick up select styles at a Walmart store near you in as little as one hour. Photo books picked up in one hour can have 15 single-sided pages and a linen cover, while same-day pickups (ready in a few hours) can have up to 20 double-sided pages and the option of a hardcover.

On top of the speedy turnaround, Walmart has a great selection of styles : You can choose everything from the photo size and layout to the type of cover, including hardcover glossy or matte, linen, leather and lay-flat glossy or matte. If you need help narrowing down the choices, there's also the option to shop by occasion, whether you're looking for a one-year anniversary or 15th-year anniversary gift .

Despite the fast shipping and variety, our tester noted that the quality was not as high as the options offered by other photo book makers on this list — but that may be expected considering the bargain price tag. Regardless, these photo books still make a superb present that can cost under $10 without compromising on sentimentality.

No matter the occasion, you can't go wrong with one of Artifact Uprising's high-quality photo books. There are numerous design options, including preset books to celebrate the birth of a new baby or commemorating a marriage.

You can choose from lay-flat albums, books with photo strips and even softcover Instagram Friendly Books for the influencer in your life. The company even has an iPhone app that lets you create a photo book right from your smartphone. However, Rothman found the app to be glitchy at times and noted there's room for improvement with the software. Still, the books come out on top for elegance and simplicity .

One online reviewer wrote, "The fabric cover is beautiful. The photos are amazing quality and look amazing even though the photos were taken on film and therefore are a bit grainy." The overall 4.6-star rating (out of 5) backs up that review. Quality and elevated designs come with a higher price tag, but there are options for $20 or less if you're shopping on a budget.

If you have a special project and a little more money to spend, Artifact Uprising offers Design Services , which allow you to work one-on-one with an expert to bring your special moments to life. Just note that the design fee is rather steep at $119 and requires an additional $100 album deposit.

When Mixbook says it has "custom photo books for every occasion," it really means it. There are 374 different themed templates to choose from, including everything f rom travel and sports to weddings and recipes.

But that doesn't mean you have to give up creative control. You can still customize the look to your liking, from fun backgrounds to stickers to text using the Editor tool. Plus, there are plenty of paper varieties, from semigloss to ultra-thick matte.

Our testers appreciated the nice balance between good photo editing and price, but one did experience issues with the lay-flat option, in which the photos bled into the crease. You can also use the iPhone app to organize your photos with a tool that the brand calls "Automagic": Simply choose the images you want and select a theme. The goal of Automagic is to help arrange your camera roll so your photos are in order when it comes time to add them to your photo book.

If you're not sure where to start, our pros love Printique because it's super easy to use. You can select one of the many predesigned layouts or create an entire photo book from scratch.

Choose among portrait, landscape and square orientations, as well as hardcover and softcover options. You can even store your memories in a genuine leather or vegan leather book or pick from five different fabric colors. Although you can't choose the color for a hard- or softcover photo book, you can still customize the shape, size and paper type.

Looking for something more advanced? There'sa tool for professional photographers to design and create their own photo books. But if you want to keep things simple, consider starting with one of Printique's 4" x 4" Mini Softcover photo books , which have a maximum of 40 pages and come in three sizes.

Is Amazon Photos already your preferred destination for uploading photos? Then creating a photo book through its interface is an easy solution.

Similar to other photo book makers, you can create by occasion and size, or choose its 8" x 8" Premium Photo Book for a versatile option that has a laminated cover and lay-flat binding. There's also an option with standard binding at a lower cost, and all Amazon Prime members get free shipping . (Everyone else is eligible for free shipping with a minimum order of $15.)

In addition to photo books, you can shop large prints, calendars, cards and metal tabletops. There are fewer size and style options than most services when it comes to photo books, but the other photo product choices make up for the lack of available styles. After all, sometimes it's easier and quicker to have fewer options to choose from if you need to pull something together last-minute.

RELATED: 37 Best Personalized Gifts You Can Find on Amazon

With Pinhole Press, you can choose from various photo book styles ranging from board pages to softcovers to accordion-style setups. Upload your photos and let the system do the work, or manually place the photos into the layout yourself.

One of our testers says her kids love the Custom Board Books , which have themes such as " Count With Me ," " Healthy Habits " and " I Can Be Anything ." These photo books aren't just visually stimulating, but they can also educate and entertain kids for years to come .

"I got my daughter the ' My First Photo Book ' as a toddler and made it all about her — like pictures with family, doing things she likes, her favorite toys, at the playground and beach, etc. — and she still is obsessed with it," says GH Institute Executive Director Lexie Sachs .

We think he custom Photo Puzzle is a fun option for kids, and the Itty Bitty Books are easy to tote around in a work bag for on-hand entertainment. There's less variety in some categories, including Itty Bitty and hardcover books, but with so many additional photo categories other companies lack, there are still plenty of great options for kids.

RELATED: 12 Best Personalized Books for Kids

If you store your snaps in Google Photos, then Google's very own photo book maker might be the most convenient option for you. Even though there are no fancy designs, the process is seamless.

Choose from two options: a 7" x 7" softcover photo book or a 9" x 9" hardcover photo book. You can include between 20 and 140 pages, and you have the option to add a spine title if you hit more than 48 pages for a softcover or any number of pages for a hardcover.

Another hallmark of Google Photos is that you can make one photo book and order multiple copies to give to family members and friends who are also pictured in the photos. Since they come at an affordable price point, you could give everyone on your gift list a copy, whether you decide to create a collection of candid photos for your closest friends or a tangible memento of a fun family trip. Though there may not be as many designs and styles to choose from, that can make the customization process less daunting.

Chatbooks Custom Photo Books & Albums

"Set and forget it," one of our testers said about the ease of using Chatbooks, which markets itself as "ridiculously easy." You can upload images from Instagram, Flickr, Dropbox, Facebook or your computer and edit them on your desktop or via the app .

The service's Custom Photo Books & Albums option is great for families looking to personalize a family vacation , as you can choose colors, layouts, cover styles, collages, captions and more. Peruse its vast collection of more than 300 unique book covers, or shop the premium lay-flat and special occasion photo books.

You can also have fun with the Instagram and Facebook series — a 6" x 6" or 8" x 8" book with 60 pages — that lets you store your favorite social media posts in a tangible place to look back on for years to come.

Unique to Chatbooks is its subscription service, which allows you to receive a softcover, hardcover or mini photo book each month. If you and your family love taking photographs of walks in the park, weekend road trips or vacations, this service is ideal for getting your photos in your hands ASAP. One thing to note about the subscription option is that there are only two sizes available (5" x 7" and the monthly mini).

How we chose the best photo book makers

At the Good Housekeeping Institute , our pros in the Media & Tech Lab have been testing photo book makers for more than a decade . For this article, we referenced a robust test of photo book makers we completed in 2009 and ordered a round of new products to test in 2023. We also researched the latest updates and offerings to a variety of apps and services.

When choosing the best photo book makers, our Lab experts consider ease of use, performance and appearance . That means our pros take an in-depth look at a wide range of features, such as how easy it is to navigate the interface and add photos and text to the book; upload and delivery time; the number of styles, covers and templates offered; and the photo, paper and binding quality.

What to look for when shopping for the best custom photo book maker

Keep the following features in mind when choosing the right photo book maker website for your needs:

✔️ Size: Whether you're looking for a small photo book for kids or a much larger album to house snapshots from a long family vacation, there are regular, large and miniature photo book sizes available. It's best to think about how many photos you want to include and where you plan to store the album (i.e., will the book be too tall for your bookshelf or just right on top of your coffee table?).

✔️ Shape: Most photo books are rectangular or square in shape, but some companies also offer photo puzzles, calendars and tabletops to choose from too. The shape is really about aesthetic preference and the orientation you prefer for your photos.

✔️ Page count: Are you compiling 20 photos from your daughter's first-birthday party? Or are you putting together an anniversary album of pictures of you and your partner throughout the years? The number of pages determines the number of photos you can include in an album, so you have enough space to include everything.

✔️ Paper quality: This is probably a no-brainer, as the quality of material your photos are printed on is as important as the quality of the photos themselves. Although companies with higher-quality paper, like Artifact Uprising , may have a higher price tag, the extra money goes toward paper that won't lead to photos bleeding into the crease. But there are still services that are affordable and offer good-quality products, like our best value pick, Walmart Photo .

✔️ Binding quality: Some companies, like Google Photo , will add a binding to your photo album. This feature is especially important when considering the durability and longevity of your photo album. Whether it's a softcover, hardcover or lay-flat book, make sure the binding can withstand accidental drops and the wear and tear of passing the family album around at holiday parties.

✔️ Templates: If your photo album will have a certain theme or be centered around a specific occasion — or it's your first time using a photo book maker — choosing a service that has a variety of templates to choose from will let your creativity flow and also help you warm up to the design process.

✔️ Editing capabilities: When looking at beginner-level or more advanced designer tools, consider how robust or simple they are to use. Having lots of control over the interface is fun, but if you're looking for a more straightforward experience, opt for a service that does the majority of the decision-making for you or offers designer help, like Shutterfly .

What is the easiest way to make a custom photo book?

It really depends upon the service and your preference .

Although some online custom photo book makers also have an app, it can have limited functionality, be buggy or not as easy to use as the desktop equivalent. Often, an app makes it super simple to upload pictures from your phone (a major plus!) but doesn't allow as much flexibility for product assortment or editing once you've selected. That said, designing a photo book on your smartphone or tablet versus a desktop may come down to how many edits you intend to make .

If you plan to do a lot of editing, the non-app version on a larger screen would likely be your best choice. If you want to quickly make a book with limited changes, an app on your mobile device may be the way to go.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Elizabeth Berry is an updates editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute , where she ensures product reviews reflect accurate information. To update this guide, Elizabeth gathered notes from previous tests and researched the latest updates to our favorite services.

A previous version of this guide was written by Amina Lake Abdelrahman , a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant at the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020.

Elizabeth Berry is the editorial assistant for WomansDay.com, where she writes and edits lifestyle content. When she isn’t assisting with day-to-day editorial needs, Elizabeth is baking dairy-free cakes, reading books, or strolling through nature.

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Has Salman Rushdie changed after his stabbing? Well, he feels about 25, the author tells AP

Salman Rushdie’s “Knife” details the author’s recovery after being stabbed and left blind in his right eye. The AP’s Hillel Italie says the book shows that the 2022 attack “did not crush him. It didn’t take his spirit away.” (April 19) (AP production by Gary Gerard Hamilton)

Salman Rushdie poses for a portrait to promote his book “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder” on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

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NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly two years after the knife attack that nearly killed him, Salman Rushdie appears both changed and very much the same.

Interviewed this week at the Manhattan offices of his longtime publisher, Random House, he is thinner, paler, scarred and blind in his right eye. He speaks of “iron” in his soul and the struggle to write his next full-length work of fiction as he concentrates on promoting “Knife,” a memoir about his stabbing that he took on if only because he had no choice.

But he remains the engaging, articulate and uncensored champion of artistic freedom and the ingenious deviser of “Midnight’s Children” and other lauded works of fiction. He has been, and still is an optimist, helplessly so, he acknowledges. He also has the rare sense of confidence one can only attain through surviving one’s worst nightmare.

“In ‘Midnight’s Children’ I wrote about optimism as a disease. People get infected by it and I think I got a lifetime infection,” he says.

Salman Rushdie’s new memoir, “Knife,” is out now.

The book is his first since the 2022 stabbing that hospitalized Rushdie and left him blind in eye.
An AP reporter witnessed the attack at the Chautauqua Institution in New York.
Rushdie returned to public life last spring, attending the PEN America gala.
The trial for the man charged with stabbing Rushdie was delayed after a judge ruled he could seek the memoir’s manuscript and related materials.

Chronologically, he is nearly 77, the age his father was when he died, an age he sees a kind of milestone in his own quest to beat expectations.

Internally, he feels about 25.

A self-described nice child, one who did not see himself as destined to get in trouble, Rushdie has had a life well beyond even his own boundless dreams. The 1981 Booker Prize win for “Midnight’s Children” established him as a dynamic voice of post-colonial literature. Nearly a decade later, he would reach a terrifying level of fame with “The Satanic Verses,” and the call for his death issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Rushdie was driven into hiding. But by August 2022, he had thought himself safe enough to address a conference in western New York with minimal security: No one was on hand to stop a young assailant, Hadi Matar, from rushing the stage and stabbing him repeatedly. Matar, then 24, has been charged with attempted murder and assault.

Rushdie spoke to The Associated Press about why he wrote the explicit account of his attack, what he has learned about himself and what he might do next. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

AP: When you started working on “Knife,” were you frightened at all?

RUSHDIE: I was worried about retraumatization, that was the worry. And the first chapter, in which the actual attack is described in great detail — that was very goddamn hard to write.

AP: You just got right to the point.

RUSHDIE: Yeah. You know, don’t beat about the bush. Because the reason this book exists is because that happened.

AP: Writers talk a lot about they don’t know how they really felt about something ...

RUSHDIE: ... Until you write it down.

AP: And is that how it was for you?

RUSHDIE: Yeah. Also, I have a very good therapist and actually this is a book written also with the help of a therapist. I was talking to him every week, and discussing what I was doing. And he was helpful, actually. Very clear thinking and helped me clear my thinking. So that was something I had not done before.

AP: You’ve discovered that you’re tougher than you thought you were.

RUSHDIE: If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances.

AP: Was there that fear in the back of your mind? You might not be able to handle this?

RUSHDIE: I’m not good with fear. I’m not good with pain. You know, I’m just an ordinary guy hoping those things don’t happen, that you don’t have to deal with fear and pain.

AP: I remember you writing about how, after the fatwa, there was a period where fiction was a struggle. Where are you in that place now?

RUSHDIE: I don’t have the next novel. I hope I will, but the only fiction I’ve written since finishing this book is a kind of story. It’s a thing I don’t know quite what to do with. It’s a story that’s about 60 pages, 65 pages long. And I’m not sure whether to think it’s like a novella or whether I want to add to it and make it more, or that I want to cut it in half and make it a story.

AP: So much of “Knife” is about reclaiming your life. Is one measure of being all the way back “I’ve got the next novel”?

RUSHDIE: That will feel good. I’m always happiest when I have a book to write.

AP: I would imagine there are a hundred different ways to look at the attack and the damage. But one way is, has it intruded upon your imagination?

RUSHDIE: Well, it did. For six months after the attack, I couldn’t even think about writing. I wasn’t physically strong enough. And when I did sit down to write, initially, I didn’t want to write this book. I actually wanted to get back to fiction, and I tried and it just seemed stupid. I just thought, “Look, something very big happened to you.” And to pretend that it didn’t and just go on telling fairy tales would seem like — I would have felt like I was avoiding the subject.

AP: Something that strikes me in this book is when the moment comes, there’s a voice inside you saying, “Well, here it is.” Even as you had gotten back to pretty much a normal life.

RUSHDIE: I did think about it in the early years, obviously, when the danger level was very high. I did think about how somebody could come out of a crowd, and, I had had dreams about it before.

AP: Was there ever that fear that maybe this was just your fate?

RUSHDIE: No, I don’t believe in fate.

AP: What do you believe in?

RUSHDIE: Well, anti-fate.

AP: Coincidence?

RUSHDIE: Taking charge of your life is what I believe in.

Salman Rushdie in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

AP: One of the things I remember thinking when I first heard the news of the attacker was how young the attacker was. He wasn’t born when you wrote “Satanic Verses.”

RUSHDIE: No, not for 10 years or something.

AP: It’s as if you and that book are somehow fixed in the subconscious.

RUSHDIE: And it’s not even the book because nobody takes the trouble to read it. It’s just the name of that book associated with me, me demonized as a bad guy. But I don’t know this man, you know? I mean, I know the little bits that we have been told — that his mother said after he came back from visiting his father in Lebanon that he was very different, much more religion oriented, critical of her for not having taught him properly about religion. And then for four years, in a basement.

AP: It’s like you’re some kind of abstraction out there.

RUSHDIE: I don’t know why it became me that after all this very long time in the basement, playing computer games and watching videos. Why it became me that he fixated on.

AP: When you were growing up, did you imagine yourself as the type of person who would get in trouble?

RUSHDIE: Not at all. I was a very quiet kid. I was really well behaved. My sister, who’s one year younger than me, she was the naughty one. She would beat people up for me and I would get her out of trouble.

AP: You talk about you happy childhood, you’re a nice boy. But “Midnight’s Children,” so much of your work, you’re trying to get some kind of reaction.

RUSHDIE: You’re trying to write a big book, you know?

AP: And a book you probably knew might make somebody unhappy.

RUSHDIE: Oh, yeah, but who cares, you know?

AP: Where does that comes from?

Salman Rushdie poses in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

RUSHDIE: I had it as a child. I had the confidence of being loved and supported by my parents. And I’ve always been kind of academically excellent. So you grow up in that way. You give yourself permission to do things. Because you’ve been treated in that way. And also, of course, remember, I was 21 in 1968. I’m a child of the ‘60s.

AP: How changed, if at all, do you think you are compared to two years ago?

RUSHDIE: I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think. And I also think the thing that happens when you get really a close up look at death — that’s as close as you can get without actually doing the dance of death and heading off to nowhere — it stays with you.

AP: What does that mean?

RUSHDIE: It means there’s a shadow. It means the presence of the ending.

AP: How old do you feel? Internally.

RUSHDIE: (laughing) About 25.

AP: You do?

RUSHDIE: I think one of the great things about writing — you need a kind of youthfulness to do it, because it requires energy, imagination, dreaming. It’s a young man’s game. I’ve said somewhere that when you’re young and you’re writing, you have to fake wisdom. When you’re older and you’re writing, you have to fake energy.

AP: Can you fake energy?

RUSHDIE: Well, I’ve tried.

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ENTERTAINMENT ALERT: 'Hell's Kitchen' ties with 'Stereophonic' for a leading 13 Tony Award nominations each

WTOP Book Report: Reporter-turned-author Christina Estes unveils debut mystery novel ‘Off the Air’

Terik King | [email protected]

April 28, 2024, 5:36 AM

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This story was written as part of the WTOP Book Report series written by Terik King. Read more of that coverage .

Award-winning journalist Christina Estes steps into the realm of fiction with her debut mystery novel, “Off the Air” (Minotaur Books) , introducing readers to the tenacious Phoenix, Arizona-based TV reporter Jolene Garcia.

Garcia finds herself at the center of a media frenzy following the suspicious death of Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host at a local radio station. Having conducted Lemmon’s final interview, Garcia and her station initially possess a competitive edge.

However, the arrival of an onslaught of national media outlets escalates the stakes, plunging Garcia into a cutthroat investigation that could define her career, or perhaps, threaten her life.

“ It’s been 15 years (since) I said, ‘I’m gonna write a book,’” Estes said in an interview with the WTOP Book Report, providing insight into the book’s genesis.

“ I just wanted to give people a look behind local news and what goes on. There are newsroom politics. There are wonderful newsroom relationships. There’s a bond, sort of a special bond, that you create working in a newsroom. Sometimes it’s great. Sometimes it’s not. And the pressure of all of the social media and the business reality of the constant corporate cutbacks … I put it in Jolene.”

Estes explained that she chose to ground the feisty, driven Garcia’s character in aspects of her personal experience as well: highlighting her Midwestern roots and her experiences as a former foster parent (making Garcia a former foster youth), creating parallels between Garcia’s journey and her own.

“I made her feel like a fish out of water because I felt like a major fish out of water when I moved to Phoenix,” Estes shared, reflecting on her personal connection to Garcia’s back story.

The character’s disadvantaged upbringing adds an extra dimension to her motivation, Estes said, because “she also is seeking recognition and attention that she didn’t get growing up. And that really leads her to sometimes behave in ways that maybe some people don’t like that can come across as abrasive or a little ‘too much.’ She doesn’t know when to stop, because … she is seeking recognition, often through her reporting, when she’s really looking for it with her family.”

This drives the character of Jolene to assume extraordinary risks in the name of finding Lemmon’s killer. Would the journalist Estes have acted in the same way? “29-year-old me might have,” Estes said, “Today? No. You mellow with age.”

“Off The Air” reads as a tribute to Phoenix itself, as Jolene’s quest for answers unfolds against a vivid backdrop of the people, places and the essence of what makes Phoenix unique. “I was able to actually put in a couple of my real-life references here in Phoenix,” said Estes, “and made them sort of Jolene’s experiences in the book.”

One such anecdote: a memorable Emmy nomination for a lighthearted feature about a fish visiting the dentist in Arizona. Estes (and Jolene) lost to another story — about bubble wrap. “I tracked down the guy that won,” Estes said, “I said, ‘I want to give you a belated yet sincere congratulations.’ And I sent him a book.”

Asked about the challenge of balancing her demanding day job with her literary aspirations. “I would say I did not juggle it very well,” Estes laughed, referring to “Off The Air”’s 15-year gestation.

That said, another Jolene Garcia novel is in the works, and Estes said the next one will arrive much sooner. “It’s been my dream to have a mystery series set in Phoenix. So yes … Jolene is working on yet another suspicious death. She’s convinced it’s suspicious. She’s trying to find out if that’s really the case.”

For those intrigued by the enigmatic world of local news and the relentless pursuit of truth, “Off the Air” beckons as a riveting read, offering a compelling blend of mystery, intrigue and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of journalism.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here .

Terik King is an Associate Producer for WTOP. Before joining WTOP in 2022 he held roles producing podcasts, unscripted television and content for MTV, the NFL and independent documentary production companies.

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Book Review: Life Is What You Make It,by Preeti Shenoy
Book Review: Life is What You Make it by Preeti Shenoy
Book Review: Life Is What You Make It,by Preeti Shenoy
Life Is What You Make It Book Review
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Life Is What You Make It by Peter Buffett

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Life Is What You Make It

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Life is What You Make It: A Story of Love, Hope and How…
But, you surely would be more knowledgeable after you read this book. I hope my review helped you. Life is.. really What you make it! Cheers! 2011-reads fictional. 62 likes. Like. Comment. Archit. 825 reviews 3,209 followers. March 31, 2017. I can pretty much assure you that this is not just another book that it shares the shelf with. And ...
Book Review: Life Is What You Make It
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment is a pleasant book to read. As eluded to in the introduction, the book is not necessarily any kind of self-help or personal development book, rather it is autobiographical in nature and best to be used as an inspirational and motivational resource. As Peter himself shares in the book ...
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
Buffett's inspiring New York Times Best-Selling book, Life Is What You Make It, was released in paperback in May of this year. To bring the message of the book alive, Buffett has crafted Life Is What You Make It: A Concert & Conversation with Peter Buffett, a live music event that incorporates multi-media and personal stories to give the ...
Book Review: 'Life Is What You Make It' by Preeti Shenoy
About the Book. According to the Nielsen list released in Hindustan Times, Life Is What You Make It was among the Top Books of 2011. It was also included in the Times of India's list of all-time best sellers in 2011. Out of all her works, Life Is What You Make It is considered her best. It is an incredible love story set in India during the 1990s.
Life Is What You Make It
Life Is What You Make It is a novel by Preeti Shenoy. [1] The book was in "Top books of 2011" as per the Nielsen list which is published in Hindustan Times. [citation needed] It was also on Times of India all-time best sellers of 2011. [2] This is an astonishing love story set in India in 1990s. This is a book of love, hope and how ...
Life is What You Make it • PREETI SHENOY
Set across two cities in India in the early eighties, 'Life is what you make it' is a gripping account of a few significant years of Ankita's life. Ankita Sharma has the world at her feet. She is young, good-looking, smart and has tonnes of friends and boys swooning over her. College life is what every youngster dreams of and she also ...
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
By Alina Buccella. Written during a grinding recession, but hardly in the spirit of deprivation, Peter Buffett's Life Is What You Make It is a personal collection of life lessons from the son of one of the world's wealthiest and savviest investors. Okay, I'll admit it. As I opened the book, a voice in my head whispered, "What makes Peter ...
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
Editorial Reviews. J.P. Morgan Private Bank's Summer Reading List Pick, 2010 ... "In his searching book, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, Peter Buffett challenges us all to balance ambition and service, personal goals and work for the common good. It is a book of value and honesty."
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
-Gloria Steinem "In his searching book, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, Peter Buffett challenges us all to balance ambition and service, personal goals and work for the common good. It is a book of value and honesty." ... Book reviews & recommendations: Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands : AbeBooks Books, art & collectables: Alexa Actionable Analytics ...
Life is What you Make it Book Review
About The Book. Life is what you make it is set in Kerala in the 1980s. the story revolves around protagonist Ankita who is in her 20s. Her past haunts her. The story begins with schooling in a town where she gets into a relationship with Abhi and Vaibhav. Ankita gets into B-school and starts working hard, becoming very competitive in nature.
Book Review: Life is What You Make it by Preeti Shenoy
One of Preeti Shenoy's bestselling books, read the book review of Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy, a poignant tale of hardships, love, failures, a depression so deep that you just want to die, and a final victory of the "never-say-die" attitude. Also check out the summary, favourite quotes and Life is What You Make It sequel in this post below.
Book Review: Life Is What You Make It,by Preeti Shenoy
About The Author: 'Life is what you make it' is a book written by an Indian author Preeti Shenoy. The Indian author received the Indian of the Year award by Brands Academy. She is the writer of the bestselling novel '34 Bubblegums and Candies' also. This novel has a female main character. The leading role […]
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
J.P. Morgan Private Bank's Summer Reading List Pick, 2010 "Peter Buffett has given us a wise and inspiring book that should be required reading for every young person seeking to find his or her place in the world, and for every family hoping to give its daughters and sons the best possible start in life." -President Bill Clinton "Knowing and admiring Peter as we do, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE ...
Life Is What You Make It
How we push through and persevere in these challenging moments is where we begin to create the life of our dreams. Personal and revealing, instructive and intuitive, Life Is What You Make It is about transcending your circumstances, taking up the reins of your destiny, and living your life to the fullest. Read An Excerpt.
Life Is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy || Animated Book Review
Sign up to receive tips on lifestyle, personal development & dating: http://www.ironmanlifestyle.co/openers-compilation-subscribeLife is what you make it by ...
Buy Life is What You Make It: A story of Love, Hope and how
Amazon.in - Buy Life is What You Make It: A story of Love, Hope and how Determination can overcome even destiny | The inspirational book by Preeti Shenoy book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. Read Life is What You Make It: A story of Love, Hope and how Determination can overcome even destiny | The inspirational book by Preeti Shenoy book reviews & author details and more at Amazon ...
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
The Amazon Book Review Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now. ... Buffett's inspiring New York Times Best-Selling book, Life Is What You Make It, was released in paperback in May of this year. To bring the message of the book alive, Buffett has crafted Life Is What You Make It: A Concert & Conversation ...
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
-Gloria Steinem "In his searching book, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, Peter Buffett challenges us all to balance ambition and service, personal goals and work for the common good. It is a book of value and honesty." ... There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Joevas Asare. 5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars. Reviewed in ...
Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It
View Kindle Edition. In this New York Times bestselling "imperative how-to for creativity" (Nick Offerman), Adam Savage—star of Discovery Channel's Mythbusters—shares his golden rules of creativity, from finding inspiration to following through and successfully making your idea a reality. Every Tool's a Hammer is a chronicle of my ...
If You Read One Romance Book This Spring, Make It This One
April 24, 2024. Spring! There's no better time of year for a baseball romance. We'll wind up the column with a much-anticipated book by Cat Sebastian, but we lead off with KT Hoffman's ...
Death doula Alua Arthur says life is better if you 'get real ...
Death doula says life is more meaningful if you 'get real' about the end. In Alua Arthur's 2023 TED Talk, she said her ideal death would happen at sunset. As a death doula, Alua Arthur helps ...
9 Best Photo Book Makers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
The goal of Automagic is to help arrange your camera roll so your photos are in order when it comes time to add them to your photo book. Shipping time. 3-5 business days. Book sizes. 11" x 8.5 ...
Salman Rushdie talks his stabbing, new book 'Knife'
Salman Rushdie's new memoir, "Knife," is out now. The book is his first since the 2022 stabbing that hospitalized Rushdie and left him blind in eye. An AP reporter witnessed the attack at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. Rushdie returned to public life last spring, attending the PEN America gala. The trial for the man charged with ...
He wrote a book to change a life
So Seeman wrote his story, titled "Animals I Want to See: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Projects and Defying the Odds.". After achieving his goals for success as an adult, Seeman made an ...
WTOP Book Report: Reporter-turned-author Christina Estes unveils debut
Award-winning journalist Christina Estes (NPR, Arizona Republic) is the author of the new mystery novel "Off The Air." (Cover art courtesy Minotaur Books, author photo courtesy of Christina Estes)
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut Documentary Explores How to
Led by German scientist Giulia Enders, four test subjects participate in a study that collects fecal samples to understand how their diets impact their microbiomes.

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