The Secret Wish List : Preeti Shenoy

Having connected with an author who replies to your comments in her blog ; I decided to buy 'The Secret Wish List' - the fourth book by Preeti Shenoy.
A good one time read - best for a casual, easy read on travel - is how I would sum up this novel which largely revolves around adolescent love , parental pressure, unhappy marriage and extramarital affairs.
The protagonist , Diksha , find her life that revolves around her husband and son monotonous and lifeless.
Out of her discontent  grows a  Secret Wish List - a list of things that she identifies to make her happy and satisfied. The story is a chain of events by which Diksha realises her wish list.
I should say that I approve of Vibha and even Thanu more than Diksha - read to find out why ...

Life is what you make it - Preeti Shenoy

Easy to read, simple and narrative Preeti Shenoy’s ‘Life is what you make it’ is a great and easy read.  

The life of young, smart, intelligent, college going Ankita goes on reverse gear when her pace and reactions go out of her control. The remorse of not having responded well to her boyfriend and  the stress of management studies takes her through heights of exhilarated energy and depths of depression. The story of how she copes up with the condition reiterates how faith and determination can bring back a lost mind to track and trace a new path of life . 'Life is what you make it' is a book of hope.

After  the initial few chapters of the book , I began to think if it was just another adolescent love story – the storyline though straight ;  the book was captivating enough to keep me going . I enjoyed Preeti's story telling ability , narrative writing style , the way she churned out words and also the in-depth study of symptoms,causes and treatment of 'Bipolar Disorder' that has gone into writing the book.
Keep Going Preeti- I'm sure you would.

IF YOU THINK; YOU CAN

A self help book of around 200 pages ; 'If you think you can ' by TJ Hosington is a great read;
that interleaves 13 laws with practical steps and real life examples to form a symphony of success. I read it in 6 hours at a  stretch  - but for the nights sleep in between. A simple but powerful motivational read.

The performance laws in the book summarised below :

• Power of Decisions: If you are unhappy with where you are today ; you CAN DECIDE to change.
• Demanding the best from yourself : Go from thinking ' It would be nice to have ' to ' I must - I will - I'm committed'
• Taking time to work on you : If a person will spend 1 hour a day for 5 years on  a  subject ; he is sure to master it.
• Master your thinking : Change your thinking to focus on the future that we want to achieve than on the limitations of today.
• Be sure of what you want in life : than settling for generalities
• Operating from Imagination : Fake it until you make it
• Action : By taking action when inspiration is strong ; you begin to create momentum. Each action you take will give you continued motivation and a massive desire to keep going.
• Maintain a Winning Perspective : Gives the energy and drive to press forward in spite of momentary setbacks.
• Success Team : To get most out of yourself spend your time with positive people.
• Focus  : Be wise  when spending time and energy in relationships , sports , hobbies ,work and other activities or commitments. They may stand in the way of getting what you really want.
• Create a sense of urgency : Stop procrastinating
• Never give up 
• Live with purpose