Self improvement

THE LEADER WHO HAD NO TITLE
Robin sharma

The latest book from Robin The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Sharma offers real-life tips on leadership, business building, stress management, dealing with victimhood and much more. Peppered with nuggets from his 15 years as leadership adviser to Fortune 500 biggies like Microsoft, GE, Nike and IBM, Sharma delivers his mantra through the story of Blake Davis and his mentor Tommy Flinn.

Don’t gift it to: Mamata Banerjee

You Can Heal Your Life
Louise L. Hay

This self-help book first came out in 1984 and 27 years on, it continues to fly off the shelves. What gets readers hooked to metaphysical lecturer Louise L. Hay is her insistence on one’s ability to love oneself, without laying guilt on them. Hay breaks down an individual’s problems into specific areas and suggests simple exercises to deal with them, usually with the help of a family member or friend.

Gift it to: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Many Lives Many Masters
dr brian weiss

In 1980, a psychiatrist used hypnosis to treat a young woman for depression and phobia but ended up learning about her 86 past lives and the soul guides of the “in-between” times. There’s no way of establishing the veracity of his claim but Brian Weiss’s compelling storytelling and the mix of past-life therapy, psychiatry and metaphysics make for one hell of a read.

Last word: Has sold over 1.5 million copies since its launch in 1988

chick lit/light reads

Oh Shit Not Again
mandar kokate

College student Raj (what else!) has friends, a girlfriend and a married woman throwing herself at him. And there’s a murder mystery brewing in the background. Panned by reviewers on the Net, this coming-of-age story about five friends impressed the one who counts: the buyer.

Likely Bolly adaptation: Oh Bathroom, Phir Nahin! starring Aamir Khan as a 20-year-old

I Too Had A Love Story
ravinder singh

The world loves a love story. Even if — or maybe more so — it doesn’t end in happily-ever-after. Software engineer Ravinder Singh met his fiancee on a matrimonial website, only to lose her in an accident before they could marry. The debut draws heavily from his own life to tell this poignant love tale.

Last word: Yash Raj or Dharma Productions

2 states
chetan bhagat

Are you planning to get married? Or to stay married? Pick up Chetan Bhagat’s fourth novel to laugh your way through your tears. Proving once again that he has his finger right on the pulse of Youngistan, the Five Point Someone man presents the love story-turned-wedding nightmare of Delhi’s Krish and Chennai’s Ananya.

Not to be confused with: The demand for Telangana or Gorkhaland

fantasy

Twilight Series
stephenie meyer

Bella is no ordinary girl. Her boyfriend is a gorgeous 104-year-old vampire ready to take on the world — mortal and immortal — for her. That’s not all. Bella’s best friend is a werewolf, who is also in love with her. The first book in this fantasy series, Twilight, came out in 2005. Together with sequels New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, the series sold over 100 million copies in five years.

Last word: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

Harry Potter
j.k. rowling

J.K. Rowling cast a spell over the world with her seven books chronicling the adventures of boy wizard Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The magic began in 1997 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and even four years after the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the series continues to top popularity charts.

Last word: Pottermania has sold over 400 million copies

THE HOUSE OF NIGHT SERIES
p.c. & kristin cast

Vampires (or “vampyres”), intricate tattoos and complex love lives make the series by P. C. Cast and daughter Kristin a hit among young adults. The series, which began with Marked in 2007, follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird as she moves into the House of Night, a boarding school for fledgling vampires. The series was on the NYT bestseller list for 63 weeks.

Likely Bolly adaptation: Raat Ke Barah Baje, starring Jiah Khan

weight loss

Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight
rujuta diwekar

When your brand ambassador is Kareena Kapoor and her size zero hot-bod, do we need to say why this book’s a bestseller? Also, Diwekar (dietician to Saif, Sonali Bendre, Karisma...) doesn’t starve you or murder you at the gym.

Don’t gift it to: A Sumo wrestler

From XL To XS
payal gidwani tiwari

Another Bolly fitness guru puts pen to paper and tells you how yoga can help you look like your favourite stars. Well, almost.

Last word: Testimonials from Saif, Kareena and Rani; pictures of Saifeena striking yoga postures