Read this inspiring book about the childhoods of famous people like Gandhi, Einstein, Helen Keller, Vivekananda and many others who have made an enormous difference to our lives.

Alex Dorenfield is a 29-year-old personal shopper. She lives in LA and is worried that what she is doing with her life is slightly pointless. Or at least she did - until she was killed by a Mini Cooper while walking her dog, Peaches, at four in the morning. When Alex gets to heaven she finds herself on the seventh plane, a place with no cellulite, walk-in closets, calorie-free ice-cream sundaes and a straight, single, hunky next-door neighbour. Sure, she misses her parents and is sad that she died so young, but things aren't too bad. In fact, she gets to see her grandparents again and catch up with the other people she loves who have died. Just when Alex thinks things are going to be fine, she finds out she has to earn her right to stay in this heaven - which means finding ways to right some wrongs she left behind.

Twenty-nine-year-old Alexandra Dorenfield suddenly finds herself in heaven after an unfortunate encounter with a MINI Cooper. The seventh—and highest—level of heaven to be exact. Her dog, Peaches, is with her; she is reunited with her beloved grandparents; she has the wardrobe of a movie star; and she lives in the house of her dreams next door to a handsome guy. This is heaven! But there’s a catch. Alex must prove she led a fulfilling existence by writing an essay on the ten best days of her life—or she will be demoted to a lower level of heaven, where the clothes are last year’s styles, the men aren’t quite as handsome, and, worst of all, Peaches and her family won’t be nearby. Witty and inspiring, this divine debut novel dares to ask a material girl—and the rest of us—what makes life precious.

We've all been there: "I want to do what the adults do!" But have we ever thought about it from the eyes of a kid? "The Good Old School Days" takes you down the road of a little boy who wants nothing more than to grow up and become an adult, and his grandfather, who simply wants him to slow down and enjoy those good ol' school days. "The Good Old School Days" teaches an age-old life lesson that both kids an adults often forget: enjoy every moment because life is short. "The Good Old School Days" can be enjoyed by teachers, parents, students, and children alike. Best suited for a pre-k to first-grade reading level, "The Good Old School Days" often leads adults to learn with the kids! Just like grandpa says: "Life is short! Enjoy each and every day!"

From the New York Times bestselling author of Adulting comes a story about how to make something when you’re capable of nothing. Kelly Williams Brown had 700 Bad Days. Her marriage collapsed, she broke three limbs in separate and unrelated incidents, her father was diagnosed with cancer, and she fell into a deep depression that ended in what could delicately be referred to as a “rest cure” at an inpatient facility. Before that, she had several very good years: she wrote a bestselling book, spoke at NASA, had a beautiful wedding, and inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to live as grown-ups in an often-screwed-up world, though these accomplishments mostly just made her feel fraudulent. One of the few things that kept her moving forward was, improbably, crafting. Not Martha Stewart–perfect crafting, either—what could be called “simple,” “accessible” or, perhaps, “rustic” creations were the joy and accomplishments she found in her worst days. To craft is to set things right in the littlest of ways; no matter how disconnected you feel, you can still fold a tiny paper star, and that’s not nothing. In Easy Crafts for the Insane, crafting tutorials serve as the backdrop of a life dissolved, then glued back together. Surprising, humane, and utterly unforgettable, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the unexpected, messy coping mechanisms we use to find ourselves again.

You think your life is nuts? Since I was sixteen, I've spent time on Death Row, tried to sell my baby sister on the black market, been stranded at the altar (repeatedly), lied about my son's paternity, and fought viciously with just about everybody in town. Well, okay, it wasn't really me--it was my character, Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives. But like Sami, I've had my share of struggles. I've been told I was fat, watched fellow actresses starve themselves, been cruelly rejected, and wondered if I would ever date. (Hey, the first time I kissed a boy was in front of a TV camera!) There was even a time when I hated myself. Sound familiar? This is my story. It's an account of my years on daytime's most popular soap, and of my life off-screen--the major ups and downs, the craziness of Hollywood, balancing work and play, looking for love, concerns about weight, peer pressure, and finally learning to accept myself for who I am. I'll tell you fun stories about myself and my co-stars. . .recollections of my most memorable scenes. . .and everything you've always wanted to know about Sami. I think you'll find a lot in these pages that will remind you of all the days of your life. . .and perhaps inspire you to follow your own dreams in the days to come. Alison Sweeney was born in Los Angeles, one of three children of a concert violinist mother and a business investor father. Her acting career began when she was four years old. Throughout her childhood, Alison appeared in numerous television commercials, as well television series including Friends, Simon & Simon, Webster, St. Elsewhere, and Tales from the Darkside. She had starring roles in the films The Price of Life and The End of Innocence. Alison joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as Sami Brady in 1993. In her years on the series, her character has evolved from a troubled teenager to a scheming villainess. In 2002, Alison won a fan-voted Emmy as America's Favorite Villain. She has also won the fan-voted Soap Opera Digest Award four times, and in 2001 was elected by the same publication as one of the Most Beautiful Women in Daytime Television. Soap Opera Weekly named Alison 1999's Breakout Performer of the year, and in Australia, she was voted "Best Bad Girl" in 2000 and 2001 by readers of Inside Soaps magazine. Alison lives in a suburb of Los Angeles with her husband, Dave.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • At last, a book that shows you how to build—design—a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage • “Life has questions. They have answers.” —The New York Times Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home—at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.