The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Hello Loves!  I have taken a bit of a break on the blog.  I didn't mean to but life and mood and mental health got in the way.  Life felt..not so great.  But there was books, shows, films, some rain and bits of festivity and small joys.  Here's what August looked like in my corner of the world.  My favourite book from the month. A story of family, displacement, history and survival. If you love family sagas, you'll adore this.  Coffee & Planner Moments kept me sane this month, as always.  Janmasthami was celebrated 🎉🎊 Books were moved around.  Shelves were organised.  Planner Pages.  Loved how my planner looked this month.  Celebrated my half-birthday, ate cake and felt happy.  Kindle in my old favourite cover.  A tin of joy.  Honestly, more books should come in tins.  Books & Bookmarks.  A cute bookmark always makes me happy.  Loved my journal this month.  Loved it soooo much....

 Hello Loves!  Took some time off from the blog.  Life's been a lot. The world seems to have gone to shit and I won't lie my hearts been hurting.  So I've sought refuge in books and food and, being cozy at home and trying to keep my spirits up.  Here's what my days have looked like.  Pressed flowers 🌸🌺🌻🌹🌷🌼💐  Journal spreads that makes me happy.  Organized my shelves in my iPad.  Put all my desi book in one shelf.  Comfort reads.  Cozy corners of my room.  A childhood favourite.  Current Reads. Translated from Bengali. It's quite nice so far in. 

  My TBR that I need to get into.  Reading has been slow and I need to fix that and sink into a good book.  Cuties on my pencil bag.  Made begun pora for an easy dinner.  Moonlight 🌕 I love my journal and getting back into my morning pages routine is the best.  Poetry 🎀

  Today has been a perfectly lazy and cozy Saturday.  It's been rainy and grey and I've been curled up with a book of folktales from all over India.  Flowers and Folktales.  I adore these crochet flowers.  My Moomin Bookmark keeping me company.  The Owl Delivered Good News All Night Long, Edited by Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai is the perfect book to kick start my reading for Indian Books in August.  A collection of Folktales and Legends and Myths from all over India.  My plan is to read a couple of stories every day and read this through the month.  I hope this Saturday has been relaxing for you too. 

 Hello August 🧡🤍💚 Hello Indian Books in August.  Hello more Rains.  I am hoping you are Kind & Gentle and Wonderful and Happy 💕 I Started my Month by making a TBR of sorts and watching the new season of Unsolved Mysteries. And re-watching Flop Show.  All good things 🤎 Here is what my day looked like:  I love this line-up and can’t wait to jump right in. Starting my month with some excellent shows. 

  August is one of my favourite months of the year and a lot of it has to do with the glorious books I read alll month long.  Another edition of Indian Books in August has come to an end and I am so glad August brought so many amazing books and stories my way.  I read a total of 19 books.  Most of them from India and the subcontinent and only four books took me out of India. I read four graphic novels/comic books. But mostly stayed firmly within my reading goal.  I also bought 7 books this month.  I read books from all corners of the country.  I read mostly physical books but also read on my Kindle and a lot on my iPad.  It's been a good reading month.  So let's jump into it.  BOOKS OF AUGUST:  1. The Greatest Indian Stories Ever Told, Edited by Arunava Sinha: I started my month this wonderful books which is pretty much the best thing to read this month. I cannot think of a better book to read in our month of celebrating all things...

Hello Loves!  August flew by. And in a good way too. Time makes no sense to me sometimes.  I really meant to be more active on the blog this month but for no real reason I've just let things slip.  I have been reading, I've read some 14 books so far and I am currently reading something nice. So reading has been good and I can't wait to talk about my reads in my wrap-up on the 31st.  August has been mostly quiet, oddly hot (where are the rains?), a little book buying and bookshop hopping and a lot of reading and watching films- old and new and cringe and good.  I got some happy mail and cleaned like a maniac and chilled and had some tech issues, my phone's battery swelled up and I had to buy a temporary cheapie phone :( with a sucky camera.  Woe is me.  Mercury Retrograde is doing a number on me.  :(  But overall things are going OK.  Here is a look like at what life has looked like this month.   This little guy makes me so happ...

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Indians!  Here's hoping we continue to enshrine the principles on which our Republic was founded and continue to appreciate our diversity!  Sharing a list of recent Indian books that are absolute 5-star reads! Each of these is highly recommended.    1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is an absolute must-read. Easily the best book we've read in years! Full review here .  2. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy is a very relevant book to read about the lives of various characters in present-day India. Highly recommend!  3. Villainy by Upamanyu Chatterjee has been fully reviewed here and is a must-read!  4. The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale is set during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 and is a wonderful, immersive read. Full review can be found here . 5. The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar is a story of a mother-daughter duo and the trials and tribulations faced by them. A ...

 Hello, hello, We are almost halfway down August! Where is the time flying? For us, Indians, the mid-point of August is extra special because it marks our Independence Day. A day that millions of our countrymen and women died for. A day that makes us teary eyed and so proud of how far we have come and have determination and hope for the future.  In the spirit of our Independence Day (and month), I always read only Indian Books in August. This is something I have been doing for a few years now and if you scroll down and check on the tags, you can find hundreds of wonderful books written by Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi authors. I include all subcontinental authors as part of the books this month because the struggle for Independence was a collective one and all three countries will forever be linked by our common struggle and heritage.  This month, as usual, I have been reading some wonderful books written by and based in India and the subcontinent and so, I thought I...