The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

  Book: The Three Lives of Cate Kay Author: Kate Fagan  Pages: 304 Read on: Kindle Read in: ~3 hours  Plot Summary:  Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again. Things I Liked:  1. This is a very atmospheric, well-written  and int...

 Hello Loves 🌷📖📝🌻📖📝🌷 Hope you’re having a lovely New Year's Eve. 🌸 Last evening of the year and time to talk about My Year in Books and list my Top 24 reads of the year.  I’ve had a very good reading year.  I read 235 Books and a majority of them were good. There were some duds; but for the most part this was a very successful reading year.  I read loads of Indian Books. Read translations. Read books from all corners of the world.  Read some new to me authors and fell in love.  Tried new genres.  Read some delightful children’s books. Read so many beautiful picture books. Read a fair amount of nonfiction.  Bought a few books but was able to very successfully do a whole book buying ban from May to November.  Annotated some books.  Read physical books.  Read a ton on my iPad. Read very little on my Kindle (she’s getting old).  Found so much comfort and solace in my books.  I am so grateful for my books and for storie...

 Hello Loves!  2024 is nearly over and I read some incredible books from around the world.  Truly, one of the best things about reading is the ability is to read, learn and spend time with people from a different culture than mine and walk a mile or two in their shoes see a whole other side of the world.  So here's my Top 10 Books from around the World. We have books from Argentina,Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Iran and Palestine.  So let's jump into it.  1. Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh: Set in Nigeria, this is a coming of age story of a young queer boy. We see his life unfold in the changing landscape of his country. Him being outed and the repercussions and pain and healing and finding himself and love in a world were the odds are stacked against him. I loved this book, even the parts that broke my heart. An incredibly well-written and stirring debut.  2. This Motherless Land by Nikki May: Set partially in Nigeria and in par...

 Hello, hello, I've read a lot of good Asian books this year. Written, both, by Asian authors living in Asia and are works of translation and also by Asian diaspora authors- I wanted to include both categories of books. Most of the books I've mentioned below are written in an Asian language and then translated into English.  I have Japanese Books for most part, a Korean-Amreican Book and one Chinese Australian book to recommend. So let's begin...  Here are my Top 10 Asian Literary Fiction books of 2024. First up we have two books with Cats 🐈 I mean I am always up to read something cozy or otherwise featuring a cat.  1. She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa, Translation by Ginny Tapley Takemori: This collection of interconnected short stories is told from both the human and kitty perspectives. Four women and four cats share their stories in this soothing and stream of consciousness narrative. These are stories about isolation, connection and communit...

 November, you were good.  Little joys and a lot of coziness 🩷 Here are some of my favourite things/moments from November.  It's been a good month full of good weather, amazing books, films, coffee and tea and little treats.  Thank you November.  See you soon.  ❤🍁📖📓🌿☕🔮❤ 

 Hello Loves!  I recently picked up my old digicam and have been clicking pictures on it. It's over 12 years old and on it's last legs.  But she's small and fits in the palm of my hand and I love her and all the adventures and memories that she reminds me of always makes me smile.  Here are some snapshots I've captured using her.  A favourite page from my journal. Sunshiny Days.  Blooming pink flowers outside my window.  Journal Pages and Covers.  Pinteresting.  I am currently looking for some planner and journal inspo.  Current Read- The Anthropologists  Future Read- The new Murakami. I want the physical copy but boy oh boy is it expensive!  So an ebook will do for now but I will get my hands on the beautiful copy soon.  I made a dinky cover for my sister's phone.  Used some stickers from my stash.  My little frog friend.  My reading companion.  A book filled corner of home.  From earlier this mor...

 Reading has been kinda off lately.  I am not exactly in a reading slump, but nothing I've read in a long time that made me all kinds of happy. Plus, I think I've been watching more things than reading and I really want to change that and get back to my reading like a maniac avatar.  This weekend I am reading something really good that I am excited about.  This Motherless Land by Nikki May: A story of two cousins and several family secrets and drama. Set in Nigeria and UK in the 80s, I am 25% in so far and really loving it.  Our two main characters, Funke and Liv are both extremely likable and real.  I am so happy to spend my weekend reading this book. And spending some time in the 80s.  A little friend keeping me company as I read in bed. 

 Here are my goals for October.  Keep it simple.  Make it good. 

  July was a bout of books, rain, comfort, sadness, surviving said sadness and finding Joy.  You were good July.  You brought me books, baarish and coziness.  This is what my July looked like: the best books I read and the moments that I loved well.