The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Hello, hello, Since it is raining summer thrillers instead of actual rain (at least where I am), I thought I'd come over and review a few thrillers that I read and enjoyed recently. Let's get into it.  Book: Don't Let Him In  Author: Lisa Jewell  Pages: 368 Read on: Kindle  Read in: ~3 hours  Plot Summary:  He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie. Nina Swann is intrigued when she received a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband, who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling… Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her devoted husband, Alista...

 All I want to do this month is lose myself in my books and ignore the world and all my problems. 

  Made myself a very ambitious TBR for July.  I'll be happy if I make it to most or some of these amazing books.  Some of these I've read before, and I'm due a re-read.  I am so glad I pulled these books from my shelves, there's nothing quite like shopping from my shelves 📖 

 May has been far too hot.  So I've sought solace in Books, Coffee and binging films.  Here are some Snapshots from May. Easily my happiest corner of home.  A book filled corner. A much needed gentle reminder.  Lights.  Reading my 100th book of the year.  Hot and sunny mornings.  And oh the never ending construction and new skyscrapers popping up everywhere.  A mix of old and new books. 

  Made a TBR for May.  I hope I manage to stick most of it. 

  Hello Loves!  May is over and doesn't May feel so long?  31 days felt close to 60 odd days.  May was hot and I hunkered down and read my heart out. I read 15 books and while that is not a lot, I did read some hefty little books.  This month I read a lot on my iPad, I am really enjoying spending time reading on it.  I bought a few books. Haul is up already.  Read quite a few new releases, not something I usually do a lot, so that was a good change of pace.  And I read mostly books I really, really enjoyed.  This was a good reading month and without gabbing on..let's just jump into it.  BOOKS OF MAY 2023:  1. The Greatest Marathi Stories Ever Told Edited by Ashutosh Potkar: I started my month with this collection of short stories originally written in Marathi by a wide variety of writers. I did this mainly to celebrate Maharashtra Day and generally do a deep dive into this book full of writers I hadn't read before. I read this thro...

 Hello Loves!  May is over and so is my reading for this month.  May has been a month of reading big, fat, chunky books.  I read some smashing books and I cannot wait to talk about them.  So sit down, get comfy and let's begin.  :)  1. The Red Pony by John Steinbeck: Started my month right, with one of my favourite writers. I first read Steinbeck in college, Grapes of Wrath was part of my course and I loved it so much and read a few more of his books. But since then, I've read not nearly as much as I would like to. So it was nice to find my way back to one of my absolute faves. This one is a tiny little book that you can read in one sitting, I really enjoyed it's themes of coming of age, disappointment, nature and what it feels like to be a child. This book has made me want to read more Steinbeck and soon. I think it's time to re-read East of Eden and maybe even unearth my cope of Grapes of Wrath from college.  3.5/5  2. 3 Rays by Satyajit R...

  Hello May!  Hello Summer!  Hello Mangoes!  & Hello Summer Reading!  :)  I'll be honest, May is not my favourite month. Not by a long shot, but this year, I am determined to not be a fuss about summer and make the most of my days. Drink iced-drinks and be good about not cribbing too much. Waise bhi, complain kar ke kya hi hoga?!  May is for afternoons spent in cold rooms and reading to my heart's content. May was also the time for summer vacations and family time and making some of my favourite memories.  And of course Summer Reading! I am still working on my TBR for May and with all the reading I am hoping to do this month..I am currently reading 3 books.  3 books, it's not in nature to read multiple books at once but here I am reading three very different books.  3 Rays, Stories from Satyajit Ray: May 2nd was Ray's 101st birthday, so of course I read some of his work. I finally picked up this beautiful book and read 200 pages of ...

  Hello May!  May This Month Help and Heal All of Us.  We could all do with some goodness, kindness and hope in this horrible world.  Be Good May. Be Kind.  Work some magic and make things better again.  :)  I am happy you are here May.  I am hoping for better days.  I am starting this month with hope in my heart and some unexpected good weather.  We had a surprise hailstorm last night.  This morning we were left with remnants of the storm.  Our poor bougainvillea got rather battered.  :(  I am also making a TBR for May. I haven't made a TBR in ages and I felt like I needed to make one this month to give my reading a little bit more structure.   I finally caught up in my Book Journal after months and it felt good to look back on my reading of 2021 so far.  Main mood for May. Read.  Read.  Read. Tomorrow is Satyajit Ray's 100th birth anniversary.  I plan on reading his memoir on this happy...

My sister's beautiful Hobonichi Techo and a glimpse into her pencil bag.  Journaling is such a good way to deal with all the uncertainty and angst of right now.  My favourite time of day.  Seriously, the only thing I like about summer in Bombay are the glorious sunsets and the blue skies and the mad beautiful sunshine.  Also, loving how cute and utterly ridiculously my bed looks like now.  Rose Milkshake.  All you need is.. Milk Vanilla Ice-Cream  Rose Sherbat  Throw it all in a blender and mix mix mix.  Add a couple of ice-cubes if you want your milkshake extra chilled.  What my sister and I read over the weekend.  I read The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi , this is pick for Reese Witherspoon's book club. It sounded right up my alley.  Plot Summary:   Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. T...

Book: Lock Every Door Author: Riley Sager Pages: 384 Read on: Kindle Read in: 4-5 hours Plot Summary:  No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, ...

Hello, hello! Since we are still a bit away from the monsoons descending upon us here in India, I thought it is not too late to share some summer reading recommendations of the thriller variety! Let's get started, shall we? 1. Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh  This is an interesting, twisty-turn-y story about a serial killer, who likes to inject himself a little too much into the investigations of the murders that he commits. Normal serial killers like to be eye witnesses or hover around cops, but this one, he likes to be on the jury. So, there is a serial killer on the jury and Eddie Flynn, ex-con turned super-lawyer has to catch him before the bodycount goes up. A very edge-of-your-seat kinda book. 2. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides This is a really interesting book! A woman is accused of murdering her husband. All the evidence points to her being the killer. However, since that night, the woman has not spoken a word! Psychotherapist, Theo Faber believes that he ca...

Hello May! Hello Summer!  Hello Flowers!  Hello Mangoes!  Usually, I am not a big fan of May, one of the hottest months of the year. I just don't do well in summer. I tend to hide away during May, away from the sun and the humidity and look towards June and the rains.  But this May I am hoping to put a positive spin on things and not just hide away. I mean not as much.  I am not about to go brave  the afternoon sun but I don't want to hate on May for no good reason.  So the plan is to immerse myself in books and tackle some bigger books for once.  Maybe read a classic. I haven't read a true blue classic in a while now.  // MONTHLY GOALS FOR MAY // 1. Read well. Good books and big books.  2. Eat a ton of mangoes.  3. Eat fruits. The only things I want to eat during summer is fruits. 4. Watch MCU films. I am still in an Endgame haze and the only thing I want to watch is films from ...