The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 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...

 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. 

  Book: Tiny Sunbirds Far Away  Author: Christie Watson  Pages: 436  How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days (I could not put it down)  Publisher: Quercus  Plot Summary:   Set in the Niger Delta,  Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away  is the witty and beautifully written story of one family’s attempt to survive a new life they could never have imagined, struggling to find a deeper sense of identity along the way. When their mother catches their father with another woman, twelve year-old Blessing and her fourteen-year-old brother, Ezikiel, are forced to leave their comfortable home in Lagos for a village in the Niger Delta, to live with their mother's family. Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children's school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of ...

Today I want to talk about a genre I don't read nearly enough from- Historical Fiction. It's a crying shame really. I love..LOVE History. Both mine and from other corners of the world, history has always been an area of interest. And when done well there is nothing quite as satisfying as historical fiction. Going back in time, visiting a time and place different from my own, seeing important historical events and how it impacted people...there is so much to love.  OK..enough babbbling. Here are our Top 5 Historical Fiction Books of 2019: 1. Lilac Girls by Martha Kelly Hall: A beautifully written, poignant yet inspiring book about the 'Rabbit Girls' (the young Jewish women, who were experimented on at the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp). The strong and brave characters of this book (it is a true story) will move you and inspire you. Highly, highly recommend. 2. Lost Roses by Martha Kelly Hall: A prequel to (unconnected and can be read without reading) Lilac ...

Hello!  Long time no haul. I must admit that book buying has been slow over here, not that I am complaining. I could, like any other true blue bookworm do with a little less book buying.  Back in August, during Independence Day, Flipkart was having an amazing Sale. Books were being sold for at crazy prices and I was alerted by the lovely sister duo Bhavya and Sabi who run the Instragram handle Our Treasure Chest about the sale, I quickly hopped over and acquired some amazing books.  These are them... I've read a few and the rest are all books I can't wait to get to.  A beautiful stack of books!  There are a few things as happiness inducing as a stack of new books.  Ah!  BOOKS BOUGHT///  1. The Body Myth by Rheea Mukherjee  2. The Carpet Weaver by Nemat Sadat  3. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami 4. Khuswant Singh Selects Best Indian Short Stories  5. The White Tiger by Aravind Adig...

Hello!  This is such a rainy weekend, it's made perfectly for staying in and reading.  And that is exactly what I plan to do.  So far my weekend has included, sleeping in.  Lemon Rice for lunch.  Coffee.  & Reading.  This is what my sister and I are reading this weekend.  I am reading two books actually, one a physical book and another on my Kindle, that I tend to pick up  before bedtime. So I can read easily and not be fussed about holding up a hardback book when I am sleepy.  THE CARPET WEAVER BY NEMAT SADAT: I am very little into this book, like 40 odd pages. It's set in 1977 in Afghanistan. It's about a boy coming of age  and grappling with his queerness in a world where it's impossible for him to be his true self. Love. Shame. Family. Political changes and so much more make up this book.  I am really enjoying it so far in.  PLOT SUMMARY:   Afghanistan, 1977. Kanishka...

Book: The Stationery Shop Author: Marjan Kamali Publisher: Gallery Books/ Simon and Schuster Pages:  320 Read on: Kindle Read in: 5 hours Plot Summary:  Roya is a dreamy, idealistic teenager living in 1953 Tehran who, amidst the political upheaval of the time, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood book and stationery shop. She always feels safe in his dusty store, overflowing with fountain pens, shiny ink bottles, and thick pads of soft writing paper. When Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—she loses her heart at once. And, as their romance blossoms, the modest little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran. A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square, but suddenly, violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat t...

Hello! Want to hear a little secret?  I love mini books.  You know tiny little books that are now being released by pretty much every publisher, I love those.  The Penguin Little Black Classics. The Vintage Minis. The Penguin Moderns.  & Now, the Faber Stories.  I am here for it all.  I so far have got 8 of these darling little books and I know for a fact I will be getting more.  Let's see the ones I've already added to my shelves.  Here they are in all their beauty.  Mini books are such a great idea, a quick and easy way to sample a new writer's work. Or a quick read when life is far too busy for a full length book.  Plus, these tiny books sit in a handbag of any size which is a plus in my book.  BOOKS BOUGHT///  1. Come Rain or Come Shine by Kazua Ishiguro  2. Mary Ventura and The Ninth Kingdom by Silvia Plath  3. Mr. Salary by S...

Hello!  March was a very good bookish month. Full of good books. I read some amazing books and even bought myself some books I've wanted for a while and had my wish list for ages.  Let's see what books I've added to my bookshelves in the month of March.  I've heard nothing but good things about Nicola Yoon's books and I had to get these gorgeous books. I can't wait to read them. I have a feeling these will make for some great summer reading.  Plus, how incredibly beautiful are these covers?!  I adore Isabel Allende's writing and absolutely had to get her new book.  I have wanted this book since it came out and I've read it and adored it and reviewed it as well.  Another one from my wish list. I have wanted this book for years and for some reason it was either out of stock or criminally expensive. Finally found it both in stock and not too pricey.  God this book- Miss India Murders by Gauri Sinh!...

Book: Lullaby aka The Perfect Nanny  Author: Leila Slimani  Translator: Sam Taylor Pages: 162 Read On: Kindle  Publisher: Faber & Faber   How Long it Took Me To Read: 1 day  Plot Summary:  The baby is dead. It took only a few seconds. When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect caretaker for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite and devoted woman who sings to their children, cleans the family's chic apartment in Paris's upscale tenth arrondissement, stays late without complaint and is able to host enviable birthday parties. The couple and nanny become more dependent on each other. But as jealousy, resentment and suspicions increase, Myriam and Paul's idyllic tableau is shattered.. General Thoughts: This book has received quite a bit of buzz over the last few months....

Hello!  While I am really good about sharing all of the physical books I buy in a month on this blog, I realised I kinda suck at sharing my eBook hauls.  I buy at least a book or two on my Kindle and for some reason I just don't end up sharing those hauls on here.  Not good.  So this year onwards I've decided to showcase all of the eBook purchases on here. So with that goal in mind, let's see all the eBooks I've added to my life in January.  A little overview!  I got 8 books in total and I couldn't be happier. I love that on a Kindle you can buy books the minute you decide you want a book and there is no waiting involved. Want to read something right this minute. Well, get it right this minute. A perfect solution for the spontaneous and impatient reader. BOOKS BOUGHT//  A Mussoorie Mystery Edited by Ruskin Bond  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini  Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber  People Who Eat...