The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Another month of 2014 draws to an end. It's amazing how quickly the first two months of the year have gone by. We've been busy and lazy in equal parts, but the good thing is that we have been reading all through the busy and lazy times. Here are some of my favourite things from this past month. The days of early sunsets are now over. Caught this beautiful sunset on my way to NCPA for a play.  Less is more when it comes to everyday jewellery, though, sometimes more is more- I do love me my big chunky silver rings! :)  Re-purposed a bunch of used stamps to make tiny wall "art". I use the word "art" very loosely. These just add such a cute pop of colour to our on-going above-the-bed collage of little bits of art.  How cute are these little floral ones! A box of sweet treats that made me VERY happy. The little Nutella brownies- the ones with the hearts on them- are so good. Definitely go check out Le15 if you happen ...

February was a happy and lovely book buying month for me. Given it's my birthday month I went allllll out buying books!  All of these books are from Amazon .  2 beautiful Sherlock book with the beautiful Benedict Cumberbatch on the cover! I seriously want all of these books. I am a proud member of the CumberCollective! That man makes me very happy!  2 Penguin Modern Classics...I love these editions of books. Also I love Modern Classics. Easier to read and imminently enjoyable.  I also added to my Penguin English Library collection by getting an E.M Forster book.  And finally caved in and got another Random House Classics cover with seriously such a pretty Indian print on it!!! Love it.  Hmm...the running theme of this book haul seems to be pretty books...I promise I am not that superficial, pretty as these books might be, I am more interested in the words and the stories. But the Cumberbatch books are be...

Book: The Language of Flowers Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh Pages: 322 Time It Took Me To Read: 3 hours   Plot Summary:  The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, s...

Book: The History of Love Author: Nicole Krauss Pages: 260 How Long It Took Me To Read: 2 days. Plot Summary:   Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's loneliness. Believing that she might discover it is an old book her mother is lovingly translating, she sets out in search of its author. Across New York an old man named Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer. He spends his days dreaming of the lost love who sixty years ago in Poland, inspired him to write a book. And although he doesn't know it yet, that book also survived: crossing oceans and generations, and changing lives... General Thoughts: This book has been on my bookshelf since 2005, the year when this first came out. This book was a gift to my sister from a lovely couple. My sister read this book back then and I kept meaning to read it but never got around to reading it. Finally, this year, I made myself pull it out from a storage trunk (where I store som...

A mixed stack of bangles and cuff. All of these pretty things are from Rajasthan, Jaipur to be specific. I love these gorgeous cloth covered bangles, such an easy way to add colour to an ensemble.  2 other favourites from Rajasthan, my lovely colourful mojris. Pretty as a picture and comfy as hell. Bought these from Jodhpur.  My absolute favourite silver necklace. I love the flowers and it's simple beauty. This is from Fabindia from years ago.  This is a seriously old outfit picture..from around Diwali (November) but I loved the prints and the bangles I randomly threw on.  An amazing book and a great cup of tea- black Vanilla tea- a lovely evening this was, a great writer and a soothing cup of tea.  Red leather love- I love the colours and the beautiful embroidery on this little bag. I bought it from the artisan who makes these. He was so proud of his work. And was so happy to hear me gush about his bags.  Stripes a...

Book: In the Blood Author: Lisa Unger Pages: 352 Time taken to Read: 4 hours Plot Summary: Lana Granger, a senior in college, has a disturbed and violent childhood that she is desperate to put behind her and, which she keeps as a closely guarded secret. Lana's mother was violently killed and her father is serving time on the death row for that crime. Lana has some free time on her hands and so, her Student Adviser and Mentor- Langdon Lewes- suggests that she babysit a kid to get child psychology experience. That's what brings Lana to Luke Kahn- a highly intelligent eleven year old who displays all the signs of being a total sociopath. Luke knows the secret that Lana has been hiding from the world and he enlists Lana to play a sinister game through which this closely held secret may just get exposed for the whole world to know. What I Liked: The basic premise of the book is very gripping. There is a girl with secrets and a sociopath kid who is keen to manipulate h...

February has been a good book buying month for me. Also, for me, February is a guilt-free book buying month because it is my birthday month! Yay for birthday book hauls! :) Here are the books that I ordered off of Amazon.in . I have been meaning to buy a copy of The Cold Comfort Farm for ages, but I held out because I wanted this particular cover! Sometimes, it helps to be choosy about things like that! I mean, come on, just look at these crazy cute illustrations! :) Aren't they adorable?! So super cute!  Even the inside flap has pretty illustrations! Love!  Here's more loveliness!  Even the back cover is so cute! Okay, so, this is a very pretty cover.  I love Alexander McCall Smith and so, show me anything by him and I will read it. Like the title suggests, this is a trilogy. So, yay! Three books to read!  How cute are these illustrations?! I love the little wiener dog!  Capriconia is the book on wh...

Book: Waiting to be Heard Author: Amanda Knox Pages: 489 How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary:   In the fall of 2007, twenty-year old college coed Amanda Knox left Seattle to study abroad in Perugia, Italy for one year. But that November 1, her life was shattered when her roommate, British student Meredith Kercher, was murdered in their apartment. Five days later, Amanda was taken into custody and charged by the Italian police; her arrest and the subsequent investigation ignited an international media firestorm. Overnight, this ordinary young American student became the subject of intense scrutiny, forced to endure a barrage of innuendo and speculation. Two years later, after an extremely controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011 an appeals court overturned her conviction and vacated the charges. Free at last, she immediately returned home to the U.S., where she has remained silent, until now. General Thoughts:  Like tho...

Book: How To Love Author: Katie Cotugno Pages: 389 How Long it Took Me to Read: 3 day ..but I stopeed midway and read another book! Plot Summary:   Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he's never seemed to notice that Reena even exists until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated-and pregnant-Reena behind.   After: Almost three years have passed, and there's a new love in Reena's life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena's gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she's finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn't want anything to do with him, though she'd be lying if she said Sawyer's being back wasn't stirring somet...

Book: Pushing the Limits Author: Katie McGarry Pages: 392 How Long it Took Me to Read: 2 days Plot Summary:  No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much  impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again. General Thoughts and Review: ...

 I have been adding to my eBooks collection and thought I'd share another eBook Haul with you guys. Most of these books are for my Kindle. Some books are so much cheaper in e-format, while others are only a 20 buck difference, in which case I prefer getting the paper and ink version. Most of these books are thrillers/YA/Romance or as I like to think of as fun read. Books I'll read once and then might not re-read, so it makes sense to get them on an e-reader. A girl who lies about her past meets a young kid who sounds like a nightmare. He knows her secret and hold that over her head. Then the girl's friend goes missing and all hell breaks loose.  I think I've read a Lisa Unger book previously, from the library I think and I really enjoyed her writing. I picked up this book after I saw it mentioned on someone's bookhaul. It sounds amazing, I read the first 30 odd pages and really enjoyed it. The writing is good and I hope the mystery is good!  ...

Hello Hello! Since we're inching closer to Valentine's Day (or Galantine's Day, if you are celebrating with your girl friends), we thought we'd share some of our favourite romance reads. The first in the series are these four books by Lisa Kleypas, which form a part of her Friday Harbour series. These are: 1. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbour: Here is the plot summary. It sums up what the book is about pretty well. One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word. The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow. Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the...

Book: The Distance Between Us Author: Kasie West Pages: 224 How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 hours. Plot Summary:   Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop. So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company. She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much ra...