The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

In all my life...all my bookish life to be more precise, I haven never wanted a particular edition of books more. I know one shouldn't get too invested and put all this love and lust and wanting into a book cover, but look....so pretty! So incredibly pretty! I first saw a sneak peak at these gorgeous editions on Anna Rifle Bond's Instagram account a couple of months ago and I was in love. I may or may not have spasm-ed hard and poked my sister in the ribs!!!  It was love at first sight!  Finally, after months of waiting the books are out.  And man I want them sooooooo hard! So bad.  Aren't they just gorgeous?!  I am a huge fan of the Rifle Paper Co. products, I have a set of notebooks from them and love them to bits. I love their aesthetic and style.  As much as I want these books, I am going to wait and get them from Diwali or something.  Maybe.... Ah! So pretty! 

Cloudy skies. I love the storms in my little North Indian hometown. The skies turn all kinds of magical.  A little snapshot of the family home.  We are surrounded by tea gardens. They look and smell divine!  The view of the valley.  Have a great weekend, everyone! 

1. Murder in the First: A crime show essentially. It follows one case in one season, this season the case was a high profile murder investigation around a young self-made billionaire Eric Blunt. Blunt is accused of killing his birth father and his pregnant girlfriend. The show follows the case from the beginning, the trial and several twists and turns. Tom Felton (of Draco Malfoy fame) plays Eric Blunt brilliantly. I loved him in the show, in fact I am slightly ashamed to tell you, that I was cheering for him. :) I also kept expecting him to call someone a 'Mudblood'. :) Since it has only 10 episodes and all of them have aired already, it was a great show to binge on.  2. The Divide: Another crime/legal show but with a difference. It deals with a 14-year-old sensational murder of a black family and the two men convicted of the murder are in prison, one of them on death row. In comes the Innocence Initiative, an organisation that works hard to procu...

It's tag time again. I am going to do the A to Z Bookish Survey that originated from this blog . It looks like a lot of fun so lets get started.... A uthor you've read most books from.. JK Rowling Agatha Christie Mary Higgins Clark Enid Blyton B est sequel ever... The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith C urrently Reading... The Wish Maker by Ali Sethi D rink of choice when reading... Iced- coffee or tea. E -reader or physical book... Physical books all the way. But I do enjoy reading on my Kindle and iPad. F ictional Character you probably would have dated in high-school... Wow..I am really struggling with this one, but Ron Weasley maybe? G lad you gave this book a chance.. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins, loads of hype around this book actually made me a little weary but I am so glad I picked this up and I loved it! H idden book gem... Sorta Like A Rockstar by Matthew Quick- amazing book, I cannot recommend it enough. I mportant Moment in re...

Book: Outlander Author: Diana Gabaldon Pages: 627 I Read: The Kindle version I Read it in: 10-odd hours over 2 days Plot Summary:  The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives. What I Liked: This is one of those books which I happened to pick up because I watched a few episodes of its TV show. The TV is quite nice...

Book: A Golden Age Author : Tahmima Anam Pages: 274 Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   As young widow Rehana Haque awakes one March morning, she might be forgiven for feeling happy. Her children are almost grown, the city is buzzing with excitement after recent elections. Change is in the air.   But no one can foresee what will happen in the days and months that follow. For this is East Pakistan in 1971, a country on the brink of war. And this family's life is about to change forever.  Set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War of Independence, 'A Golden Age' is a story of passion and revolution, of hope, faith, and unexpected heroism. In the chaos of this era, everyone must make choices. And as she struggles to keep her family safe, Rehana will be forced to face a heartbreaking dilemma. General Thoughts: I read this book first in 2008, a year after it was published. I picked it up at a bookstore because it was abou...

Book: The Teller of Tales Author: Bhaskar Ghose Pages: 277 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary:   Civil servant-turned-schoolteacher Arunava Varman is secretive and reticent. But he turns into an inspired teller of tales after a couple of drinks, especially in the company of his friend, Tapan. Arunava’s bizarre stories – involving friends, family and colleagues – add a dash of excitement and intrigue to Tapan’s mundane life of a bureaucrat. But over the years, as Tapan gets to know Arunava better, he starts discovering disturbing holes in these tales. Elegant, wistful and full of surprises, this exquisitely crafted first novel combines the suspense of a thriller with the tender charm of a love story. General Thoughts: I bought this book without too much of a thought. I had heard of this book in magazines and papers around the time this book out in 2012. I liked the premise of this book. two friends chatting over a couple of dr...

1. Open roads. Country roads. This picture was taken on a sunny afternoon when me and my family were driving around the forests of North Bengal. It was a great day, full of laughter, joy and good food. 2. Two beautiful handmade ceramic mugs full of tea. 3. My sister's pretty little lego-style notebook. 4. A gorgeous Atlas. Aren't maps just beautiful? 5. A few spines of some classics. Happy Friday guys and have a lovely weekend! :) P.S: Thank-you to anyone who has written a sweet little email to me. Your kind words and compliments make my day and touch my heart. You guys are the sweetest! Thank-you :)))) It's always a pleasure to hear from my readers. 

Book: Ice-Candy Man Author: Bapsi Sidhwa Pages: 339 How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days Read On: Paperback Plot Summary:   The 1947 Partition of India is the backdrop for this powerful novel, narrated by a precocious child who describes the brutal transition with chilling veracity. Young Lenny Sethi is kept out of school because she suffers from polio. She spends her days with Ayah, her beautiful nanny, visiting with the large group of admirers that Ayah draws. It is in the company of these working class characters that Lenny learns about religious differences, religious intolerance, and the blossoming genocidal strife on the eve of Partition.  As she matures, Lenny begins to identify the differences between the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs engaging in political arguments all around her. Lenny enjoys a happy, privileged life in Lahore, but the kidnapping of her beloved Ayah signals a dramatic change. Soon Lenny’s world erupts in religious, ethnic, and racial v...

Book: Not Without You Author: Harriet Evans Pages: 448 I Read: The paperback copy pictured above I Read It In: 4 hours Plot Summary:  From internationally bestselling author Harriet Evans comes an intriguing and fresh new novel about a famous modern-day actress whose fate becomes intertwined with a glamorous movie star from the 1950s who vanished many years earlier. Sophie Leigh’s real name is Sophie Sykes. But she hasn’t been called that for years, not since she became an A-list movie star. Living in Hollywood, she can forget all about her old life in England and the tragedy she left behind. But in the process, she’s lost something of herself, too. Eve Noel didn’t choose her name. A Hollywood producer did. In fact, he makes all the decisions for her—what to wear, when to smile, who to love. A product of the 1950s, Eve has none of Sophie’s modern self-confidence, but she knows she must follow her heart. One day, she simply vanishes: no one knows where she went, or wh...

Book: Life After Life Author: Kate Atkinson Pages: 544 I Read: The paperback copy pictured above I Read It In: 8 hours (over two days) Plot Summary:  On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, she dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her: In Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization. What I Liked: This is a fantastic book! It starts in 1910 and goes all the way upto the early 50s and takes the reader through the  tumultuous War years and the gap between the Wars. In bullets then... The premise of the book is so delicious! Who among us has not wondered what they would do if they could live x years of thei...

Book: Isla and the Happily Every After Author: Stephanie Perkins Pages: 339 I Read: The Kindle version I Read it in: 3 hours Plot Summary:  From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever. Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new. What I Liked: Quick List:  Josh: We have met him in Anna and the French Kiss as the artist dude who ends up breaking up with Rashmi, his long-term girlfriend, as she went off to college. Josh is the typical YA romantic hero- slightly intense, slightly fun, all-heart type of a dude who is quite dr...

These pictures are old. Rather old..they were taken in the end f 2011. The last few months I spend in Bangalore. I lived there for 5 years. The first time I lived away from my parents, on my own..well almost on my own. I lived with my sister and for one year we even had two roommates.  It was a good time. A time I will always look back on fondly.  This was the first time I could do up my space in a way I saw fit. Now I am not decor expert. My mum and sister are avid decorators. They love home decor, tweaking things now and again. Me...I am more a magpie, who likes filling up her space with interesting knick-knacks. Bits and bobs that interest me. Books all over. Colour and print. Flowers. Candles.  My home in Bombay is still all those things.  Bangalore I miss you :) 

Book: Tell Me A Story Author: Rupa Bajwa Pages : 214 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary:   Set partly in the small, buzzing town of Amritsar and partly in New Delhi, this is the story of Rani, a young woman in contemporary India. She enjoys her work in a local beauty parlour though her lower middle-class family lives in a state of constant struggle–to make ends meet, to hang on to their dreams, to keep their fragile lives from collapsing. As their financial troubles escalate, so do Rani’s sister-in-law’s taunts, brother’s frustration and father’s resignation. Random events happen that affect each of them, changing their lives forever. Tell Me A Story displays remarkable clarity and depth in drawing up the real semi- urban living in India. Fragile and touching, it reminds us of how thin, tenuous are the connections which bind us to our illusory, sane-seeming lives. General Thoughts: Sari Shop by Rupa Bajwa is a fairly well-known ...

Book: Inside the Haveli Author: Rama Mehta Pages : 245 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me To Read: 6-7 hours Plot Summary: This book tells the story of Geeta, an urban educated young woman from Bombay, who gets married to Ajay, a man from a conservative family in Udaipur. After her wedding, Geeta leaves the carefree and modern set-up of her household and moves into a conservative haveli of her in-laws, an old-fashioned place where she must remain in purdah, a home where men and women do not mingle. In this house, she must raise her three children and learn to carve out her own identity. General Thoughts: I don't know how exactly I came to own this book...I saw it on Flipkart and did a bit of research and found that this book was inspired by the real life of the author and was a piece of feminist writing from modern-India. Yay! Thought I and quickly ordered it and saved it to read it during my Indian Books in August I read this book in one sitting and I have...

On the occasion of India's Independence Day, here are some of the (out of a very long list of) things that we love about this glorious country of ours.  Our rich handicrafts and textiles. There is just so much variety that exists in terms of textiles, art and craft in our country. We try and buy as much handmade items as possible from craft fairs to encourage and support rural artisans.  The same goes for pretty jewellery.  Mumbai. City of Dreams. The Maximum City. Our home.  The humble kantha that has now, suddenly, become cool globally :) Did you know that, originally, kantha was meant for new born babies? Stitched together from soft, well-worn saris, these blankets were made to give babies something soft to lie on..  Block prints. So pretty and such a labour of love.  Loads of beautiful places to see in India. We stopped on a spot on the scenic route to Darjeeling and took this picture. Lots of tea and ...