The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

My work is pretty travel-heavy. Thankfully, I get to, largely, pick and choose where and if I want to travel to! So, last week, when we had some very important work happening in Bhopal- a city I had hitherto not visited, I jumped on the opportunity to travel there. Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, is a beautiful city steeped in history. I wish I had more time to explore old Bhopal, go to the palaces and the Taj-ul-Masjid as well as visit the caves at Bhimbetka , which is only 70 kms away from Bhopal. Sigh. But, well, there is always another trip! Here are some pictures from my quick trip to Bhopal: Snuck in this pretty shot of the evening sky as my plane was about to land in Bhopal. It was a cloudy, hazy day- the first properly cold day this year, according to my local colleagues- and I just loved the cold, brisk air! Quite a refreshing change from Bombay's stifling heat!  Bhopal is built around two lakes- a large one and a smaller one. I ...

I have a problem, an addiction. I am addicted to pretty, handmade Traveler's Notebooks (TNs)! To be fair, I do not buy multiples of the same kind. I try and add more variety to my collection. In that quest, the quest for variety, I ended up buying yet another Field Notes/ Pocket Sized TN from Zenkraft . This leather has been called 'Copper Cobra' and that's a perfect name for the coppery highlights that this beauty has! I have been through phases of loving TNs that have a smooth, pristine surface and now, it seems, I am going through a phase where I love TNs with the rustic, weathered look. For instance, look at the striations on this beauty! So perfect!  The Zenkraft TNs come with an appropriate sized notebook inside. I love how this fiery orange Field Notes complements the beautiful copper-hued leather.  Beautiful pictures of my Copper Cobra.. just 'cause! So pretty!  I can't wait to set this up.. saving this up to be my Dece...

1. Make-up and beauty things in grocery stores makes me very happy. Buy essentials and pick up make-up bits as well. Something for everyone.  I lately picked up these Street Wear nail paints while grocery shopping. And I got them for Rs. 15 off for each of the polishes. So win-win.  I love the colours I picked up.  I also recently picked up 2 Lakme lipsticks from their 9 to 5 range. Creamy yet matte-ish and I got two brown/nude shades. I also like the rose gold packaging.  2. Colouring books! Something that always brings me sooooo much joy. And these one from Yellow Paper House are so lovely.  I could colour in them for hours. It really is a great way to unstress and relax. Aren't the tea things so cute?! I  am also really loving glitter pens to colour.  3. Dunkin Donuts...well how can donuts not make you happy?! 4. A slice of happiness. An almond, chocolate and brownie cake from Indigo Deli.  So good...

Book: The Lake House Author: Kate Morton Pages: 593 Read on: Kindle Read in: 6 hours Plot Summary:  Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure… One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined. Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as an author. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out wal...

Book: Killing of Ashish Karve Author: Salil Desai Pages: 260 Read on: Kindle (via our Kindle Unlimited subscription) Read in: 2-3 hours Plot Summary:  Senior Inspector Saralkar is back at his desk after spending a rather annoying week at a Secrets of Living course, especially for police officers and he is itching for some action now. Luckily, an exciting new case turns up right away! The body of Ashish Karve, a local businessman has been found in the back seat of his car. To PSI Motkar, Saralkar's diminutive assistant, it seems to be a straightforward case of suicide. But Saralkar's sharp mind is agog with the dark possibility of murder. As the case unfolds Saralkar finds enough motives for people, be it Ashishs business partner, his wife, his brother, his friend, his brother-in-law or even strangers to want to do away with him! Is the senior inspector becoming too fanciful in his imagination or is he on the right track in assuming that Ashish was killed? Revi...

Hello!  A little book-haul today. My book buying is on a slow beat lately.  I don't mind. And my bank balance minds it even less. As do my over-crowded bookshelves.  I picked up all of these books from Crossword last week.  I liked Crossword, their selection of books and their vibe.  On this particular trip though I was a bit miffed. There were people who were all trying to push a new membership programme on customers. Some Black membership. I am already a member of Crossword and have been for over a decade. It was annoying as hell to have people bug you over and over and try to get you to sign up and fork out INR 1500. I get it...it's their job and part of their duties to get as many people to sign up..but seriously take a hint, I said no and they still kept going on and on about the benefits! Rant over! Time to see the books!  4 books and I am excited for all of them.  How freaking gorgeous is this book cover an...

Hello!  Today's post is mini-reviews of some popular Indian fiction I've been dabbling in recently. I'll be the first to say this isn't my usual go-to reading choices. I don't read 'popular' books a whole lot. I mainly read these books because of my Kindle Unlimited subscription. I essentially read all of these books for free. I figured this was a good way to try new authors and try new genres of fiction. A total win-win!  So let's see what I thought of these books!  I don't have a whole lot of say about these books individually so I thought of clubbing these reviews in one single post.  These really will be mini-reviews.  Book: Scandalous Housewives Mumbai. Author: Madhuri Banerjee  Pages: 255 Summary:   'Scandalous housewives: Mumbai' revolves around 4 housewives - Gita, Sarita, Natasha and Aarti, each of whom is fighting their own demons. These 4 friends, who call themselves 'Lovey Ladies' meet ofte...

Hello!  And a Happy Little Monday to you.  I am in a good mood today since it rained a little in Bombay last night. Actually it rained a good bit and rains always light my spirits. :)  This Monday I bring you a little bit of joy. A little haul from Chumbak that I recently made.  Three things only but I love all of them so much and they brought me so much joy.  Let's see the pretties shall we!?  First up this is beyond lovely backpack. I am so in love with all of the owls. If you know me you know that I have a serious love for all things owls. Like I really, really love Owls. So when I first saw this owl backpack I wanted it and needed it.  I won't lie the size was a little bit of disappointing. I thought it would be a tad bit bigger. Also the front leather pocket is not a pocket. It's a lie :) A little detail but no pocket.  But I've carried the bag since and it fits everything I need and it was a joy to carry...

Hello!  How has your weekend been?  Mine was a slightly busy one.  My sister has had to travel on work and we spent some time doing some prep for her travel and running some errands.  We also managed to watch some movies and discover new TV shows to fall in love with!  :)  Thought I'd share and recommend some of the things I've enjoyed lately.  1. Jessica Jones: I am a Marvel fan and watch pretty much everything that comes from the Marvel universe. :) My sister is a bigger and more avid comic book adaptation fan. If I have to choose between Marvel and DC I'd probably choose Marvel.  My sister watches stuff from the DC-verse too.  She watched and loved Daredevil, another Netflix series earlier in the year and quite liked it. Jessica Jones is the newest offering from the DC-verse, she is  a super-hero/ private investigator. With a traumatic past looming large and the threat of Killgrave keeping her on...

Hello!  Time to share some prettiness on the blog tonight.  Some stationery loves that we recently got in the mail.  Happie Scrappie sends out monthly subscription kits out to those who subscribe to her wonderful stationery kit. Each month has a theme.  In October the theme was Fruits.  And Sam (the person behind Happie Scrappie) sent out whole lot of cute fruit themed stationery bits.  Let's see the goodie shall we?!  Be warned..these are so cute you might just go a little cray for it :)  The kit comes in a super adorable envelope. Covered in cute little watermelons and a little bear in a delivery van! So much cute!  The kit also came with a watermelon pouch which is so cute (I will say cute a ton of times in this post, just you see). The pouch is made from the softest velvet and I am not sure what I'll use it for...but use it I will.  This is all that the package contained.  Da...