The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Hello!  Here we are again. Standing on the last day of 2018, wondering how this year treated us and how it measured against other years. As a read it makes sense to look back at my reading year and mull over the things I read and things I missed. MY READING YEAR IN REVIEW// 1. I read 172 books! Not bad at all. Funnily my own record of books read seems to be at odds with my GoodReads Reading Challenge. According to which I only read 162 books! Weird! I am not too fussed about it, at least not enough to go back and try to see which books I didn't add to my Reading Challenge. 171 is a good solid number. Fewer than last year but a number I can live with. 2. I read more classics and modern classics. I wish I had read more but I still did better than previous years and that brings me joy. 3. I read so much more non-fiction. Go me! 4. Followed quite a few reading themes. Read only women writers for Femme March. Read only Bengali books for All Bengali Books in Ap...

Hello!  If you didn't know this before, let me tell you now- I am a complete bag lady.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE bags and therefore couldn't think of the year ending without listing my favourite bags from 2018.  So here we go.. Oh these are both my sister and my favourites!  1. A Simple Satchel from Jaipur Bought this beauty from a shop opposite Hawa Mahal. So simple, clean and utterly gorgeous. I wanted a bag like this for absolute ages. 2. Grey Ikat Circle Bag from Wear Your Style This tiny bag was a constant companion during my travels to the hometown. She was perfect to hold my essentials for outings and since she's crossbody, it meant I had my hands free. So gorgeous. I love ikat and bags made out of ikat are some of my favourites. The square checks bag is also from the same brand and one that my sister used while on holiday. 3. Grey Backpack from Chumbak Another travel favourite from this year. A neutral colour that wen...

Hello, hello! 2018 has been a good year for the small budget, slightly indie kind of movies in India and for the really big budget, multi-starrer movies in Hollywood. So, our favourites of 2018 include all of these kinds of movies. Let's get into the list (in no particular oder): 1. Avengers Infinity War: What can I say about this movie that has not been said or speculated about already?! My sister and I went to watch Infinity War first-day-first-show.. something, which we haven't done for any movie since.. I guess.. the first Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie?! So, yeah, we're fans! And the movie was everything it was supposed to be and if you are a Marvel fan, you've seen it too, I am sure! 2. Thor- Ragnarok: Easily, hands down, the BEST Thor movie to be made! Hilarious, tragic, full of fun and adventure- this movie is a must-watch! 3. Black Panther: For so many reasons, Black Panther is a stand out, record-breaking movie and deserves to be watch...

Hello!  I have been sharing my favourite reads of the year in the last week and also mulling over all sorts of favourites. I have read some 170 books in 2018 and while some were ones I simply adored, some made me smile, some scared me and others moved me. Most of the books I read were good. Some though were less than stellar. Others were down right horrible.  Very often on the blog I prefer to talk about the books I loved and want to share and shout about the books I loved and want you to read. Most of the time I tend to shy away from mentioning or talking about the books I didn't love. I may mention them in passing but I feel sorta bad bitching about a bad book.  :(  But...I felt with all the favourites lists, it was only fair that I mention the books that were my least favourite or if I am being honest, the ones I utterly despised!  Now if any book on this list is one you loved, I mean no offence. We are all different and have different taste...

Hello, hello! Anyone who reads this blog will know my deep and abiding love for thriller/ mystery/ crime fiction! So, it goes without saying that we read a lot of books from this genre over the year and, so, obviously, we had to do a Top 10 thrillers of 2018! Without any further ado, let's get into the list! 1.  The Last Mrs. Parrish  by Liv Constantine: A twisty-turn-y psychological thriller about a girl who envies a rich woman and will do anything to get her life. Click on the book name for our review! 2.  The Death of Mrs. Westaway  by Ruth Ware :  A young girl learns that she has inherited a huge amount of money from a grandmother she knew nothing about. When she reaches the family mansion, she steps into a world that is not only completely different from her own but is also full of dark secrets from her past 3. Cross Her Heart: A woman and her daughter are living a quiet and secluded life in small town England. All of this changes when h...

Hello!  Merry Christmas my loves!  I hope this Christmas brings you joy and peace and love!  The things that bring me most joy are my books, so today, let me share my December book haul with you.  I got these books in the first week  of December all from Amazon.  Let's see the goodies I've added to my bookshelves lately.  Read this darling little book and loved it immensely.  So good!  Some Bengali literature in translation is one of my favourite things to buy and read.  I might just save a few of these books for my All Bengali Books in April, where I read only Bengali books and authors in April for Bengali New Year.  Pulp fiction!  Yes Please!  :)  I've heard nothing but amazing things about this book and I can't wait to read this.  Saving it for January 2019.  BOOKS BOUGHT///  The Wind on Haunted Hill by Ruskin Bond  The...

Hello!  Starting the week with this happy message.. "I Will Greet This Day With Love in My Heart"   A good way to start a new day and a brand new week, even if it's the last week of the year!  Cute little Cats!  :)  Hope this last week of the year is absolutely wonderful and relaxing or party filled.  Have a great day guys!  These Totes are from Miniso.  

Hello!  I recently got some freaking adorable goodies from Obvious State. I have been drooling over goodies from Obvious State for far too long. I saw they had some amazing Black Friday offers and discounts and went a little mad. I will be sharing my goodies in batches, so for today I am sharing one of the bookmark sets I got from them. These are the Literary Puns set and they are funny, cute and just perfect.  :)  Aren't they the cutest?!  They are incredibly well made.  The paper quality is great and the print is vivid and vibrant.  5/5  Highly recommend.  You've got to check out Obvious State, you won't be disappointed. 

Hello!  Next up for my yearly favourites are my favourite 2018 YA aka Young Adult reads.  I don't read that much YA to be honest, not because of any prejudice of any sort. I think YA books can be just as amazing and just as meaningful and enriching as other literature. I just have for one reason or another been not reading a whole lot of YA fiction. Something to possibly amend in 2019.  These are some of my favourite YA Reads from 2018.  1. ONE BY SARAH CROSSAN: This was one of my first reads of 2018, how apt, given its title. A book written in verse, a very new reading experience for me. A story about conjoined twins and a decision to go separate ways and live a 'normal' life. Incredibly moving and powerful. I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough.  5/5  2. THE HATE U GIVE BY ANGIE THOMAS: There isn't enough I can say about this book that hasn't been said already. A powerful read and a great commentary on race, poli...

Hello!!!  For today's edition of Blogmas I want to share a very happy haul of the most darling handmade brooches from Deesa by Deepika.  This is my second time ordering from Deepika and I loved everything I got the first time around and then I spotted several new designs and I ordered a second batch of goodies.  Let's see all of the super cute brooches I got!  A black kitty. Look at it's cute little face!  I just couldn't resist.  Some retro ness! A cassette :) I miss these guys so much!  A birdie. This one is for my sister, an avid bird fan!  Some kowries and embroidery. A match made in heaven.  A camera for a girl who takes way too many photos.  I honestly cannot recommend Deepika's work enough. Every single piece is beautifully crafted and impeccably made. And gosh so freaking cute!  Check out her Instagram for her beautiful brooches, HERE. 

Hello!  It's that time of the year..the time to look back and pick my favourite reads of the year.  I am starting with Children's Books simply because this list came to me the easiest and these were some of the absolute loveliest books I read all year.  So let's get started!  FAVOURITE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2018.  1. GETTING GRANNY'S GLASSES BY RUSKIN BOND:  This might just be the best thing I read all year round. It was cozy, comforting and heart warming and left me feeling very happy and content. This is the book that I will be reaching to for years to come when I am looking for comfort.  5/5  Incredible and adorable.  Ruskin Bond weaves his magic.  And it's full of darling illustrations.  Perfect reading for a young reader or the child in you.  :)  2. THE WIND ON THE HAUNTED HILL BY RUSKIN BOND: Another Ruskin Bond on the list!  This book is a story of fr...