The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Book: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows Author: Balli Kaur Jaiswal  Pages: 401 Read on: Kindle  Read in: 4 hours  Plot Summary:  When Nikki takes a creative writing job at her local temple, with visions of emancipating the women of the community she left behind as a self-important teenager, she’s shocked to discover a group of barely literate women who have no interest in her ideals. Yet to her surprise, the white dupatta of the widow hides more than just their modesty – these are women who have spent their lives in the shadows of fathers, brothers and husbands; being dutiful, raising children and going to temple, but whose inner lives are as rich and fruitful as their untold stories.  But as they begin to open up to each other about womanhood, sexuality, and the dark secrets within the community, Nikki realises that the illicit nature of the class may place them all in danger. East meets west and tradition clashes with modernity in a thought-provokin

Hello!  I love doing monthly favourites post and even seeing other folk's monthly favourites.  Somehow, this year, I've been all over the place and just not ended up listing my favourite at the end of each month.  When January ended my parents were leaving town and I was busy with seeing them off and once again getting used to running my own house. By February end I had just come back from Jaipur and still in the throes of unpacking. So I skipped listing faves and just got on with other posts.  I am at least happy that I got to share my Reading Wrap-Ups for both months.  It makes me so happy to have a proper record of my Reading in 2018 on the blog.  So I figured I'd combine all 3 months and do a massive collective favourites post. So grab an iced drink and let's jump right into it.. 1. Travel to Jaipur/// Going to Jaipur is obviously one of my most favourite things to have happened the last 3 months. Jaipur was very high up on my list o

In my humble opinion, nothing announces Spring quite like the sight of Bougainvillea blooming all over our streets.  In the most unsuspecting of places there will be a riot of colour. Most often in it's trademark pink but often in white, orange and even a muted yellow.  Ah! The simple beauty of this classic flower.  As much as I despise summer, seeing these flowers burst out in abundance is most certainly the one thing summer gets right!  :)  These particular flowers were photographed at Samode Haveli in Jaipur.  A stunning property with the most beautiful flowers! 

Hello!  Summer is here and how!  Bombay has heated up over night.  It is close to 40 degrees and it's not even April yet!  UGH!  Lucky for me I have my summer wardrobe all sorted thanks to my recent trip to Anokhi. Anokhi is one of my absolute favourite places to shop from. Their hand block printed kurtas, tunics and tops and stoles all scream summer comfort.  On our recent trip to Jaipur, we stopped off at the Anokhi store on our first day there and bought a few things.  Later on..on our second last day we went to the Anokhi Block Print Museum and visited the shop there too and picked up some things from there as well. What can I say? I have never come back empty handed from Anokhi!  :)  My sister picked up a couple of kurtas, this basic and soothing pink print kurta is one of the first things she saw and loved.  She also got this dupatta, from the Museum shop and this print and it's colours are just sublime and will go with multip

Hello!  How has your Sunday been?  Good I hope!  Mine was chilled out.  Watched some TV shows.  Napped.  Talked to my parents who are re-doing their bathroom and my Dad has installed a rain shower which he now claims will mean that I will not be leaving the shower! My parents are always complaining that once I enter the bathroom I never leave!  I can't wait to go home again.  Today I want to share my January Bujo Set-Up. I know I am super late but I just completely forgot to share these pictures.  My Bujo set-up for Feb and March is pretty much the same but I will be sharing that soon too.  Let's jump into it.. I used this Traveller's Notebook from The Planner Society for my Bujo. I love the floral print and the colours- pink and purple of this notebook. It has four strings and is great to hold multiple inserts and is great iff you want one place to hold multiple notebooks. For me, I like changing my Bujo every month so I moved out of

Book: Little Fires Everywhere  Author: Celeste Ng  Pages: 356  Publisher: Little Brown  Read On: Kindle  How Long it Took Me Read: 3 days  Plot Summary:   Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.  In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principal is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. B

Book: There's Someone in Your House  Author: Stephanie Perkins  Pages: 306  Publisher: Penguin  Read on: Kindle  How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days  Plot Summary:   Over a year after her parents sent her away from Hawaii to live with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska, Makani Young is still adjusting to her new life. She's made a small group of close friends and even flirted with romance, but her past in Hawaii is still hard to forget.   And then . . . one by one the students of her new high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders. Makani doesn't know who's next on the list. Between this, and a secret scorching relationship with the school weirdo, this school year may turn out to be one to die for . . . literally. General Thoughts: I wanted to read this book since it came out but I heard quite a few mixed things and decided to wait and get it later. Earlier this month I had a pang to read something YA and thr

Book: The Storm Sister Author: Lucinda Riley Pages: 513 Read on: Kindle Read in: 4.5 hours    Plot Summary:   Ally D'Aplièse is about to compete in one of the world's most perilous yacht races, when she hears the news of her adoptive father's sudden, mysterious death. Rushing back to meet her five sisters at their family home, she discovers that her father - an elusive billionaire affectionately known to his daughters as Pa Salt - has left each of them a tantalising clue to their true heritage.   Ally has also recently embarked on a deeply passionate love affair that will change her destiny forever. But with her life now turned upside down, Ally decides to leave the open seas and follow the trail that her father left her, which leads her to the icy beauty of Norway . . .  There, Ally begins to discover her roots - and how her story is inextricably bound to that of a young unknown singer, Anna Landvik, who lived there over a hundred years before, an

Hello!  On our last full day in Jaipur, we woke up bright and  early and headed to Amer.  We didn't take the elephant ride up to the fort, for multiple reasons but most importantly I just don't feel comfortable using an animal as a means of transport. I know, I would be feel guilty and worry about if the animals were being treated well or not!  It just doesn't sit well with me.  We drove up to the fort instead. If you are driving up as well, make sure you reach here before 11 am since the parking gets full by then.    To be very honest, I was underwhelmed by Amer.  I have been to 2 other forts in Rajasthan- Mehrangarh in Jodhpur and Lalgarh in Bikaner and both of those, especially Mehrangarh was simply breath taking.  Amer was huge and I could see some it's grandeur but most of Amer looked quite derelict and badly maintained. Especially the former Queen's living area had peeling off paint and dented walls.  :( The fort itself is