The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Hello!  The weekend is here and is there a better time to unwind with some TV shows.  I realised it had been a long, long time since I shared my favourite TV shows on here. And I know so many of you love these posts of mine, so without wasting anytime let's jump into some shows I've been loving in recent times.  Most of these are on various streaming platforms, mainly Amazon Prime and Netflix and Zee 5.  1. Abhay /// A cop drama based on true crimes. Edgy and hardcore, this is a cop show that exceeded my expectations. There have been 4 episodes so far and I have immensely enjoyed all of them. The acting is good and it's so nice to see Kunal Kemmu in a serious role.  Highly recommend.  2. Fyre /// This one was oddly satisfying and engaging. I knew very little of the whole Fyre festival debacle when it happened and it's aftermath, yet I was hooked to this documentary. It is so good and so sad and an inside look into a great con. ...

Hello!  I carried this little sunshine tote all of January. I like to start the year with the happiest colours and this one had that and even a positive message on it.  Stop and Smell the Roses.  A message we could all do with.  To pause and slow down in this crazy busy life. Seriously, some days I feel like one day blends into the next.  We could all do with slowing down and being a little present.  I added this little bag charm for added whimsy.  It's from Accessorize. I picked it up 3 years ago!  This tote is from Chumbak , but I don't think it's available online anymore, though I have seen it in some shops.  I love the pastel colours of this tote.  It is so spacious and fit everything..like everything I could possibly need to carry.  The straps are super comfy and don't slip off my shoulders.  Totally recommend.  Chumbak makes incredible totes and backpacks.  Gor...

Hello!  As someone who has a lot of stationery bits and bobs, I was on the lookout to a pencil case big enough to hold my many stationery bits and my pens and markers too.  I got this gorgeous little organiser from Ali Express , for fairly cheap and I am so happy with it. It's so well made and it's just the right size to hold everything I need and then some. I could still fit in a ton of stuff in this. Plus it's not yet bulky or cumbersome to tote around.  I picked this one in pink with a cat on it because Pink is everything!  :)  Let's see how I've set it up!  Hello Kitty!  This is what it looks like when it's empty, as you can see it's got plenty of room to fit all sorts of things and little compartments to keep things organised and from moving around too much.  A look inside.  Pens Galore--- All of my colourful Zebra Sarasa Pens, I love the pens, they are smooth and come in so many colours....

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a restful and fun weekend! I wanted to quickly share a haul of beautiful fabric jewellery that we recently purchased from a talented designer brand called ' Agnik Kolkata '. You can check out Agnik's Instagram page here . My sister has a mild obsession with birds! So, she asked if Agnik could create a bird themed necklace for her and this is what he came up with! Isn't this so beautiful? All the art is hand-drawn by Agnik and I love that this type of jewellery is wearable art!  This necklace is a homage to Goddess Saraswati- the Hindu Goddess of Learning/ Knowledge. Once again, hand-drawn art and so, so stunning! The yellow colour sari of Maa Saraswati is a hat-tip to the tradition of wearing yellow on Saraswati Puja.  A dual-paneled necklace with hand-painted hibiscus/ joba flowers! What is not to love?! This is pretty much perfection!  Last, but not the least, is this beautiful Ho...

Hello!  Today I want to share a little haul from iTokri, which is pretty much my favourite place to get treats from. I have bought pretty much everything from them, bags, stationery, home decor bits, bedding and incense and a whole lot more.  This time I got these two, slightly similar things from iTokri.  One this gorgeous, super colourful mixed fabric collage (ish) pouch from Jugaad. I've been buying things from Jugaad since 2005-06 when they would come to Dastakar. So getting something from them makes me very nostalgic, plus they have such pretty things.  I love the colours on this pouch. So spring and citrusy.  I guess I was really feeling the citrus when I made this order, because this bag and it's colours just drew me in.  I also love how spacious it is, I can't wait to carry it in the summer.  I also love having seasonal colours in all aspects of my life, especially my bags.  :)  Hope...

Book: The Secrets Between Us Author: Thrity Umrigar Pages: 368 Read: The paperback edition pictured above Read in: 4 hours or so Plot Summary:  Poor and illiterate, Bhima had faithfully worked for the Dubash family, an upper-middle-class Parsi household, for more than twenty years. Yet after courageously speaking the truth about a heinous crime perpetrated against her own family, the devoted servant was cruelly fired. The sting of that dismissal was made more painful coming from Sera Dubash, the temperamental employer who had long been Bhima’s only confidante. A woman who has endured despair and loss with stoicism, Bhima must now find some other way to support herself and her granddaughter, Maya. Bhima’s fortunes take an unexpected turn when her path intersects with Parvati, a bitter, taciturn older woman. The two acquaintances soon form a tentative business partnership, selling fruits and vegetables at the local market. As they work together, these two women seemingl...

Book: The Space Between Us Author: Thrity Umrigar Pages: 321 Read on: My Kindle Read in: 4.5 hours Plot Summary:  Set in modern-day India, it is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years.   Things I Liked: 1. My sister read and loved this book way back in 2010 or something! And she, recently, picked up the sequel and was most engrossed in it, which actually got me to go buy the book on Kindle immediately and start reading it. The premise of this book in itself is so compelling- the story of an upper-middle class Parsi woman and her maid. The contrast in their lives and yet the elements that bind them together. What is not to love?! 2. The writing is beautiful! The author brings...

Book: At Home in Mumbai Author: Chandrima Pal Pages: 256 Read: The paperback copy pictured above Read in: 2-3 hours Publisher: HarperCollins India Plot Summary:  Mumbai. A place you can call home and yet where you might remain homeless. Friendly and hostile. Generous and ruthless. A city that embraces and embodies contradictions.   No other city captures your imagination with such fierceness. And none other obsesses as much over space be it a 250 sq. ft kholi in a chawl or a snazzy apartment in a gated colony. The boy who calls a patch on the pavement his ghar, or the globetrotting fashion entrepreneur at her Cumballa Hill home, the star waving to his fans from his Bandra terrace, or the migrant who struggles to find acceptance in the city teeming with outsiders every person in this city has a story of negotiating the idea of space. At Home in Mumbai is an attempt to tell some of these stories to understand what being at home really means to those who have b...

1. Alta coloured feet on a tote bag.  So in love with this beauty.  This one is from Aham Bhumika.  2. Sloths in all shapes and forms.  A party animal sloth is the cutest little thing!  :)  3. Sugarcane juice as the days get hot.  4. An inspirational message on my laptop case.  This one is from Chumbak.  5. My current read/// Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup.  This book has been on my TBR for a while now. I have heard only excellent things about it and that excites and worries me, books with so much hype around them worries me so much. I just finished reading an over hyped book- Daisy Jones and The Six and hated it. So I am desperate for a good read. And I am hoping this book doesn't disappoint. I am only a little bit in and I love it so far in. It's lyrical, beautiful and the world in which it is set is wonderful. I am hoping to read this over the weekend.  Have a great ...

Book Review: Never Tell Author: Lisa Gardner Pages: 405 Read on: Kindle Read in: 4 hours Plot Summary:  One death might be an accident. Two deaths looks like murder. A man is shot dead in his own home, and his pregnant wife, Evie, is found with the gun in her hands. Detective D.D. Warren instantly recognises her. Sixteen years ago, Evie also shot her own father. That killing was ruled an accident. D.D. doesn’t believe in coincidences. But this case isn’t as open and shut as it first appears, and her job is to discover the truth. Evie might be a victim. Or she might be about to get away with murder again. Things I Liked: 1. I like Lisa Gardner's books. She writes nice taut thrillers with a fair amount of character building, which is always nice, especially, in taut crime thrillers. I have read  several books by her, including previous books in her Detective DD Warren series. This book is the 10th DD Warren book and is, possibly, the best i...

Hello!  We often seem to skip Spring, here in India. We got from winter straight into the hard summers. And from what I've read online, this summer promises to be a scorcher.  But surprisingly, we are being blessed with some benign Spring days.  Mild, heady sunshine.  Cool breezy days.  Chilly nights.  Oh!  The weather Gods for once are very pleased with us. We were blessed with a wonderful winter and now Spring is making me all kinds of happy.  :) I am always apprehensive when summer approaches, so I hope Spring lingers on for a little bit.  All the pictures above were clicked in Aurangabad, during somewhat mild afternoons. :) Hope you have a lovely weekend. 

Hello March!  Hello Spring!  Hello Holi!  Hello Spring Blooms!  ⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘ Be Kind.  Be Peaceful!  Be Wonderful!  ~~~ March also means a month dedicated to reading only Women Writers for #femmemarch and #femmemarchfest  I am yet to pick out my TBR.  But I have picked out my first read-- Peril At End House by Agatha Christie, I mean if I am going to read only women all month long, I will start with one of my faves. And there is no one quite Dame Christie.  ~~~ March also means my mother's birthday.  We celebrated a little quietly this year with this delicious KitKat cake and Chinese food.  :)  ~~~  MARCH GOALS///  1. Read good books and read 12 books or more.  2. Go to a museum.  3. Write everyday. Even if it's free flowing thoughts.  4. Blog regularly. I have been slacking quite a bit on the blogging front and it's ...