The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Hello, hello! Since we are still a bit away from the monsoons descending upon us here in India, I thought it is not too late to share some summer reading recommendations of the thriller variety! Let's get started, shall we? 1. Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh  This is an interesting, twisty-turn-y story about a serial killer, who likes to inject himself a little too much into the investigations of the murders that he commits. Normal serial killers like to be eye witnesses or hover around cops, but this one, he likes to be on the jury. So, there is a serial killer on the jury and Eddie Flynn, ex-con turned super-lawyer has to catch him before the bodycount goes up. A very edge-of-your-seat kinda book. 2. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides This is a really interesting book! A woman is accused of murdering her husband. All the evidence points to her being the killer. However, since that night, the woman has not spoken a word! Psychotherapist, Theo Faber believes that he ca...

Book: The Satapur Moonstone Author: Sujata Massey Pages: 375 Read: The Paperback Edition pictured above Read in: 3.5 hours Plot Summary:  India, 1922.  A curse seems to have fallen upon the royal family of Satapur, a princely kingdom tucked away in the lush Sahyadari mountains, where both the maharaja and his teenage son have met with untimely deaths. The state is now ruled by an agent of the British Raj on behalf of Satapur's two maharanis, the dowager queen and her daughter-in-law. When a dispute arises between the royal ladies over the education of the young crown prince, a lawyer's counsel is required to settle the matter. Since the maharanis live in purdah, the one person who can help is Perveen Mistry, Bombay's only female lawyer. But Perveen arrives to find that the Satapur Palace is full of cold-blooded power play and ancient vendettas. Too late she realizes she has walked into a trap. But whose? And how can she protect the royal children from ...

Book: The Flatshare Author: Beth O'Leary Pages: 400 Read on: Kindle Read in: 3.5 hours Plot Summary:  Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.   But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window. Things I Liked: 1. I love me a good romance read! I love it even more if there is some amount of character development  thrown  in and a nice little character arc for each of the protagonists! So, I was super happy to read The Flatshare  because  apart from  being  super cute and fluffy, it also had interesting...

Book: When We Left Cuba Author: Chanel Cleeton Pages: 346 Read on: Kindle Read in: 4 hours Plot Summary:  The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez--her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost. As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future--but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything--not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart. General Thoughts: Last year, I read and loved Next Year in Havana by Chane...

Dhanraj Mahal One of the first buildings to be built in the Art Deco style in Bombay. It housed my dad's office for 35 plus years. The building is not much to look at from the inside, but the facade is really interesting and grand.  Naval Buildings, Apollo Bunder The Elphinstone Building, Horniman Circle  Hello. One of my favourite elements about South Bombay's Gothic architecture are its windows. They are not big or spacious as the French windows, but their shapes are so charming and I love the little curved flourishes that they have. Just adds a bit of round-ness to the stark buildings.  Hope you enjoyed this little photo tour. :) 

Hello.  In early April, I found myself in my favourite book shop. Kitab Khana is one of my favourite places in Bombay. I browsed the bookshelves and came home with 4 books. And here they are.  BOOKS BOUGHT///  1. Small Days and Night by Tishani Doshi 2. Hijabistan by Sabyn Javeri  3. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman  4. The Mountain of Light by Indu Sundaresan  These two books I've already read and loved.  Tishani Doshi's writing is sublime and lyrical and this story in particular will stay with you, long after you've finished the book.  Hijabistan is a collection of short stories about women in hijabs but so much more. I really enjoyed these stories.  Once I read this book, I can finally watch the film that everyone seems to love so much.  :)  Indu Sundaresan is such a fantastic writer and I am always game to read something by her.  The story of the Kohinoor diamo...

Book: The Mother-in-Law Author: Sally Hepworth Pages: 352 Read on: Kindle Read in: 3-4 hours Plot Summary:  Someone once told me that you have two families in your life - the one you are born into and the one you choose. Yes, you may get to choose your partner, but you don't choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all. From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they'll never have the closeness she'd been hoping for. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law. That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in the family is hiding something. Things I Liked:  1. The Mother-in-Law is a book abo...

Hello May! Hello Summer!  Hello Flowers!  Hello Mangoes!  Usually, I am not a big fan of May, one of the hottest months of the year. I just don't do well in summer. I tend to hide away during May, away from the sun and the humidity and look towards June and the rains.  But this May I am hoping to put a positive spin on things and not just hide away. I mean not as much.  I am not about to go brave  the afternoon sun but I don't want to hate on May for no good reason.  So the plan is to immerse myself in books and tackle some bigger books for once.  Maybe read a classic. I haven't read a true blue classic in a while now.  // MONTHLY GOALS FOR MAY // 1. Read well. Good books and big books.  2. Eat a ton of mangoes.  3. Eat fruits. The only things I want to eat during summer is fruits. 4. Watch MCU films. I am still in an Endgame haze and the only thing I want to watch is films from ...