The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Hello!  Back in May, Speaking Tiger Books was having a summer sale and had some amazing deals on some of their titles. I spend a good hour browsing their site and picked up 10 books that sounded amazing and ones I can't wait to read.  I will say though, their shipping charges were off the charts but given that the books were heavily marked down it sorta made sense. But still, it did give me cause to pause. But I eventually decided to get me these amazing books and support and independent publishing company.  I am so excited about these books and let's see them now, shall we?  My sister read this book last week and loved it.  Set in Amboli in the 1940s it is a collection of interconnected short stories set amongst the East Indian community. My sister loved these stories and these people and I can't wait to read it myself.  Set in 1984 and centred around the riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, this book promises t...

Book: Never Look Back Author: Alison Gaylin Pages: 368 Read on: Kindle Read in: 4.5 hours Plot Summary:  When website columnist Robin Diamond is contacted by true crime podcast producer Quentin Garrison, she assumes it's a business matter. It's not. Quentin's podcast,  Closure , focuses on a series of murders in the 1970s, committed by teen couple April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. It seems that Quentin has reason to believe Robin's own mother may be intimately connected with the killings. Robin thinks Quentin’s claim is absolutely absurd. But is it? The more she researches the Cooper/LeRoy murders herself, the more disturbed she becomes by what she finds.  Living just a few blocks from her, Robin’s beloved parents are the one absolute she’s always been able to rely upon, especially now amid rising doubts about her husband and frequent threats from internet trolls. She knows her mother better than anyone—or so she believes. But all that changes when, i...

Hello!  Today I want to share a super cute haul of pins. I got these delightful pins a while back...March? April, maybe?  Well, the point is I got them and I've been using them but I haven't shared them on the blog and these are too cute to not be shared on here. So here we go!  I got these gorgeous wooden pins from Say it With a Pin , this was my second time ordering from them and I love, love, love everything I got.  These are so well made. Such a good size. The art is fantastic and made in collaboration with artists.  Most of the pins I got, for instance have been designed by Pranita Kocharekar, whose art style I immensely enjoy.  Journal Your Anxiety.  This might as well be my mantra in life.  Journal my anxiety away is one of my sure fire methods to work through the maze of my anxiety and make sense of the chaotic thoughts running through my head. So this pin spoke to me at all levels.  Hello ...

Book: Left from the Nameless Shop Author: Adithi Rao Pages: 328 Publisher: Harper Collins Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary:   A boy communes with the gods by talking to a pillar. The 'hibiscus girl' has her head in the clouds and feet gently planted in her husband's home. Two women, married to the same man, find a strange camaraderie binding them together. The whole town gathers to save the friendly neighbourhood shopkeeper's ice cream from spoiling in the heat. Short-tempered Seshadri hides a terrible shame in his outbursts. A grandfather passes on the magic of self-belief to his grandson. Reminiscent of Malgudi Days, Adithi Rao's debut Left from the Nameless Shop is a charming collection of interconnected stories set in the 1980s featuring the residents of Rudrapura, a small, fictitious town in Karnataka. This is a place bubbling with energy and the sense of community - one you probably lived in and loved whil...

We (my sister and I) just finished binge-watching the new Netflix India series- Typewriter. We thought we should review it, in case any of you were thinking of watching it!  General Thoughts: I'll be honest here, the trailer for Typewriter did not draw me to it. In fact, based on the trailer alone, I had little to no interest in watching the show. It just did not seem interesting. The only reason I started watching the show is when I found out that it has been written and directed by Sujoy Ghosh- a man whose previous work ( Kahaani ) I've enjoyed. So, my sister and I decided to watch the first episode and see if it hooked us.. and, it did. So, let's jump into the review, shall we?  Things We Liked:  1. The show has several elements that appeal to us- horror, a mystery, kids, a doggo, a book at the centre of it all and set in a small town. Put all these ingredients together and you're, most likely, guaranteed an interesting soup! So, that was one o...

Book: How The Sea Became Salty Author: Sudha Murty Pages: 40 Publisher: Puffin India/ Penguin Random House Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 15 minutes Plot Summary:   A long, long time ago, seawater was sweet and drinkable. How it became salty is a remarkable story. India's favourite storyteller brings alive this timeless tale with her inimitable wit and simplicity. Dotted with charming illustrations, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Sudha Murty. General Thoughts: The publisher kindly sent me this darling little book for review. Thank you :) All thoughts and opinions are my own. Things I Liked:  1. The writing as always (I really enjoy Sudha Murty's writing and story telling) was simple and beautiful and moving, all hallmarks of Murty's writing style. 2. The art in these pages is truly beautiful and add so much to the story. 3. This is a perfect way to introduce kids to the ...

The writer very kindly sent me this gorgeous book for review in June. Thank you :)  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  Book: Circus Folks and Village Freaks. Author: Aparna Upadhyay Sanyal Pages: 180 Publisher: Vishwakarma Publications Read On: Hardback edition pictured above How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary:   Meet the beautiful people of the Circus, and the freaks who live in the Village next to them. Mangled, jangled, misunderstood, all find place in the rich tapestry of this book.   Siamese twins separate to lose half a heart each, and find snake-man and tiger-taming lovers. A man bitten by a crocodile becomes a God, and a Devadasi woos the entire countryside with her culinary artistry.   Fates intertwined lead sometimes to tragedy, sometimes happy summits of fame. A clown finds his place in Hollywood and mute animals break unspeakable chains. A twisted man falls in love with a mirror and a ...

Hello!  Let's play some serious catch shall we?  I bought all of these beautiful books back in May and hadn't gotten around to sharing them on here.  I did do an IGTV video hauling these and some other books I've bought since, I have really been enjoying doing book hauls over on my IGTV but I still, obviously want to share my new books on here as well.  So let's jump into all the new books and some little reviews too.  Short stories set in Assam, I am going to read these in August for my Indian Books in August. Yay!  Leila by Prayaag Akbar: God this book!  This damn book. I read this in pretty much one sitting and scared out of my mind. Speculative fiction meets dystopian meets this is happening right now. This book will move you and scare you and I hope make me see the problem plaguing us.  I also have since seen the Netflix show and it's not the best and so different from the book. It's still unnerving and di...

Book: Lock Every Door Author: Riley Sager Pages: 384 Read on: Kindle Read in: 4-5 hours Plot Summary:  No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, ...

Hello!  Long time no outfit post.  So let's change that right now. Well, this is no recent outfit.  In fact, this is an outfit from last year, in October end I wore this very pink number for Kojagori Lokkhi Pujo, Bengali's Lakshmi Puja. It was a fairly warm evening, back in the hometown and I wanted to wear something comfy and breathable instead of something more dressy. Plus, this was strictly a family thing so not like I had to dress up a ton.  I wore this gorgeous cotton number with palazzo pants to stay comfy and we nimble enough to run errands and hand out prasaad and help with little Pujo things.  I did wear a lot of silver, well she is the Goddess of wealth after all :) Plus Maa wanted me to have some 'real' jewellery on.  These aren't the best pictures but these are the only ones I snapped.  :(  Love the subtle floral print on this kurta.  Love my little accessories.  WHAT I WORE...

Hello July!  Hello Rains!  Hello Happiness!  :)  I am so happy July is here and with it the second half of 2019.  How does time go by so fast?!  But the second half of the year is my favourite so I am very happy to see all that this time of the year has to offer.  :)  I want to start this month with some Joy and share some things that have been bringing me sheer joy and happiness recently.  So let's get into it... 1. First up this lovely little book that warmed my heart and made me smile and cry and fill me up with such good vibes. Left from the Nameless Shop by Adithi Rao was something I read in the last few days and it made me so happy. It's set in a tiny village in Karnataka in the 1980s and is full of kind, simple and good people. Interconnected short stories tell us tales of everyday life and village happenings and honestly some of the best people I've met in a book in a long time. I cannot rec...