The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Book: Lipstick Author: Vish Dhamija Pages: 312 Read: Review copy kindly sent by HarperCollins; all opinions are honest and unbiased Read in: 3 hours Plot:  DCP Rita Ferreira is called into the investigation after a third corpse is discovered in Mumbai, which confirms it is the work of the same killer who paints his victims' lips with dark red lipstick.  The Lipstick Killer, like all serial killers, is fast decompensating - the time interval between the murders shortening, the victims shifting from street-side hookers to high-heeled wives.  And he watches everything and everyone - the news of his exploits, Rita, the investigation - and talks. However, he only talks to you: 'When I'm gone, some people may tell you that I was evil, perhaps even call me a psychopath. Don't believe them. I am not. I am anything but irrational and impractical; perhaps only slightly more detached than your average guy on the street.' Things I Liked: 1. This is my thir...

Hello!  Some beautiful things seen at local pandals.  Colours and crafts.  How have you guys been?  Did you have a happy Diwali?  I had a Diwali full of light and sadly noise due the loudspeakers blaring at a local Kali Pujo pandal. :( But it was full of family and lights and rangoli and phooljharis.  Reading was at a minimum but that is expected.  Do you manage to read during festivals?  I just can't seem to keep with my reading when life is full of lights and rangoli and festivity.  But...bookish programming will be back soon.  Starting with some thriller reviews perfect for Halloween. 

Hey everyone! Just popping in to wish you and yours a very Happy Diwali! May the days ahead be filled with love, peace and joy! Here are some pictures of some corners of our home... We love diyas! They take a lot of refilling, but they are worth the effort!  The only kind of fireworks we have ever bought in our household- sparklers/ phuljhadis! We buy 2-3 packets of small sparklers and light some on Choti Diwali and some on Diwali!  More rangoli!  And one more of our many little rangolis!  Happy Diwali once again! 

Hello!  On my recent visit to Kalimpong, we drove up to Lava, a little town 30 kms from the city up in the hills. The drive itself was gorgeous, winding roads and rains and clouds. Some stretches were in dire states, the road was quite bumpy and there were several patches where repair work was on going, so I am hoping that it will be fixed soon.  Once we got to Lava, the rains really got going. It was pouring hard and by the time we got out of the car and to the monastery we were soaked.  Hence most of these pictures are liberally covered in raindrops.  Sadly, we didn't make it to inside the monastery, given the rains and the slightly steep walk,  I got close enough but I was soaked and even my poor camera was getting wet.  Here are some pictures.  Prayer Flags dancing in the breeze.  Raindrops adding their own bokeh effect.  The entire place was full of all kinds of ferns.  I don't know ...

Hello!  Let's kick off this festive week of Diwali with a festive bag. A thing of utter beauty, The Mohini Bag from Subr.  This bag was love/lust/longing at first sight. We saw it on Subr's Instagram as a sneak peek to their Onam Collection. She was just too special to pass up. Plus, with Durga Puja around the corner we knew we had to have Mohini in our lives.  And we did.  Look at her!  Beautiful all over.  Well-made. Unique. Each detail is spectacular.  The attention to detail and each element of the bag is done to perfection.  Gajra.  Bindi.  Kumkum.  Ah!  She is tiny but is big enough to hold essentials like your phone, compact, lipstick, kajal and keys and card holder.  My sister and I are normally big bag ladies and something this tiny is not something we are usually drawn to. But this bag was too special to pass up.  A quirky and fun and stunning bag....

Hello!  Today I want to share one of my most delightful traveler's notebooks. Our third or so TN from The Black Canvas , which is a fantastic place to get some well-made leather traveler's notebooks. This one is especially special because it is an ode to my city- Bombay.  We, my sister and I, fell in love with this TN when we first set eyes on it.  This originally is a notebook but we requested for a custom TN. We wanted it to something we could use forever and not have a finite number of pages in it and it has turned out so beautiful. The kind folks over there also sent us some delightful freebies which is such an act of kindness. And they are all gorgeous and thoroughly useful and things we've been using ever since. These super colourful and well-made wire organisers are handy since we have a shit ton of charging cables and miscellaneous wires that all do well when wrapped up neatly using these leather wire/cable organisers. I love the purple pebbly...

Book: No Regrets: The Guilt-Free Woman's Guide To A Good Life Author: Kaveree Bamzai Pages: 200 Publisher: HarperCollins Read: I was very kindly sent a copy of the book by HarperCollins. The review and thoughts are mine and are entirely honest. Read in: 3 hours Plot Summary:  This is not a self-help book. It's a book that tells us what not to do, what to remember and what to forget. From being a mother to lessons learnt from our own mothers; managing money to marriage; coping with pain and anger to taking ownership of our health and growing old, Kaveree Bamzai, first woman editor of one of India's largest newsmagazines, a wife, and mother of two boys and two dogs, tells us how to live a guilt-free life, with a little help from a host of highly accomplished women.  With sparkling advice from Naina Lal Kidwai, Arianna Huffington, Sudha Murty, Smriti Irani, Twinkle Khanna and Sania Mirza, among others, No Regrets is the go-to book as we fumble and stumble th...

Hello!  Long time no haul. I must admit that book buying has been slow over here, not that I am complaining. I could, like any other true blue bookworm do with a little less book buying.  Back in August, during Independence Day, Flipkart was having an amazing Sale. Books were being sold for at crazy prices and I was alerted by the lovely sister duo Bhavya and Sabi who run the Instragram handle Our Treasure Chest about the sale, I quickly hopped over and acquired some amazing books.  These are them... I've read a few and the rest are all books I can't wait to get to.  A beautiful stack of books!  There are a few things as happiness inducing as a stack of new books.  Ah!  BOOKS BOUGHT///  1. The Body Myth by Rheea Mukherjee  2. The Carpet Weaver by Nemat Sadat  3. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami 4. Khuswant Singh Selects Best Indian Short Stories  5. The White Tiger by Aravind Adig...