The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Hello!  Here we are on the last day of the year and it's time to list my favourite reads of the year.  This was a good year for reading.  Not consistently good but good.  There were some months when my reading life was on fire. And others where life took precedence and my reading slowed down.  But overall, 2019 was a good one.  I read 205 books.  A number I am most happy with.  I read a lot!   :)  I read physical books and a lottttttt of ebooks. I have a sneaky feeling that I read more ebooks than physical ones and that's new for me. With a 3 month long vacation, where I was away from my home and my personal library, my Kindle was a lifesaver. And ebooks being generally cheaper than their physical counterparts was kinder to my wallet too.  When it comes to book buying I feel like I was quite well behaved this year.  I bought books when I wanted to and bought books I wanted to read, but I don't remember going overboard with my book buying. 

I always intend on reading more non-fiction but truth be told I am primarily a fiction fiend. I enjoy an occasional foray into non-fiction. And I am so glad I read some really good non-fiction books this year. So let's jump into my favourites from this year. My favourite non-fiction reads of 2019 are: 1. I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara: The true story of a journalist's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer- a serial rapist and murderer linked to over 50 cases of sexual assault and murder. Michelle McNamara interviewed as many victims as she could, tracked objects stolen from the crime scenes that were taken as mementos, worked together with other amateur detectives to try and track down the Golden State Killer. This book is a true labour of love and a must-read for all true crime buffs. 2. At Home in Mumbai by Chandrima Pal: A great little book about the different kinds of homes and the people who live in them. From apartments to heritage b

Hello, hello! How can I end the year without sharing some of my stationery favourites of 2019! Without any further ado, let's look at some of my absolute loves of 2019 (in no particular order) 1. Journal + Pen Pouch from Lyra & Co on Etsy This beautiful handy-dandy B6 journal cover cum pen pouch is super useful for carrying around my B6 Muji notebook and a bunch of favourite journaling pens.  This is the B6 Muji notebook that I use as a travel journal. So, this whole set up is super easy to carry around when I am on the move.  2. Stickers from Bon Bon   These are perfect for journaling. Look at these girls and all their cool outfits!  3. Stickii Club Sticker Subscription This is a ~$11 a month sticker subscription that I have been subscribed to for about 2 years now. Every month has a theme and you get around 5-6 sheets of stickers and a stylised paper clip and sometimes even a fabric patch.  4. A6 Marauders Map TN from Ets

This is what Christmas looked like in my corner of the world.  This year we were sans a tree for very long and I honestly thought that we'd not have a tree.  But on the 23rd my Dad surprised us with a tree and decorations!!!!!  I was so happy!  And sooooo excited to have a tree and baubles in my life again.  :)  It's a tiny tree and we didn't have as many ornaments as I normally have in Bombay but it's still perfect.  I especially love the Santa faces and the little cottages I've added with the lights.  These lights and cottages came as a DIY kit. We got them right before Diwali but not in time to do up the home for Diwali. I think it was perfect for our Christmas tree.  I hope you've had a Merry Christmas.  I hope it involved cake and family and lights.  Talking about lights. here are the lights in my hometown. 

Hello!  Today I want to share some sights and scenes from my local Boi Mela,  Boi Melas or Book Fairs are a winter staple in West Bengal. From big cities to small towns, Boi Melas pop up all over. I have always wanted to go to the Book Fair in Kolkata. My cousins have raved about it forever. Sadly, I've never managed make it there during the right time.  I used to be summer visitor in Kolkata.  So I was so happy to find out that my hometown- Jalpaiguri,  also has a Book Fair and this time I was here for it!  Yay!!!  So, on a cold winter evening, Maa, me and my sister walked to the book fair and spent over an hour browsing the many stalls and taking in the scenes and seeing people mulling over books and coming back with bags full of stories.  Most of the books, as expected were in Bengali.  These books were so beautiful. Sadly, I can't read Bengali, so I obviously didn't buy any of those.  People all bundled up but out and excited about books! 

Like I was saying in my precious blogpost, this Christmas I went on a picnic to Gorubathan. By a river bed. Surrounded by mountains and clouds floating by, it was a serene spot...but fullllll of people. Everyone was out and set to enjoy Christmas.  Dusk.  Winter and picnics go hand in hand.  In my childhood, especially in the year I spent in Lucknow, winter afternoons on the weekend were reserved for outing to the Zoo, Residency and various parks and gardens. Picnics meant lots of snacks, fruits and games.  Being out in the sun and exploring the place we were at.  It was so nice revisiting that slice of my childhood.  Being out under the open sky and seeing all kinds of food being cooked on open fires.  Our menu included// Rice. Dal with veggies. Beguni. Kadhai Paneer. Muri Ghonto.  Mutton curry.  Fish curry. Tomato Chutney.  & Sweets.  Wayyyy more elaborate than my childhood picnics. 

Hello!  Sorry for going all MIA and missing so many days of Blogmas. Honestly, I don't even know what happened. Oh, well..maybe I do. Life has been busy. In a good way.  Hanging out with people.  Book fairs. Dad's birthday.  Picnics. Christmas. All sorts of good things.  I hope you had a good Christmas.  Here are some glimpses of mine.  For Christmas this year I went on a traditional Bengali picnic.  A large group of people, cooking a full meal by the riverside, long drives and conversation.  Will share more of my picnic adventures later on, for now..here are some glimpses of my outfit.  My pretty little backpack from Chumbak Corduroy and beautiful Kashida Embroidery. This bag was comfy to carry and spacious enough to hold all that I needed.  Rings galore & a favourite bracelet.  & More kashida embroidery on my sister's potli bag.  Since it was Christmas of course I wore red.  More red through my wat

Hello, hello! We present to you the Top 10 Thriller reads of 2019! This is one genre I am always, always in the mood for. There is honestly nothing better than sinking into a well-written and pacy thriller. Murders, serial killers, old secrets, sinister plots...oh gimme more! Let's see which books from this genre I loved best in 2019. I recommend all of these books, in fact any of these will make the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one who loves a good mystery or these are the perfect books to curl up with on a cold winter night. Here they are, in no particular order! 1. The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor:   This is a story that moves in time between present day and the protagonist's childhood in the 1980s. A series of murders take place and chalk drawings show up when they happen. Who is this killer? What is he after? Why is he back after 30 odd years? An interesting and gripping book about childhood memories and trauma and, of course, a clever killer. 2. Lock Every D

Winter is all about tartans and checks and staying warm and cozy.  It's getting really cold here in North Bengal. I am currently sitting by the heater in a sweatshirt and socks and a shawl.  I love winter!  OUTFIT DETAILS///  Shirt: Westside  Bracelet: Silver Streak  Pendant: Fabindia  Brooch: By Paulami  Earrings: Amber, Colaba Causeway  Backpack: Fjallraven Kanken  Shawl: iTokri 

Hello!  Let's talk about some beautiful bookmarks today.  I recently added these little homes to my bookmark collection.  Little dreamy little cottages.  Hand drawn and painted.  Each a little unique little cottages.  They remind me of both Hobbit homes and fairy homes.  So cute!  & They are sustainable and use up cycled materials.  So it's goodness all around.  Plus there is no such thing as enough bookmarks!  :)  You can get them from Khaddar Ki Kameez on Instagram.