The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Book: The Shadows Author: Alex North Publisher: MacMillan Pages: 359 Read On: Kindle How Long it Took Me To Read: 6 hours (I could not, would not put it down.) Plot Summary:   Twenty-five years ago, troubled teenager Charlie Crabtree murdered his friend and classmate. For Paul Adams, it's a day he'll never forget. He's never forgiven himself for his part in what happened. He's never gone back home. But when his elderly mother has a fall, it's finally time to stop running. It's not long before things start to go wrong. A copycat killer has struck. Paul's mother insists there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds Paul of the most unsettling part of what awful day. The fact that afterwards, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again . . . Things I Liked: 1. I read The Whisper Man by Alex North last year and loved it. It was everything I expect in the thriller and then some. I can't believe I ...

Book: The Patient Author: Jasper Dewitt Pages: 225 Read On: Kindle How Long it Took Me Read: 6 hours with a couple of breaks. Plot Summary:   Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his job at a mental asylum, miscalculates catastrophically when he undertakes curing a mysterious and profoundly dangerous patient. In a series of online posts, Parker H., a young psychiatrist, chronicles the harrowing account of his time working at a dreary mental hospital in New England. Through this internet message board, Parker hopes to communicate with the world his effort to cure one bewildering patient. We learn, as Parker did on his first day at the hospital, of the facility’s most difficult, profoundly dangerous case—a forty-year-old man who was originally admitted to the hospital at age six. This patient has no known diagnosis. His symptoms seem to evolve over time. Every person who has attempted to treat him has been driven to madness or suicide. Desperate and ...

Book: The Mothers Author: Sarah J Naughton Pages: 288 Read on: Kindle Read in: 4-5 hours Plot Summary:  Five Women. They meet at their NCT Group. The only thing they have in common is they're all pregnant. Five Secrets.  Three years later, they are all good friends. Aren't they? One Missing Husband. Now the police have come knocking. Someone knows something. And the trouble with secrets is that someone always tells. Things I Liked:  1. The premise of this book is very interesting. Five mothers, who are part of a Mother's Club that meets up once a month or so to just drink, chat and decompress. One of their husband's goes missing. Each woman has a secret to hide. Very Big Little Lies kind of vibes and there is just something about the dynamics between friends and the secrets they keep for each other, which I find very interesting.  2. The events in the book are narrated from six different perspectives- the five mothers (Bella- whose husba...

Book: The Guest List Author: Lucy Foley Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: 319 Read On: Kindle How Long it Took Me To Read:  1 day Plot Summary:   The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner  – The bridesmaid – The body On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed. But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the remin...

So, last night we binged watched Indian Matching,  a new reality TV series on Netflix focused on the grand institution of arranged marriages and how they happen in today's Indian society and diaspora, especially, amongst the very, very wealthy. We, of course, were recommended this series by Netflix when it premiered on July 16th, but, honestly, we ignored it because it did not seem like something that would interest us. So, we let it be and scrolled past it to watch other things. We ended up watching it because Swati Daftaur was live-Story-ing her reactions to the episodes on Instagram and her evocative commentary got me and my sister fully intrigued! What was this show all about? Why did it sound like it could be totally cringe-worthy but also a lot of fun? So, on Sunday evening, we thought we'd give it a whirl! Going in, I had no idea what to expect from the show in terms of a format. So, to help you decide on whether you ought to watch it or not, let me give you a...

July has been full of.. Lilac Skies.  Re-reading old favourites.  Being back in the bedroom after 3 months of sleeping on the floor in the living room.  It's so good to be back in my own bed. My soft, pillow and plushie filled bed.  Chai and Biscuits.  Being Brave and Lebu Cha :)  It's been an odd month so far.  Feels too long. Going by too soon. I am reading, re-reading quite a bit.  Drinking more tea than usual.  Listening to music. Watching strange Reality TV.  Making Reels.  Just trying to navigate another month in lockdown.  Hope you are doing well...well enough I guess. 

Hello, hello, Another weekend in the Lockdown! Since most of us are staying home, I thought I'd share a few movies and series that I've been enjoying recently, in case some of you are at a loose end in terms of what to watch! 1. The Baby-Sitters Club  Whether you grew up reading the books or not, The Baby-Sitters Club (streaming on Netflix)  is guaranteed to make you feel warm and fuzzy and make you miss your childhood friends!  Especially, for those of us, who grew up in the simpler times of the 80s and 90s, the bonds between a gang of girls and the simple things that bring them joy will warm the cockles of your heart! Seriously, this is such a wholesome (without being corny) and heartwarming show! Watch it! Show it to your kids! Just watch it! 2. Desperados  In the mood for watching something hilarious? Look no further! Desperados on Netflix is a laugh riot!!!  After Wes drunkenly sends an angry email to her new, pe...

Book: Home Before Dark Author: Riley Sager Publisher: Penguin Random House Pages: 400 Read On: Kindle How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary:  What was it like? Living in that house. Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called  House of Horrors . His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling  The Amityville Horror  in popularity—and skepticism.  Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renova...

Hello!  Do weekends really even matter anymore?  I woke up yesterday convinced it was Saturday, only to find out it was only Friday.  Eh. Life lately..I guess.  I had a very slow reading month in June, so in July all I want to do is read.  Reading has been slow all lockdown long, which is sad because I thought all I'd do is read. But I've had a hard time focussing on things, especially books. I am doing better re-reading old favourites or watching films or TV shows.  I started July with two books that I am so excited to be reading.  So let's talk about that... The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth: I started reading this on the last day of June, a way to end Pride Month by reading a book about a young girl in Montana, who is sent to a camp specialising in Conversion Therapy. A girl dealing with not just the loss of her parents, but also trying to figure out her sexuality and how she can be true to hersel...

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you'll know that my sister and I, we, love crime/ mystery/ thriller as a genre. Not only do we read a lot of crime/thriller books, but we also listen to several popular true crime podcasts . So, it was a no-brainer when we read that Unsolved Mysteries, a popular true crime investigative documentary style show, is being revived on Netflix this month! We couldn't wait to watch it! Long story short, we binged all six episodes quite rapidly and we LOVED it! Here's why we think you'll love it too! 1. The Cases : The cases featured in this Volume/ Season of the show (yes! There is hope that we'll get another volume/ season eventually!) were varied, mysterious, puzzling and gripping! They ranged from missing persons to homicide to hate crimes to even some paranormal activities and each case will make you wonder how it happened and, in some cases, who the perpetrator is and how he/ she managed to get away...

Book: The Last Train to Key West Author: Chanel Cleeton Pages: 320 Read on: Kindle Read in: ~4 hours Plot Summary:  In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys.   For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape.    After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana ,  Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life.    Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to s...