The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Hello Loves!  The first three months of the year are over. It went by in such  a rush, didn't it?  I have decided to break down my reading favourite and do some favourites reads for each Quarter.  My Quarterly Reading Update.  This is Quarter 1 of 2021.  I have read 35 books so far. A good solid number of books to have read. I have bought around 16 books so far in 2021.  & I blogged every single day in 2021.  I am quite pleased with how my reading is shaping up so far.  I've read some good books. Some great books.  & Some not so good books.  But here's some of my favourites.  These books are a mix of my favourite reads for the first Quarter of 2021 and some of my sister's faves too.  My sister has read 26 books and some of these books we've read in common.    1. The Adventures of Goopy The Singer and Bagha The Drummer by Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury: A childhood classic and a Bengali treasure. I am so g...

 Hello Loves!  March is nearly done and it's time to talk about everything I read this month.  March was all about reading women's voices and words for #FemmeMarch  I read only women and women translators all month long and it was wonderful.  Let's jump in shall we?  1. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri: I started my reading month right with one, if not the top favourite book of mine. I love this book. I read it back when it first came out and it honest to God changed my life. This is easily my most recommended book.  Seriously, if you haven't read it please do.  It's incredible.  5/5 I will always, always come back to this book for multiple re-readings.  2. A People's History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian: A book I started reading in February and put it aside to pick it up in March.  A story about a group of feisty girls from a slum in Bangalore who are growing up, finding themselves, fighting for their rights and form...

From my little colourful corner of the world, here's wishing you (if you celebrate it) a very Happy Holi!    Postcard from Chica Being Me Ladybird Brooch from Studio Joyeeta  Notebook from The Ink Bucket  Pouch from Studio Joyeeta  Postcard from Chica Being Me  Woman with Parrot Illustration from Little Joys of Life 

Hey everyone! I hope you've had/ are having a great Sunday!  I've had a nice, restful one with great food and some web series bingeing.  Wanted to quickly share some stunning bookmarks I'd recently ordered from the lovely Tanuka Draws on Instagram.  Tanuka's art is not only gorgeous but she sends out messages of self-care and positivity via her art, which is exactly what the world needs more of!  Let's get to the bookmarks, then?  First of all, look at this cute envelope! She sent us a lovely thank you note along with our order, which I immediately saved to stick in my journal.    Aren't all the bookmarks stunning?  Tanuka has also just started making pouches and tote bags with her art, so, if you want to buy those or her art prints or bookmarks, just DM her on Instagram!  See you soon with some cool web series and movie recommendations!

 Hello, hello! Hope your weekend has gotten off to a good start!  It's the Holi weekend here in India and in a different time, we'd be gearing up to celebrate the festival of colours with sweets and colours!  However, we are doing the best we can and reading some great books!  My sister is reading a collection of short stories by Haruki Murakami called Men Without Women.  Plot Summary:  Across seven tales, Haruki Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women, baseball and the Beatles, woven together to tell stories that speak to us all. Sounds good, right?  I am reading Tanaz Bhathena's The Beauty of the Moment.  Plot Summary:  Susan is the new girl-she's sharp and driven, and strives to meet her parents' expectations of excellence. Malcolm is the bad boy-he started raising hell at age fifteen, afte...

 Hello Loves!  March is nearly done and it's been a surprisingly good month.  A year since our lives changed and what a year it's been!  A lot of looking back happened this month for all of us.  Eh!  All we can do is hope and pray that things get better soon!  Now back to this month that is just about to end.  March was good.  Long.  Full of good books.  Some book buying.  A little travel.  Lots of new stationery supplies.  A lot of journaling.  Some anxious days.  But overall this was a good month.  & Here are some of my favourites from March 2021.  1. Road Trip to Kurseong: My absolute favourite thing this month was a little travel to the hills. It was just for a day. But it was everything I needed! Hills, flowers and being back on the open road!  I can't to go out for a getaway to the hills but this virus just won't let up.  2. Art Journaling: I did a spot of art journaling this ...

Hello Loves!  Today I want to share some beautiful postcards we got from Sunny Skies Starry Eyes.  I've bought some beautiful bookmarks from her before and I am a big fan of her art and the quality of her products.  She prints her stuff on the such good quality matter paper that it makes the art just pop.  :)  I highly highly recommend her work and you need to go get yourself something lovely from her.  She makes bookmarks, postcards, buttons and art prints.    This bougainvillea print might just be my favourite.  It reminds me of the Mahals of Jaipur and the lush flowers blooming in the summer.  Nature is the best.  I could honestly sit and stare at trees for hours and never tire of it.  These are the reading themes ones.  Ah! These make me so happy.  Women who read.  These postcards just speak to me.  There is nothing as good as being curled up with a good book.  I can't wait to put up these postcards...

 Hello Loves!  Let's talk some jewellery today.  I recently got some earrings from this IG shop called The Beta Girl Studio.  Not silver.  Oxidised.  But still lovely.  :)  I am so happy with these earrings.  REVIEW:  They are light weight.  Comfortable to wear and the finish is quite nice.  The pricing is very decent too.  A perfect place to get some trendy pieces.  Very good.  I will most certainly go back for more.  :)  These bird earrings were love at first sight.  So special and beautiful.  They are quire large but surprisingly light.  These are more for daily wear and subtle.  Simple and immensely wearable.  The baalis are so lovely.  I love the look of these.  These are bugadis.  I have never worn one of these before but I am curious to see how these look on.  Here are all of them.  Looking good.  :) Can't wait to wear them soon. 

  Book: The Gopi Diaries Finding Love  Author: Sudha Murty  Illustrator: Sandhya Prabhat  Publishers: Harper Collins India  Pages: 136  How Long it Took Me To Read: Under and hour.  Plot Summary:   Gopi, I can't believe a year has passed since I met you. You have brought me so much happiness!' In this second book in the bestselling Gopi Diaries series, Gopi is stronger, bigger, more confident than the little pup he was in the first book, but he is also cheekier and more mischievous! He faces new situations, new challenges, even new dog companions with endless energy and spirit. And then comes the day when he faces the biggest surprise of them all... Written in Sudha Murty's inimitable style, this simple story told from a dog's perspective shows us just why pets are so precious - for their love, devotion and boundless affection. This is a book for Sudha Murty's fans of all ages as Gopi paws himself yet again into the hearts of children and adults...

Hello Loves!  Let's kickstart this week with some seriously beautiful notebooks that arrived in the mail today.  I came across Ekatra on IG a few weeks ago and I loved their simple and classic Indian block print aesthetic.  After looking at all their designs I picked the mint floral one for myself and this dreamy peach notebook for my sister.  I am so happy with these notebooks.  I am having a major journaling moment right now and it's been bringing me so much joy and keeping my anxiety in check to spend time with my journals and ephemera.  I hope to turn this notebook into my feelings and musing journal. Maybe do some version of my morning pages in here.  I am super excited to get started.  :)    Minty Love.  Here are both of the notebooks looking so pretty.  This peach beauty is seriously sublime and quite uncommon. Reminds me of chikankari work, in essence.  This one has blank pages and my sister intends to use it to ju...

  Book: Saria Zariwala is Afraid  Author: Shabnam Minawalla  Pages: 356 Read: Paperback edition (kindly sent for review by HarperCollins India; thoughts and opinions are entirely, honestly mine) Read in: ~4 hours  Plot Summary:  Saira is thrilled about getting her own phone. What she's not so thrilled about is that most of the messages that arrive on it are for somebody called Akaash. As the messages get stranger, Saira's irritation gives way to curiosity. Who is Akaash? How has he disappeared so entirely that even his friends and family don't know where he is? Is he connected with the horrors that the police have unearthed in a fancy Mumbai building? Saira and her friends decide to play detective. But the light-hearted adventure soon turns dark and sinister. Someone is watching their every move. Someone thinks Saira knows much more than she does. Someone has killed once and is willing to kill again. Curiosity killed the cat. Will it kill Saira? Things I Liked: ...

Hello Loves!  Here's some things that made me happy today:   A bunch of stickers from The Yellow Papier.   Look how lovely!  I can't wait to go home and stick some of them on my water bottle.  Others I want to use in my journal.  Spring means new flowers and many big blooms.  This Lily finally bloomed this morning and look how gorgeous and happy she looks.  One of big pink joba phools also bloomed today.  These journal spreads of mine make me soooo happy!  So happy!  I love how they've turned up and I cannot wait to do more of these spreads.  This makes me so happy.  Making this and then staring at it.  JOURNAL DETAILS:  Journal & Washi Tapes: BRWN  Stickers: The Bodhi Journal  VnV Shop  Shop K Art  La Dolce Vita  Vellum Paper: The Bodhi Journal  &  Shop K Art  Book Notepad: Book Anatomy  :) Hope you are having a good weekend so far.