The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

  For the last time in 2022... Hello Loves!  And just like that, 2022 is over.  This was a good year. Overall, for most part this has been a decent year for me.  I spent six months with my parents in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.  And then after 20 months away from home, I came back home, to Mumbai. To my books and my flat and set about finding my way back to my old life,  Before we get to books, let's just talk life shall we?  2022 was different.  Better, so much better than 2021.  I lived in two places.  I spent time with my parents.  Came back home.  Mostly stayed home, I haven't quite shaken off my pandemic mindset, I am hoping to step out and do more in life.  I shopped for little and big things.  Still mostly bought from small businesses.  Got an iPad Mini. A new addition to my reading step-up. I do plan on doing more with it and not just using it to read.  I cooked so much. Like a lot.  Then in April, my left hand just decided to make life difficult. I started having cripplin

 Hello, hello! We'd recently shared our Favourite Movies of 2022 and so, now this post right here is going to be the master list of all our favourite web series, documentaries and other OTT content that we loved in 2022!  If you haven't watched any of these, then you simply should use this long weekend to do just that!  Let's start with our favourite K-dramas/ Korean shows (and one film) of 2022!  Heartfelt, heartwarming, heartbreaking. If you are in the mood for all of the feels, then these Korean shows and movie are an absolute must-watch! All are streaming on Netflix.  A legal drama with a lot of heart, an extraordinary character and a story about three gritty sisters! Both so different but so amazing!  Moving on to Indian web series.. we have a mix of Hindi, Bengali and Tamil recommendations..  These are all quite good and interesting! Enlarge the image to see where each is streaming.  And now, a couple more Indian shows and some of our favourite International shows. 

 I am so grateful that translated works of literature exist! If not we would not have access to so many great books written in a language that we don't speak or read!  Here are my top 5 translated literary fiction books of 2022:  The Korean Wave has brought us great music, TV and film content over the past couple of years. I love that now we also have access to some South Korean books that have been translated into English!  Three of my top 5 translated works are South Korea-related. Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin is originally written in French but is based in the South Korean beach resort town of Sokcho in the non-touristy and bleak winter season. A brilliant little novella that delves into themes of belonging, loneliness and love, Winter in Sokcho is truly bleak and beautiful.  The Hundred Choices Department Store by Ginger Park tells the story of a small town in Korea, the department store and the family that owns it as well as what happens when Russia marches in to &qu

   Hello Loves!  December ends in a few days but my reading for this month, well mainly for this year is all done and dusted.  Ho gaya.  I got to 225 books and it feels like the perfect number to stop at. So I have stopped and reading will now commence only in the New Year.  So I figured I'd get my Reading Wrap-Up for December out of the way and not save it for the end of the month.  So here we are.  December was a good reading month. I read 12 books. I bought nearly the same amount of new books. I allowed myself to be a little indulgent and buy as many books as I wanted to..within reason of course. I also went to a bookshop and came back with five books, which was so wonderful after over two years of no book shop visits!  I read enough.  I read well.  And I did a ton of bookish posts and overall this was a good month reading wise.  OK, let's jump into all the books I read this month.  BOOKS OF DECEMBER 2022:   1. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng: I went into this book with my

 Hello, hello! Sharing our favourite movies (a mix of Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam and English) of 2022 with you.  These are across genres like thrillers, drama, dramedies, horror-comedies, action and such.  As we wind down the year and, hopefully, you have a little more time on your hands, these movies are good ones to watch!  Without further ado, let's get into it!  We will be back with our Top OTT series faves across fiction and non-fiction very soon!  Enjoy! 

 I am a fiction girl, through and through. Always have been and it's safe to say I always will be.  I do however try to read a little more non-fiction every year. Just to try something a little different and venture out of my comfort zone.  This year I did very good on said resolution to read more non-fiction here and there, I read more non-fiction than I normally do and I have really enjoyed mixing it up.  So here's my FAVOURITE NON-FICTION READS OF 2022:  Here we go in no particular order:  1. Sapiens, A Graphic History Vol. I by Yuval Noah Harari: I read this back in January and this is the book that everyone has read but I never got around to reading the..non-graphic version, so I figured I'd pick up the graphic novel version and I am glad I did and I loved this book and this style of story telling so much. Can't wait to read Vol. II at some point and if you haven't read this condensed lesson in human history and our beginnings, you absolutely must pick it up. 

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!  Some fun larger-than-life ornaments at Jio World Drive Mall.  Festive coffee! It is a tradition of sorts to try all festive Starbucks flavours! This one is the Toffeenut Mocha Frappuccino.  Our tiny little tree with a few presents at the bottom!  Hope you have a wonderful holiday full of big and small joys and things to be grateful for! 

 Hello Loves!  &  Happy Christmas Eve to You.  I hope you are feeling sufficiently Merry and Festive!  :)  Two days ago, I went to a bookshop, a proper physical bookshop after agesss, like years and of course I had to buy some books, what am I a monster? No. I bought some books and let's see what I got.  I am calling this my Christmas Book Haul!  The new Upamanyu Chatterjee, this is a literary thriller and when done right, I tend to love this genre. Plus, I have read him before and I had this book on my radar since it came out a few months ago. Love how trippy this cover is. This something both me and my sister want to read come January.  I won't lie, this book was initially a cover pick, as in I found myself pulling this one out because look at these damn colours! So pretty! This chunky little beauty also has a mystery element and a queer love equation.  Sounds interesting and I can't wait to read it soon.  This is not exactly a book, it's a journal for anxiety. To

 Today we just talk about the things that make me happy and things I am immensely grateful for.  Going out, especially with people I like. Dressing up. Bookshop hangs.  And cute little backpacks.  All good things.  Home and it's many comforts, mostly my books and spots to curl up and read in.  My planners and journals.  A place to put my thoughts away.  Festive vibes.  And Christmassy mugs.  Little joys often bring the biggest smiles.  The others things I am super grateful for////  Kind People.  Family. A spot of gossip.  Laughs.  Art.  Light.  Non-anxious days.  Fun dreams.  Day dreaming.  Music, especially older music, the kind I have million memories attached to.  Alone time.  New notebooks.  Ink Pens.  Cake.  Sleeping well.  ~~~~

 After a very, very long time (don't ask, it is slightly shameful!), I went out into the world today!  Went to a lovely bookstore that's been on my list for ages and did a spot of book buying and beauty shopping! Ate some yum food and just had a lovely day out people watching, meeting with friends and having a good laugh!  Here are some pics :)  A glimpse of my outfit and my cute mini backpack. The backpack is made of jute with leather trimmings and straps and  is from The LIFIC .  I stuck on some of my favourite pins and badges. These are ones I've had for a while now. Some are from Ali Express, some from Etsy.  We attended my sister's work Christmas party and so, both of us are in red because there was a dress code- only red, green, white and gold colours allowed. So, we did our best!  Our kurtas are from Kameez and shoes from Vrajbhoomi .  The highlight of our day was spending quality time in a lovely bookstore called 'The White Crow'. It has a very differen

 Hello Loves!  2022 has been the year of Historical Fiction for me. My sister has always enjoyed reading from this genre, and in the past whenever I've shared one of these posts- you know, Top Historical Fiction Reads, it's usually always just been her picks. I almost never read from this genre and not because I have something against it, I don't, I am just not drawn to this particular type of book. But something changed in 2022, I just fell in love with all things historical fiction, especially Indian Historical Fiction.  Here are our (my sister and mine) favourite HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS FOR 2022:   1. The Mendicant Prince by Aruna Chakravarti: The life and death, and then mysterious return of the Sanyasi Raja is a tale that every Bengali has an opinion on. Or you've heard of his remarkable life and the court case that went on for years. It is something I've grown up hearing about and so when this book popped up on my radar, I knew I had to read it. I initially

 Hello Loves!  Getting back to sharing my favourite reads of 2022.  Before we jump into adult fiction and historical fiction and literary fiction, I thought let's go age wise and get the kid lit and YA books out of the way. I didn't read a whole lot from this particular genre but the ones I did read I loved a lot and they deserve a post of their own.  So let's go.  In no particular order, here are some my favourite books from YA and Kid-Lit:  1. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys: I adore everything this author ever writes. She exclusively writes historical fiction, set in turbulent times usually and from the perspective of young people. This book took us to a part of the world and a time period I knew next to nothing about, apart from the very, very basic facts. I recommend pretty much all of her books and this one is so so good.  I have a done a full review, so I won't go on about it. You can read it HERE .  2. Heartstopper Vol. I to IV by Alice Oseman: This one I bi

 Hello Loves!  Time for a little book haul.  Bought some books a few days ago and I swear there is nothing as nice as opening book mail and dreaming about reading these new books you've added to your shelf. And something about December makes me feel a little less guilty about buying books and adding to my over-flowing shelves.  :)  There are 8 new books I've added to my shelves.  A debut novel that's got so much buzz and it sounds so good.  A young couple is filmed while making out or more, and this video then goes viral in their small town and shenanigans ensue. Scandalous!  Sounds like something I'll enjoy immensely.  Saving this for January. Can't wait.  Some campus tales set at BHU.  I think I'll enjoy this. Stories set on a college campus and slice of life and young people finding themselves and love.  A good time.  Plus I got this for like really cheap.  99 bucks only.  I can't resist a deal!  Read Vol. I of this collection back in 2020 and I am excite