Review: Lust Stories 2 on Netflix (Spoiler Filled Review).

 

We watched Lust Stories 2 last night and here is a full on spoiler-filled review for y'all! 

BEWARE- FULL SPOILERS AHEAD- SKIP THIS POST IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPOILERS

Lust Stories 2 is an anthology of four short films centred around, what else, lust. The themes for each of these stories are different and so, as an anthology, it works well. Also, all the stories are women-centric, which given the theme is always nice to see. So, without any further ado, let's dive into the individual short films. 

The first story is directed by R. Balki and is, honestly, one of the most ridiculous and far-fetched ones in the anthology! While it did make me chuckle on multiple occasions, the whole schtick of a Dadima insisting on her granddaughter have sex before marriage with a potential semi-arranged marriage groom is just ridiculously far fetched given the social milieu and the kind of family shown in this story, which is an average middle-upper-middle class family! 

Can you imagine your or my grandmother insisting on sex and orgasms with a potential arranged marriage suitor before deciding on marrying him?! And can you imagine said grandmother saying this in front of you, your parents, your potential husband and his parents?! All in the first formal meeting of all parties! 

If you've picked up your jaw off the floor, we can continue! :) 

Neena Gupta as the sex positive Dadi is hilarious but what is even this story?! She tells her granddaughter, played by a coy and blushing Mrunal Thakur, gory details about her rigourous sex life both pre and post marriage with her late husband! She also proudly shows off a packet of old condoms (yay for safe sex and go Granny!) but this is the kind of TMI no grandmother will share and no granddaughter wants to ever know!! 

I swear there wouldn't be enough bleach to pour into my ears if I had to listen to my grandparents sexy time adventure. No thank-you! And my paternal grandparents had a love marriage and were deeply in love and we've heard their story but thankfully never ever about anything scandalous. 

Low key very cringe. And this story was clearly made for virality, shock value and for memes I guess. 

And very, very try hard. 

On to the next. 

Konkona Sen Sharma directs a story about voyeurism and female desire, juxtaposed with the lower classes need for private space. I know I was supposed to like this. I was meant to like this. And it's not like I didn't. I did, I like the nuance and sensitivity with which Konkona tells this story and looks at desire, the gaze is decidedly female and not exploitative. I also really appreciated that the husband of the domestic worker was not some sadly stereotypical violent man, he was gentle and kind and sensitive and sensible. I liked that there was no unnecessary violence. The acting of every single actor was superb and pitch perfect. The showdown between the women was explosive and so so believable. Also, I loved the Tillotama's flat's decor. It's very my aesthetic and I loved seeing so much of this flat in this story. 

But...it felt too long? This story is definitely the longest out of the four and after a point...I just wanted it to wrap-up. The end was also unreal. You don't reconcile from a showdown like this, you don't move on or forget and forgive. It's so awkward to try and be in each other's life again. I don't think anyone would bounce back from a situation like this. 

And also both women and what they were doing was so wrong. Both of them.

The domestic worker bringing her husband in to have sex every single afternoon was such a breach of boundaries and ethics. As was home owner watching them and getting off. It's so wrong. Both of them. It gave me such an ick. And I know now it's not PC to kink shame anyone but man this was so fucked up. 

Weirdly enough this might be my least favourite story in the anthology. Which I know I am it the minority because I know everyone else is going gaga over this. 

Ok next. 

Sujoy Ghosh directs a what I would call a thriller and a very obvious one at that. You can tell from the get go what's about to unfold and what exactly is going on. Still, I enjoyed the ride. This was short and crisp and satisfying in the end. 

However this didn't answer a lot of questions, which would take three extra minutes to answer. For example, I am still not sure if Anu, Vijay's current wife, was in on Shanti's murder, because where would Vijay have money to pay contract killers? Or she is in the dark? 

Overall, this film was strictly okay but it could have been so much better given it was directed by Sujoy Ghosh and he just left so much for the audience to make sense of! Just shoddy work! 

Next, Amit Ravindernath Sharma directs yet another thriller with a hint of lusting. Very competently performed by Kumud Mishra and Kajol, this is a story about lust, violence, power and the backfiring of plans. 

Fyi, TW for SA and Violence. 

Kajol, an ex-sex worker, is now married to a local raja of sorts, whose kingdom and riches are long gone but not his sense of entitlement and power, which he wields over his local populace, especially, the bodies of women. He is a nasty piece of goods, who rapes and assaults every woman in his path, especially, his long-suffering wife. 

Finally, Kajol has had enough. When she finds out that her erstwhile brothel has a young woman, who has recently tested positive for HIV, a plan forms in her mind. Not a very good plan, as we find out. 

Anyway, this plan was a train wreck from the get-go. I mean, there are easily five ways to get rid of one's drunk and debauched husband that are more effective than what she had planned! 

The events of the story are supposed to be some kind of a "twist" but I saw this coming the moment Kajol (and the audience) is told about the young HIV positive woman! Very predictable. As was the eventual outcome of this, honestly, harebrained plan! 

However, what was most disturbing was Kajol's character thinking it was okay to bring this young, once-full-of-potential, naive young girl into her life just so her POS husband could rape and exploit her! Just because the girl is a sex worker does not mean that she should be made a target of a rapist! Or that it was somehow okay for a sex worker to be raped and abused in the hopes that the sick husband also gets HIV! This is problematic on so many levels that I just can't stop seething! Basically, Kajol's character strips this young woman of her humanity just because she is a sex worker with HIV?! And as the audience are we expected to applaud this brilliant plan of hers?! Also, if your plan works exactly as you had hoped, your husband get HIV, you know he rapes other women, so what about their safety? Do you not care if they get infected? 

So in this light the final twist makes me a little happy. 

Final Thoughts: This anthology is what I'd like to call timepass. Worth a one time watch. Not as bad so many reviews are making it out to be. It's OK. It has it's problems, but if you have nothing to watch this weekend give this dekho. 

Book Review: The Only One Left by Riley Sager

 

Book: The Only One Left 

Author: Riley Sager 

Pages: 401

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4 hours

Plot Summary: 

At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope 

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life 

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead 

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.

Things I Liked:

1. A gothic, true-crime (Lizzie Borden)-inspired murder mystery that is atmospheric and twisty as hell! That's exactly what this book is and I enjoyed several hours of a cloudy day immersed in the gloomy, gothic, eerie world of Hope's End, where in 1929 a whole family was slaughtered and the only surviving daughter was considered guilty of the crimes though she was never convicted due to lack of evidence. From start to finish, this book was an immersive and engaging read. 

2. The characters are very gothic-esque as well. You have the Housekeeper- the grim Mrs. Baker, who seems to be the keeper of many secrets that she won't share. The chef- Archie- who was best friends with Lenora but will not reveal what happened that fateful night. The mysterious nurse- Mary- who just ups and leaves one night, which is how Kit gets the job in the first place. Lenora Hope- the prime suspect of multiple murders- is the most mysterious and gothic-esque of them all. 

Lenora wants to tell Kit the story of the night her whole family was killed and she chooses to do so by typing out a few pages at a time with her hand that still works. Lenora seems harmless enough but is she? Or is she actually not paralysed at all given Kit hears footsteps in her room late at night and sees shadows at the bottom of the connecting door between the rooms? What is Lenora hiding? And why is she even confiding in Kit? These are but some of the questions that hound us while we go through the book. 

3. The house itself is a character of sorts. Once Kit moves in, she realises that the house is actually, gradually, sliding and tipping into the ocean in bits and spurts. The grand house on the cliffs is all crooked and askew and its rich brocade walls have cracks big and small as though the house itself wants to expel all its secrets. 

4. The book has a number of red herrings and twists big and small. You may guess several things correctly but something or the other about the story will take you by surprise and in a crime thriller that is always a win! 

5. The ending is satisfactory and the author has very smartly left lots of breadcrumbs that will make sense in the last few chapters as all is told! 

Rating: 4.5/5 

A wonderfully immersive read for these upcoming cloudy, moody monsoon days! 

Friday Favourites: Flowers in the Hills.

Hello Loves! 

Where are the rains?

It's nearly end of June and the rains are playing hard to get. 

So here's a little throw back to these glorious flowers in the hills of Kurseong. 

Oh God take me back to the hills. 

 

Flowers + Mountains are a sure shot way to make me happy. 

I cannot wait to go back to the hills. 

Book Review: The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

 

Book: The Quiet Tenant 

Author: Clémence Michallon 

Pages: 372

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4.5 hours 

Plot Summary: He took you and you have been his for five years. But you have been careful. Waiting for him to mess up. It has to be now.

Aidan Thomas is a hardworking family man and a respected member of his community. He's the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. He's also a kidnapper and serial killer who has murdered eight women. And there's a ninth, a woman he calls Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed where she fears for her life.

When Aidan's wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Cecilia, are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel too, introducing her to Cecilia as a family friend who needs a place to stay. He knows that after five years of captivity, Rachel is too frightened of the consequences to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and a survivor. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia's orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan's secret.

The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life through the voices of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily - and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. 

Things I Liked:

1. Finally, a new sub-genre of thriller is here! As someone who reads a lot of crime thriller books, all the tropes get really old really fast! It has come to point where the killer is so easy to guess at the 10-15% mark in the book, which left me feeling so angry and dissatisfied! Hence, I was so happy to see this book pop up on Amazon because, for once, it is not following the usual crime thriller tropes and is actually a realistic exploration of trauma and power and the desire to survive against all odds!

2. This is a difficult book to read. Please note that there is description of sexual assault and r*pe. If you find these things triggering, then do stay away from this book. This book is about a girl, who has been held captive by a perverted killer for five years and, it goes without saying that, he has kept her with him for r*ping and exploiting her on a regular basis. So, those aspects of the book are difficult to read but I did persevere on because everything "Rachel" (not her real name but the name given to her by her kidnapper) thinks, feels and does to survive are so realistic and heartbreaking. She is not a "hero" but she uses all her smarts and works within the limits of her trauma to think of ways to end her captivity. 

3. This is a story told from the perspective of multiple women around Aidan- "Rachel", his daughter- Cecelia and Emily- a young woman with a massive crush on him. Apart from them, we also have a chapter each from each of the eight women that Aidan murdered. We get to see how Aidan shares his "troubles" with these poor women before r*aping and murdering them! Such a twisted, devious man! 

Coming back to the women, each of them show us a different side to Aidan- brutal, charming, caring, controlling, helpful. It helps the reader understand how effortlessly Aidan operates within the community he lives in and how he manages to come across as 'father of the year' to his daughter! 

4. I loved how "Rachel" plans her escape. This is not a spoiler because we know from the very beginning that Rachel is planning her escape and I love how systematically and carefully she plans it. She knows she can't afford to make a mistake and she can't have any failed escape attempts. She has one shot to do it correctly! So, her plan is a bit of a slow-burn, which is to be expected and I appreciated that the author made all of it seem so realistic. 

Things I Didn't Like:

1. Since this book is about a serial killer, it would've been good to provide some understanding into what drove Aidan to become one. We just get minimal snippets of information on his past- he was in college (we are made to think it was Med School, but we can't be sure because he could've lied to Cecelia and his wife), we know he joined the Marines in their medical unit (again, can't be sure as Cecelia was the source of this info) and we know that he left the Marines to do a blue collared job that barely provided enough for him and his daughter. Beyond that, apart from the urge to control someone, there is just no insight or information into why he did what he did, which, for me, was a let down. 

Rating: 4/5 

Book Review: The Housemaid and The Housemaid's Secrets by Freida McFadden

 

Book: The Housemaid 

Author: Freida McFadden 

Pages: 329 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~3 hours 

Plot Summary: Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

Review: Long-time readers of this blog know that we enjoy and read a lot of crime fiction! Most of the tropes and twists become predictable after a while and so, one's enjoyment of the genre reduces. So, it is always nice when a book series tries to do something new in the genre! 

This is an interesting book with a twisty storyline and a few interesting twists. Some you may see coming if you are an avid crime fiction reader, but some might pleasantly surprise you! 

This series has a very interesting protagonist. Millie is not the lost, broke and innocent young woman that you might think she is. As a reader, you see all the red flags about Millie's employer- Nina, a spoilt, mean and rich housewife- and you start fearing for what might happen to Millie. 

The book is fast-paced and well written and the ending is highly satisfying! 

Rating: 4/5 

Book: The Housemaid's Secrets 

Author: Freida McFadden 

Pages: 319 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~3 hours 

Plot Summary: “Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job—not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…

It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want.

It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything…

That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe.

Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go… 

Review: The second book in the Housemaid series is a bit similar but still sort of different from the first. It is still fast-paced and crisp and has a few good red herrings. 

However, I had guessed what was going on for the most part and only one twist took me by surprise. It is good but not as good as the The Housemaid. 

Rating: 3.5/ 5 

Book Review: Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

Book: Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder 

Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell 

Pages: 376

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4 hours 

Plot Summary: 

Juniper Bean has big plans for her writing career. Swoony kisses, sigh-inducing happily ever afters—she’s going to write them all.

There’s just one problem: she can’t seem to stop killing off her main characters.

After accepting that a genre change is in order, Juniper sets out to do some research. What’s the best way to carry a dead body? How exactly does one pick a lock? Juniper is going to find out—with the unwilling help of her new roommate, Aiden.

But Juniper’s plans go haywire when she stumbles across an actual, real-life dead body—and before she knows it, she and Aiden are thrust into the middle of a murder mystery that seems suspiciously tied to Juniper’s past.

Who killed the girl in the woods? Can Juniper ever get the hang of mystery writing? And, perhaps the biggest question of all: Why the heck does Aiden look so good in a tweed jacket?

Things I Liked: 

1. This book is the perfect mix of a cozy romance (book-loving lead characters, cute little small town, mostly sweet people) and a gory-but-not-stomach-turning murder mystery. So, if you are not a heavy duty crime fiction reader and want to read something that has spades of romance and a decent murder mystery then this, absolutely charming, book is just perfect for you!

2. This book is all heart. It is not a frivolous rom-com but it has a lot of heart - it moves you, makes you think, touches upon difficult topics like poverty, hunger and assault in a very meaningful way. Juniper's past and some of the things that she had to endure as a child will just break your heart. There is also something involving Juniper's past, which is heartbreaking, but it is a spoiler and so, I am not going to talk about it here. 

3. Loved the characters. Especially, Juniper and Aiden. Their chemistry, history and banter is A+. I laughed out loud during many of their crazy shenanigans. 

Juniper is such a character! She is funny, determined, silly and sweet. She has gone through and overcome so much in her life but she is determined to rise above it and have a good life and a good future. Her warmth and fun persona really shine through the pages. 

Aiden is a typical man-of-few-words type of a dreamboat. He is a teacher/ guidance counsellor, reads a lot, volunteers at a Food Bank and is serious and grumpy but not mean. He is not an alpha and thank God for that! He comes across as an accessible dreamboat and that is always a lovely thing!

Aiden's family is also really sweet, especially, his sister and mum. 

4. The writing is good and the pace of the book is crisp and there is never a dull moment! 

Rating: 4.5/5 

The perfect book to read on a lazy Saturday afternoon! 

Book Review: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Book: The Covenant of Water 

Author: Abraham Verghese 

Pages: 736 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~8-9 hours, over two days 

Plot Summary: Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning - and in Kerala, water is everywhere. 

At the turn of the century a twelve-year-old girl, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.

A shimmering evocation of a lost India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

General Thoughts: The Covenant of Water is, without doubt, one of the best books I have read in a very, very long time. It is panoramic and breathtaking in its scope, its characters are so life-like and lovely- they stay with you long after you've finished the book. This is the kind of writing and storytelling that made me fall in love with reading. The type of narrative and storytelling you'd expect from stalwarts like Salman Rushdie or Amitav Ghosh or, more recently, Jhumpa Lahiri. If you have any doubts about picking this book up, then let our *glowing* review convince you to rush out and buy a copy! 

Things I Liked: 

1. I loved the broad canvas of the story itself, which spans the 77-year period between 1900 to 1977 - a period marked by cataclysmic changes in India and the world. An interesting time period in which to set a story about a family and the people around it, connected to it- by both blood and friendship. A sprawling, multi-generational family saga that is not merely about a family but also about the village-town and Kerala and the world, really. The sheer scope of this book, the topics it covers and the journeys of its key characters is what makes this book the masterpiece that it is! 

2. The writing is beautiful. It is simple yet evocative as it brings the village of Parambil, the family at the centre of this novel and the various people their paths cross with, to stunning life. It is as though you know these people, feel their feelings and get so invested in their ups and downs, trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows. There is a lot of Malayalam words infused in the text but it does not really get in the way of understanding the dialogues or the context. 

3. There are so many wonderful, beautifully constructed, real, flawed, lovely, lovely characters in this book. Their lives, values, ups and downs, feelings, decisions, mistakes and flaws make them so real and so memorable. 

My favourite was Ammachi, whose life forms the nucleus of this novel. Our journey into this world starts with little Ammachi getting married to a much-older man and leaving her mother and home behind to move hundreds of kilometres away to effectively head a household. Her growth from an uncertain twelve-year old to the matriarch that she eventually becomes is not smooth or without heartaches but she is a character that I grew to love so much. Her faith, her love, her generosity, her acceptance of people just as they were, for who they were, really moved me! 

I also really, really loved Rune Orqvist- the Swedish doctor- who'd made his life in Kerala and finds his  purpose in serving the most ostracised and suffering. 

The various people who lived on or worked in Parambil- Shamuel, Odat Kochamma, Dolly Kochamma, the twins- Georgie and Rajen, little Jojo, sweet Baby Mol, Mariamma, Anna Chedethi, Lenin, Uplift Master- all absolutely lovely, lovely characters, who infuse this book with so much sweetness. 

4. I really appreciated that this book is not written for a western audience. To be honest, I am always a little weary of reading books about India written by diaspora authors because there is always a pandering to the western gaze and an urge to exoticize India and all things Indian. I have seen this happen in multiple books and it is very annoying and, not to mention, inauthentic. The Covenant of Water is written with an Indian gaze without making our culture, our homes, rituals and people seem exotic. They are all incredibly human and Indian, which adds to the relatability and charm of the story. 

5. There is so much goodness and grace in this book. The family and friends of Parambil face deep loss and various kinds of troubles but, sooner rather than later, the business of living takes over and all the characters deal with grief and loss in such a graceful manner and rise above that to life, make memories, do good and love each day. Reading this book felt like a hug! 

Rating: 5/5 

Highly, highly recommend this fantastic book! 

Saturday Shenanigans- A Day in My Life.

 Hello Loves! 

Here's what my day looked like today. 

Set up my June Journal. 

Decorated. 

Wrote. 

Set some Goals. 

A pen stand and some owls. 

Summer Bloom. 

Gratitude Journal, June Week I. 

I don't really decorate my Gratitude Journal very much, I like to keep it clean and uncluttered. 

The moon tonight is a thing of beauty. 

I honestly was staring it for so long. It looked comically large. Like a big old dollop of ice-cream. 

:) 

How was your Saturday? 

Mine was spent journaling and mainly setting up my new Journal for June. I finally got around to using my Traveler's Notebook Passport sized journal. Most of my morning was spent listening to music and decorating my inserts and writing some feelings away. The train accident in Odisha is breaking my heart and I cannot imagine the horror and pain and fear those passengers must be going through. 

:( 

I used to take long train journeys every single year when I was a child and the mere thought of being in this situation hurts my heart. I keep picturing my family, all cozy and happy, curled up in our berths trying to sleep or reading a book by the night light and in a moment plunged into absolute chaos. 

God help them and I hope more people are rescued and those injured get better. 

What a horrible accident! 

~~~

I also read a lot today. Made a dent in my current read- The Covenant of Water. I am 50% in and really loving it. I still have a whole lot to go and I am curious to see where this story heads. 

My plan for tomorrow is to keep reading, do a spot of cleaning and maybe treat myself to some books to celebrate the Blog turning 10. 

Let's see. 

I hope you're having a good weekend. 

Friday Favourites: Embroidered Phone Case, Brooches, Stationery & Art

 Hello Loves! 

Another Friday and another batch of Friday Faves. 

This time we are doing a whole bunch of random faves. 

First up is this gorgeous hand embroidered phone cover that was made by Rainbow Tales for us! Isn't it just lovely?! 

My Kindle and my reading pen pouch. This cutie is from Paw Prints Accessories also on Instagram. 

These beautiful Chhau brooches are painstakingly handmade by the lovely folks over at Naksha. We have so many beautiful jewellery pieces from Naksha and highly recommend them for beautiful fabric and wood-based jewellery. 

Switched up the art on our walls and love the brightness these cute prints bring to the room. These prints are from Finding Daisies. 

A beautiful handmade journal from Kagajphul. Love the art and the gamcha backdrop! So quintessentially Bengali! 

Loving making a TBR pile in my pink IKEA Raskog cart. Very handy for keeping a capsule collection of books to dive into whenever I want! 

Have added these two magnetic lovelies to prettify my Raskog. The Anxious But Fabulous is an old one from The Piko Shop and the Woman with Coffee is from the Odd Trunk. 

It's June and the monsoons are almost here (one hopes, one prays) and so, the gulmohars have another few weeks of bloom before they all drip off the trees and line the road red! Watching gulmohars bloom is one of my favourite things about summer. 

The front page of my reading journal. Love writing down deeper thoughts about books in this. It is a good practice, especially for those books that make you think! 

Hope your weekend is all kinds of fun! 

See you soon! :) 

Hello June 2023! + A Day in My Life!

 

Hello June! 

Hello Rains! 

Hello Thunder and Cozy Days full of Reading! 

I feel alive when the monsoons come along.

I cannot wait for proper rainy days and just chilling and reading some rain appropriate books. 

I am so happy you are here June. 

Be Good. 

Be Kind. 

Be Rainy and Wonderful! 

⛈⛈⛈⛈⛈⛈⛈⛈⛈

Today looked a little like this/// 

First I was feeling all the feelings about June. June for the longest time meant new beginnings, new term of school and kicking off another year of learning and of course the advent of rains. 

So I wrote a little something. 

June 1st also marks my sister's starting work anniversary so we try to do a little something special and this afternoon we treated ourselves to some Sushi to celebrate. 

Sushi and a few dumplings. 

:) 

Yum Yum. 

I also kicked some reading. 

I am reading two books at the moment. 

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese: I technically started this last month, in the last few days of May and got to about 12% odd. This is a mighty little book, it's over 700 pages so I knew I wouldn't finish it in May. I made some moe process today and I am 30% in and I am LOVING this book. 

It's a sweeping saga (gosh I love me one of those) and begins in 1900 and takes us to Kerala, Glasgow and Madras (so far). It's about a Malayali family and a Scottish doctor and a fear of water and so much more. I am so wrapped up in this world and I just don't want to put it down. It's amazing and I can see why there is so much buzz about this book. I can't wait to read more and I'll let you know what I think about it. 

When in Rome by Sarah Adams: I felt like a little romance read and picked up this book about a pop star in need for a little adventure and change and goes to small town and gets stranded there and meets a pie maker and hilarity ensues and love too. It's light and fluffy and fun so far in. 

Today has included, reading, nostalgia and sushi and talking to my parents and figuring out what to watch. 

I also plan on setting up my journal for June. 

I finally unboxed my Traveler's Notebook and I can't wait to set it up and start using it. Will share how it turns out. It's in a passport size and after three months of using an A5 sized journal, I am happy to switch something smaller. 

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I hope June is a good month. 

I am hoping to read, write and make the most of the rainy days. 

Happy Reading Folks.