The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

  Guys, I don't even how but July just got away from me. I skipped my June reading wrap-up on the 30th of June, thinking I'd do it in the first week of July. But before I knew it, I was in the last week of July wondering what the hell even happened to this month?  I blame these gorgeous rainy days and the urge to just sit and spend my time reading one thriller after another and before you know it the month is over.  Well, so today you get not one but two months worth of books and reviews and recommendations.  :)  So grab a drink and get cozy.  Let's do this.  I have 42 books to talk about, so let's begin.  BOOKS OF JUNE 2023:  1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese: OK, this is pretty much the best book I've read so far in the year. It's brilliant and you have to read it now.  I have a full review, which you can see HERE .  5/5  Love it.  2. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto: This book had been on my radar for ages, I ha...

Book: Pet Author: Catherine Chidgey Pages: 332 Read on: Kindle  Read in: ~4 hours  Plot Summary:  Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine’s sense that something isn’t quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes a yet darker turn. Justine must decide where her loyalties lie. Set in New Zealand in the 1980s and probing themes of racism, misogyny and the oppressive reaches of Catholicism,  Pet  will take a rightful place next to other classic portraits of childhood betrayal and psychological suspense.  Things I Liked:  1. Pet is based in Wellington in 1984 in a very Catholic environment. Our protagonist and narrator, Justine, goes to a Catholic school and lives in a small community of,  mostly, Catholic people...

  Book: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels  Author: Janice Hallett  Pages: 432  Read: The paperback edition (pictured above) Read in: ~6 hours  Plot Summary:  Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police? Everyone knows the sad story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ. Believing they had a divine mission to kill the infant, they were only stopped when the girl came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than stand trial, while mother and baby disappeared into the care system. Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed; if Amanda can find them, it will be the true...

July is going by in such a hurry!  But it's been such a good month of such little joys.  For me, a month full of rain and clouds and coziness is a blessing.  I have loved every single rainy day we've been blessed with this month.  Here are some other Joys of July.   A big, steaming and flavourful cup of Masala Chai.  A thing of joy. A biscuit to dunk and I am happy as can be.  PS: This mug is an old fave from Amazon.  Pages of my Journal.  I am currently doing my daily journaling in my Passport Sized TN from the Traveler's Company and using one of their inserts as well.  This is my page for July. And I loved how it turned out.  This peachy little number is my favourite mug of the month and a new addition to my mug collection.  This guy is from Nilay Studio and I absolutely love it.  I usually have my second cup of coffee in this mug and it makes me so happy.  Chai and Biscuits and floral bits.  I haven't be...

Hello Loves!  Long time no book haul, but don't for a moment be thinking that I haven't been buying books, because Book Buying has been going quite well, especially in June. June is my Blog's Birthday Month. And this year my Blog turned 10 and I tend to celebrate by buying books. And this June I did buy myself a few books across the month, so more hauls are coming, I've just been slacking off. Let's start with this lot.  I went to The Crosswords Bookstore at Kemp's Corner one rainy evening. I went here after ages. I used to go here quite often a couple of years ago but with time, mainly owing to the lack of parking options and how congested this area gets, I stopped going there. But I meant to go here since they did this whole redesign and rejig and the shop looks so good. All giant windows and even their curation is so much better. There are so many kinds of books and so many different sorts of books apart from the regular bestsellers. I was so happy with how t...

Using the Holocaust as a metaphor for relationship/ marital problems is just wrong. No excuses can be made for the blatant insensitivity and cruelty of the makers of Bawaal in using one of the most brutal, despicable, horrible genocides in modern history as a metaphor for relationship troubles. No. Nope. This is not how you incorporate any traumatic historical event into a "love story."  If you want to learn more about the Holocaust and read the heart wrenching accounts of those who survived it and also some sensitive works of fiction inspired by the real events that took place in the German concentration camps of Auschwitz, Treblinka etc., then these 10 books are an absolute must-read.  1. Maus by Art Spielgelman is an absolute must-read if you want to know a survivor's account of what it was really like in Auschwitz. Spoiler alert, it wasn't at all like matrimonial troubles. If there is only one book that you'd like to read out of all our 10 recommendations, the...

Hello, hello, We've been having a very rainy week in Mumbai and so, have been watching a mix of old and new and underrated horror movies! Sharing some that we enjoyed for fellow horror aficionados.    In no particular order, here are the horror movies we enjoyed!  1. The Pope's Exorcist: Inspired the real life adventures and misadventures of the actual exorcist hired by the Pope in the 1980s to help individuals suffering from demonic possession, this is a pretty gnarly movie. When an American widow moves to a tiny town in Spain to restore and sell an ancient abbey that belonged to her husband's family, she finds a demonic entity possessing her young son. The Pope's Exorcist is called in to help the little boy.  Streaming on Prime Video.  2. Slumber: When a family that has consistent, horrifying nightmares approaches a sleep clinic for help, little do the doctors know that they have bitten off more than they can chew and what seems like some kind of sleep disorde...

  Book: The Mistress of Bhatia House Author: Sujata Massey  Pages: 420 Read: The paperback edition pictured above Read in: ~5 hours  Plot Summary:  Bombay, 1920s. At a lavish fundraiser party for the launch of a new women’s hospital, the grandson of Lord Bhatia, an influential aristocrat, is badly burned in an accident—but a young servant, Sunanda, rushes to save him. Instead of being lauded as a hero, Sunanda is dismissed from the household, and simultaneously, suspiciously charged with “child murder”—also known as abortion. Perveen Mistry, Bombay’s only female solicitor, cannot stand by while this heroine is mistreated and takes her on as a client. Perveen goes as far as inviting Sunanda to live with the Mistrys, as Sunanda’s family has put her out of the house in shame at her supposed crime. The Mistry home is full of tension, as Perveen’s sister-in-law, who has just given birth, is struggling with new motherhood, and Perveen’s father is less than happy to have a ...

We watched Adhura early this morning. The skies were dark, it was quiet all around with the only sound being the gentle pitter-patter of rains. Just the perfect mood/ vibe to watch a horror show set in a boarding school exploring themes like revenge, past sins, secrets and such!  Here are 5 reasons why you should definitely watch Adhura this rainy weekend!  1. The setting is absolutely gorgeous and perfect! The show is set on the beautiful campus of The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty and the misty greens, the darker-than-dark nights and the beautiful, regal old buildings amp up the spooky atmosphere of the show!   2. The story, as I mentioned earlier, is set in a boarding school in the hills. The batch of 2007 is back on campus for a reunion and a little 10-year-old boy, called Vedant, is acting strangely and scaring the beejeejus out of his bullies. Is Vedant's metamorphosis somehow connected to the return of the batch of 2007? What connects whatever entity is possessin...

  And just like that, six months of the year are done and dusted and we step into the second half of the year, which is my favourite half of the year. The festivals, the seasons changing and general air of joy.  I hope this half of the year and kind and bright and full of light and joy for all of us.  :)  I am hoping July is full of rains and books and goodness of all kinds.  I've been making the most of these gorgeous rainy days, drinking chai, reading books and watching some scary movies.  Here is what July has looked like.. Coffee in a pink daisy mug.  I got a little teapot of my dreams, it's tiny and holds around two cups of chai.  I got it from Weaving Homes.  Set up my Planner in this gorgeous A6 sized traveler's notebook from The Black Canvas, I have moved out of my planner, for multiple reasons and am using a Atelier Norah insert. I am so much happier with this move and change. Full planner set-up will be shared soon.  For my dai...