The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

  August is one of my favourite months of the year and a lot of it has to do with the glorious books I read alll month long.  Another edition of Indian Books in August has come to an end and I am so glad August brought so many amazing books and stories my way.  I read a total of 19 books.  Most of them from India and the subcontinent and only four books took me out of India. I read four graphic novels/comic books. But mostly stayed firmly within my reading goal.  I also bought 7 books this month.  I read books from all corners of the country.  I read mostly physical books but also read on my Kindle and a lot on my iPad.  It's been a good reading month.  So let's jump into it.  BOOKS OF AUGUST:  1. The Greatest Indian Stories Ever Told, Edited by Arunava Sinha: I started my month this wonderful books which is pretty much the best thing to read this month. I cannot think of a better book to read in our month of celebrating all things India. Stories from all corners of the countr

Hello Loves!  August flew by. And in a good way too. Time makes no sense to me sometimes.  I really meant to be more active on the blog this month but for no real reason I've just let things slip.  I have been reading, I've read some 14 books so far and I am currently reading something nice. So reading has been good and I can't wait to talk about my reads in my wrap-up on the 31st.  August has been mostly quiet, oddly hot (where are the rains?), a little book buying and bookshop hopping and a lot of reading and watching films- old and new and cringe and good.  I got some happy mail and cleaned like a maniac and chilled and had some tech issues, my phone's battery swelled up and I had to buy a temporary cheapie phone :( with a sucky camera.  Woe is me.  Mercury Retrograde is doing a number on me.  :(  But overall things are going OK.  Here is a look like at what life has looked like this month.   This little guy makes me so happy.  It's my little annotation station,

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Indians!  Here's hoping we continue to enshrine the principles on which our Republic was founded and continue to appreciate our diversity!  Sharing a list of recent Indian books that are absolute 5-star reads! Each of these is highly recommended.    1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is an absolute must-read. Easily the best book we've read in years! Full review here .  2. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy is a very relevant book to read about the lives of various characters in present-day India. Highly recommend!  3. Villainy by Upamanyu Chatterjee has been fully reviewed here and is a must-read!  4. The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale is set during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 and is a wonderful, immersive read. Full review can be found here . 5. The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar is a story of a mother-daughter duo and the trials and tribulations faced by them. A must-read! Full review can

 Hello, hello, We are almost halfway down August! Where is the time flying? For us, Indians, the mid-point of August is extra special because it marks our Independence Day. A day that millions of our countrymen and women died for. A day that makes us teary eyed and so proud of how far we have come and have determination and hope for the future.  In the spirit of our Independence Day (and month), I always read only Indian Books in August. This is something I have been doing for a few years now and if you scroll down and check on the tags, you can find hundreds of wonderful books written by Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi authors. I include all subcontinental authors as part of the books this month because the struggle for Independence was a collective one and all three countries will forever be linked by our common struggle and heritage.  This month, as usual, I have been reading some wonderful books written by and based in India and the subcontinent and so, I thought I would share s

  Book: The Trap  Author: Catherine Ryan Howard  Pages: 306  Read on: Kindle  Read in: ~4 hours  Plot Summary:  Stranded on a dark road in the middle of the night, a young woman accepts a lift from a passing stranger. It's the nightmare scenario that every girl is warned about, and she knows the dangers all too well - but what other choice does she have? As they drive, she alternates between fear and relief - one moment thinking he is just a good man doing a good thing, the next convinced he's a monster. But when he delivers her safely to her destination, she realizes her fears were unfounded. And her heart sinks. Because a monster is what she's looking for. She'll try again tomorrow night. But will the man who took her sister take the bait? Things I Liked:  1. The premise of this book was very interesting- a girl whose sister has been taken by a serial killer sets out every night hoping he'd abduct her as well. A dumb plan but what else would a sister do if the pol

  Book: None of this is True Author: Lisa Jewell  Pages: 385 Read on: Kindle  Read in: ~4 hours  Plot Summary:  Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.   A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life. Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Aix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging. Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home. Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done? Things I Liked:  1. The premise of th

  Book: Everyone Here is Lying  Author: Shari Lapena  Pages: 326 Read on: Kindle  Read in: ~4 hours  Plot Summary:  Welcome to Stanhope - a safe neighbourhood. A place for families. William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing. Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbours become increasingly unhinged. Who took Avery Wooler? Things I Liked: 1. I really enjoy reading about the dynamics and relationships of people in small communities. There is something always so interesting about how people, who live in c