The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Hello Loves!  I have a huge thing for beautiful bookmarks. I may be slightly obsessed and this year I allowed myself to buy a ton of absolutely gorgeous bookmarks from a ton of artists and illustrators and they've made me so happy.  So freaking happy.  So I figured I would share my most loved bookmarks of the year.  So here goes, in no particular order!  1. Books and Teacups Shop: The first-is bookmarks I acquired this year were from Books and Teacups Shop that has some of the most darling illustrations ever! Ever!!! Everything in her shop is warm and cozy and lovely and I can't wait to go back and get more from this beautiful shop!  2. Sparrow Official: This indie brand mostly does clothing but they upcycle their leftover fabric to make these adorable embroidered bookmarks. I got 4 bookmarks from them and I love how pretty they are. You can find their bookmarks here.   4. The Spring Palette: I fell in love with The Spring Palette 's aesthetic...

Hello Loves!  Today I am here to list some of my favourite Indian Fiction Reads of 2020. I read a lot of Indian books, they are certainly my favourite kinds of books to read, there is so much talent in our country and so many incredible writers. So picking just a few faves is a little bit of a struggle.  Oh, not all of these books were released in 2020, some are older gems that I Read this year.  Cool.  Chalo let's jump in.    1. The Greatest Works of Rabindranath Tagore: This was my first read of 2020 and it was a good way to kickstart my reading year. Tagore is a Bengali home staple. I have always been surrounded by his work, whether songs or poetry or his stories. I haven't read a lot of his work. But over the last few years I've tried to fix that. I loved this collection of stories, I picked it up at my local book fair and read it in the first week of January. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.  2. The House of a Thousand Stories by Ar...

 Hello Loves!  Today's post is one that brings me a lot of joy.  Coffe and Tea Mugs, if you've followed me for a for a bit or a while, you know that I enjoy my cup of coffee and I enjoy having it in a beautiful mug.  My motley collection of mugs is one of my favourite things in the whole world. And I love adding to it.  This year I didn't buy that many mugs, given...welll 2020.  But I bought a few mugs here and there, mostly in the first two months of the year and some a little later.  So I figured I'd share some of my favourite mugs for 2020.  :)  1. Reading Girl Mug from Hastnirmit: I bought this mug back in January and isn't she perfect?!  Alas! She broke a day or two after this picture was clicked. But I have this picture and happy memories of it.  :)  2. Little Owl Mug from Chumbak: I got this little owl mug from Chumbak for my birthday. I loved it's goggly eyes and cute little face. She is a bit tiny for my liking but s...

  Hello, hello!  2020 has been the year of staying home and binging on web series and movies! So, like every year, I have rounded up the Top 10 Indian fiction OTT shows for 2020. These are, mostly, Hindi language shows with two Bengali shows also making it into this list.  Let's get into it!  Pataal Lok streaming on Amazon Prime Video was, in my opinion, the breakthrough series of 2020! We've reviewed it in detail here and highly recommend you watch the show, if you haven't already! It is not just a crime thriller but a full blown, searing social commentary on today's India and its many uncomfortable truths.  Panchayat   also streaming on Amazon Prime Video is a funny and entertaining show about a young man from a big city, who moves to a tiny village when he takes up a job as the Secretary of the local village panchayat. The quirky characters, their shenanigans and the adjustment process our protagonist goes through makes this show a must-watch.  Asu...

 Hello Loves!  Today I want to share some beautifullllll brooches I recently got from Vastriyan.  I have bought from Bidisha before, I got some gorgeous earrings from her and I love her work. It's so stunning and neat and precise. She is crazy talented.  This time I got some lovely floral brooches from her and just look how freaking pretty they are:  This floral wreath is a thing of beauty.  A bouquet of lavender.  I honestly cannot pick a favourite.  They are all so beautiful.  Such happy blooms.  Also notice the lovely illustration on her packaging.  Bidisha should really start making bookmarks, I'll be first in line to get my hands on them.  This is the first one I picked up.  Yellow happy blooms for life.  A pink pineapple.  So cute!  REVIEW:  1. Everything is immaculately made and such good quality.  2. The whole ordering process is smooth as can be and Bidisha keeps in loop throughout the shi...

 Hello Loves!  My little pre-Christmas and year end shopping has been happening in bursts and bits and it's all beautiful handmade, small shops and mostly women owned businesses.  Is there anything better?  In fact, I recently realised that I have ONLY shopped from small businesses all of this year.  I went to the mall once and only bought skincare from bigger brands, everything else I'v bought has been from homegrown brands.  And I am so proud and happy to have done that. Nothing makes me happier than supporting small business and buying handmade things.  I've bought from Sompeedle before, quite a few times before, and every single time I am blown away by her artistry.  This time is no different. We ordered three absolutely beautiful things for her and I am so in love with every single thing.  First up, we got this beautiful necklace in mostly primary colours.  I love the embroidery and the flowers and fish.  This is the kinda thi...

 Hello, hello!  Time to kickstart our yearly favourites for 2020.  This year I am starting with a new category, Cozy Reads. Because we all need some cozy reading this year.  And thankfully I did end up reading quite a few cozy books that took my mind off things and kept me comforted and engaged and happy.  TOP 1O COZY READS OF 2020.  1. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: A group of residents at an old age home get together once a week to pour over old case files and solve a murder mystery. I mean, I don't know about you but this to me is exactly how I want to spend my golden years. Solve crimes and hang out with my old buds. What's not to love?! This book was warm and fuzzy and poignant and such a good time. A perfect read for any time but especially a winter afternoon with a cup of tea on the side. Highly recommend.  2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman: Another book featuring an older protagonist. Ove is a cranky old man who wants to end ...

  Book: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder  Author: Holly Jackson  Pages: 374  Read on: Kindle  Read in: 4 hours  Plot Summary:  The case is closed.  Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure.  When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden.  And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth … ? Things I Liked:  1.  Getting  a bit ahead of myself, but this book is a perfect cozy winter read! If you haven't read it yet, go grab it, get under a quilt/ blanket and read this lovely, riveting book!  2. I really enjoy stories about cold cases. There is just something so inherently interesting and exciting...

 Hello Loves!  Wanted to quickly share our (my sister's and my) favourite stationery items of the year.  Unlike other years, where we buy a lot of stationery items like pens, stickers, washi tapes etc. from stores based out of Japan, Malaysia, Australia etc., this year, thanks to the pandemic, we've not been able to order much international stationery at all!  Shipping to India from foreign countries is only available via courier and that almost always translates into ridiculously high customs fees even for tiny items like pens, stickers etc.! Not worth ordering any of these right now.  However, not buying new supplies meant that we could dip into and use up so much of our existing stationery supplies! We've done a really good job of using up several stickers, washi tapes and pens that we already owned! So, a sort of a win-win!  So, anyway, these two planners have been our steadfast companions this year, not so much as planners per se, but as memory keepers...