The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 2023~~~Another year full of books and reading and finding comfort in stories and characters and plots and adventure.  Seriously, what would I even do without my books? 

 Hello, hello, We're officially in the last week of 2023! How did this happen so quickly? The same question we ask ourselves as yet another year winds down! Time, it seems, flies irrespective of whether we are having fun or not. It passes. And that is both a consolation and a tragedy.  Anyway, didn't mean to wax poetic about time but maybe this is what happens when you read too much romance? :)  So, without much ado, let's get into our favourite spicy romance reads of the year. And, bonus, most of these can be read free via Kindle Unlimited.  The Royal Elites Series by Rina Kent  This is a series of 7 books based in a posh private school in the UK. Hot rich kids doing hot rich kids stuff but somehow each of these books has a soul. They are all spicy but not taboo and fun. Perfect to binge read if you are having a slow week! :)  The Legacy of Gods Series by Rina Kent  Rina Kent has her own multiverse of madness and two of her series meet in this third (...

 Hey, hey,  As the title suggests, here are our Top 10 crime fiction/ thriller/ mystery books of 2023!  This year has been a good one for myster/ crime fiction/ thriller lovers because there has been such a nice little variety of books/ stories within the broad genre.  So, without any further ado, let's get into it, shall we?  Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson: Nine friends visit a country home. Two are found murdered by an axe. 20+ years later, a young amateur detective attempts to solve this cold case. A really engrossing, fun book about friendship, friend-group dynamics and such. Review can be found here . Villainy by Upamanyu Chatterjee: A fantastic, twisty, immersive book about an old crime and its long shadows. Very well written and you can find the detailed review here . The Trees by Percival Everett: Is an absolute 5-star must-read. When some racists in a small southern (American) town are found murdered, the body of a Black man, who resembles the victim of ...

 Hello Loves!  Let's kick-off my Yearly Book Favourites.  Yay! And like always, we are starting with the kids.  I read quite a few children's books this year, every time I needed some simple comfort and hope and joy, I turned to kid lit and found exactly what I was looking for.  Here are some of the best of the best.  TOP CHILDREN'S BOOKS of 2023:  1. How the Earth got it's Beauty by Sudha Murty: My first read of the year, I wanted to start the year with something light and warm and sweet. This little picture book delivered on all accounts. So good. And so beautiful.  2. How the Mango Got it's Magic by Sudha Murty: Another picture book about Mangoes and myth and sweetness.  Perfect for little kids and the art is lovely too.  3. The Gopi Diaries Growing Up by Sudha Murty: The third installment of the Gopi Diaries, a book series about a dog and his humans. I love these little books and I love seeing Gopi and his shenanigans. Too cute and...

 Hello, hello! I hope December has been good to you thus far!  We are a little more than halfway done with the last month of the year and, seriously, where has the time flown by?!  Anyway, back to the post. Today, I am going to share our Top 10 Hindi movies of the year. This year has been awful for the Hindi movie industry and they've only given us duds and godawful movies! However, even amongst the uninspiring slew of Hindi movies, there were some that were, thankfully, good!  Let's get into it, shall we?!  Uunchai,  streaming on Zee5, is a lovely, heartwarming movie about a group of septuagenarians, who decide to trek to the Everest Base Camp to honour one of their friends, whose dream it was and who'd passed away quite suddenly. The treacherous trek, the unravelling of secrets and just the dynamics of the friendships was really nicely done!  Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga,  streaming on Netflix, is a really nicely done thriller. It starts with the hi...

 Hey all, Sharing a peek into my process and pages of my 2023 Reading/ Book Journal.  Do you keep a reading/ book journal?  If you do, then do let me know what your process is!  Enjoy! 

This has been a good year for Bangla/ Bengali content on OTT platforms. We have had a mix of thrillers, historical, horror and even drama series, which made it a very interesting year for Bangla content.  Let's get into our top Bangla web series for 2023!  Shikarpur is a thriller series on Zee5. It is a serial killer series set in a small town in North Bengal and is really, really nicely done. The pacing, story, suspense are all very good! Highly recommend!  Shwetkali is a thriller-horror series on Zee5. It is spooky, full of religious symbolism and menace. The pace, narrative and suspense are top notch! Highly recommend!  Buker Moddhey Agun is a cold case police investigative series on Hoichoi. It is a Bangladeshi series inspired by true events from the 90s. Very interesting and nicely done.  Indubalar Bhater Hotel is a historical drama series on Hoichoi, which touches upon themes such as women's rights, their struggles to cope in pre and post-Independent India...

 Another day, another list.  This one is of a book-to-series adaptations that we have enjoyed this past year.  Let's get into it!  1. Lessons in Chemistry I loved and really enjoyed reading Lessons in Chemistry and when I saw that it has been adapted into a web series by Apple TV, I couldn't wait to watch it! The series did not disappoint. It is, obviously, not fully 100% similar to the book but it is still good and an interesting watch.  2. The Burning Girls  The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor is another really interesting thriller-horror book, which I loved! Watched the adaptation and really liked that as well. Some elements were different from the book but the show was tight, gripping and very nicely done.  3. The Last Thing He Told Me  The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a really great book and the adaptation by Apple TV is also really nicely done! It has quite a few differences from the book but still very nice.   4. Wilderness...

 It is that time of the year!  The time where we share our favourite books, TV/ OTT series and other favourite things of 2023!  Kicking off the list-y posts with our Top 5 K-Dramas of 2023!  Let's go!  1. The Glory  The Glory was, hands down, one of my favourite shows of 2023! It is a brilliant show with fabulous performances but a dark, potentially triggering, theme. The show follows the journey of a young woman seeking revenge from the kids, who brutally bullied her in high school. It is a hard watch at times but a brilliant, brilliant show.  2. Mr. Queen  Mr. Queen is an older show. I think it is from 2020 but it showed up on Netflix this year and is one of my favourite K-drama love stories! It is cute, hilarious and so, so sweet! I loved the setting, the characters and just everything about it!  3. Destined With You  If you love reincarnation and destined-to-be-forever type of romance tropes, then this cute show is just for you! It i...

 Hey, hey! My sister and I love mugs! We have an unhealthy obsession with mugs and have collected a decent amount of them over the years.  We bought some new ones to add to our collection this year and so, we thought of sharing some of our favourite and most-used mugs of 2023!  Let's get started!  This cute Teapot and cup set is from Weaving Homes and I love it! I have always wanted a cute teapot and this one is single serve and just perfect!  Orange Skies is a favourite store of ours to get pretty ceramic mugs and this cream coloured mug with tiny speckles is my sister's favourite!  Nilay Studios has the cutest mugs! This cute peach cup and saucer set is just adorable!  This cute cloud cup and saucer set is also from Nilay Studios .  This is one of our Christmas mugs from 2022 and it is this cute cat mug from Amazon! Love it!  This is one of our Halloween themed mugs from this year and look how adorable it is!  This big pink hearts m...

  Book: Kill for Me, Kill for You Author: Steve Cavanagh  Pages: 368 Read on: Kindle  Read in: ~3.5 hours  Plot Summary:  One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you. In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded. She’s attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there? Things I Liked: 1. The very inspired-by-Strangers-on-a-Train premise is what got me interested. It is not that I haven't read or watched movies with a similar premise but I do enjoy it when authors add their own take ...

  Book: Murder in the Family Author: Cara Hunter  Pages: 470 Read on: Kindle Read in: ~5 hours  Plot Summary:  IT WAS A CASE THAT GRIPPED THE NATION  LUKE RYDER’S MURDER HAS NEVER BEEN SOLVED  In October 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything. Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera.  Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on? Or does the truth lie closer to home? Can you solve the case before they do?  The truth will blow your mind. General Thoughts: If there is only ONE Crime Fiction/ Thriller book you read this year, make it this one! :) Now, on to the review.  Things I Liked:   1. The premise had me at hello! A cold case, a murder of a much younger step-father, no solid leads, promise of a m...

  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...