The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Hello Loves!  You know I love and adore Indian Books. I'd say nearly 60% of the books I read in a year are Indian Books. In April and August, I read only Indian books and honestly, I could go a whole year just reading books from the Motherland. I love Indian books. And anyone who thinks Indian books are not that great or only think of those.."popular" books as Indian Fiction..well..do better. Look around and find yourself some great books  from India. Whether written in English or translated from regional languages, we have such brilliant books to offer.  Maybe this list will help you.  So let's jump into my favourite books of the year.  TOP 10 INDIAN BOOKS OF 2024 (FICTION & NON-FICTION) :  1. The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction Vol. I & II: I love detective stories and this beautiful boxset with two volumes full of the best detective stories from the country was a treat. I loved the curation and collection here. We have stories ol...

 Hello Loves!  The last week of the year is just to slow down and laze about and start prepping for the New Year.  I've started setting up my planners and organizing my supplies. Little things to get ready for 2025. I've also been watching some comfort films and reading some picture books.  Here are some faves from this week.  Lemon tea every night is a December staple.  Books and Tea.  Stickers and supplies.  Read this incredible spooky book.  Based on real life stories.  This was such good fun.  Mornings back in the hometown.  Blogging with a side of cookies.  Year end journaling, listing off  all my yearly highlights. 

 Boxing Day has been a slow and cozy and fun day ❤ Here are some of my favourite moments from December.  A few  new things, cozy times, home in all her Christmas glory, stationery supplies and a slow and wonderful life.  December has been so good to me 💛 Thank you and More Please.  Very grateful for these gentle days. 

 Hello Loves!  I am a big fan of all things Kid Lit. I believe that a good book that's written for kids works just as well for adults. A book that teaches a child via a story will have a similar effect on an adult or at least bring them some much needed comfort.  I read a lot of Children's Books, when I have a hard day or week, I find myself turning to the softness of a well written Children's Book. Here are my absolute favourites from 2024.  First we have two books by the same author, whose work I discovered this year and absolutely fell in love with.  1. Small Saul  &  2. Larf by Ashely Spires: These books are so wholesome and wonderful and warm and fuzzy and so so so cute. Larf is about a Big Foot looking for a friend and Small Saul is a little pirate. My heart! I love these books and made my sister read them right after I finished them. So so so good. The art is lovely too. Highly recommend.  3. Mukesh Opens a Zoo by Ruskin Bond: What li...

 Hello, hello, I've read a lot of good Asian books this year. Written, both, by Asian authors living in Asia and are works of translation and also by Asian diaspora authors- I wanted to include both categories of books. Most of the books I've mentioned below are written in an Asian language and then translated into English.  I have Japanese Books for most part, a Korean-Amreican Book and one Chinese Australian book to recommend. So let's begin...  Here are my Top 10 Asian Literary Fiction books of 2024. First up we have two books with Cats 🐈 I mean I am always up to read something cozy or otherwise featuring a cat.  1. She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa, Translation by Ginny Tapley Takemori: This collection of interconnected short stories is told from both the human and kitty perspectives. Four women and four cats share their stories in this soothing and stream of consciousness narrative. These are stories about isolation, connection and communit...

 Hello, hello! This year has been a bust as far as the Indian movie scene was concerned (for us). We watched a few good ones, though and so, are sharing those as solid recommendations to enjoy over a long weekend!  Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies): Hands down, the best movie of the year! Won't be writing much here because we have a whole post about it. Read it ! :) Streaming on Netflix.  Kill: A gory, thrilling, slick action flick that's made in India! Fast-paced and so, so, so thrilling. Streaming on Netflix. Watch it!  Stree 2: A sequel that is not a sophomoric disaster! Yes, please! This movie takes us back into the Stree universe, except, we have a new villain and also, some new allies. A fun, spooky watch, for sure! Streaming on Prime Video.  Munjya: A nicely made horror movie inspired by the myth/ legend of the Brahmadaitya- the belief that if a Brahmin youth days within 14 days of his sacred thread ceremony, he becomes an evil spirit/ entity. Highly recommen...

 Hello, hello, We come to you today with the very highly anticipated list of our favourite thrillers/ crime fiction books of 2024! This is what a lot of you have been waiting for, so, without any further ado, let's get into it!  The Gathering by CJ Tudor: If you are a fan of vampire fiction and enjoy thriller, then is the perfect book for you to pick up! Set in a world where vampires (called vampyrs in this book) are known to exist and, seemingly, co-exist with humans, there is a murder of a 15-year-old boy in a small town in Alaska and a cop is sent from the capital to investigate. An atmospheric, interesting and engaging thriller. Full review can be found here .  The God of the Woods by Liz Moore: One of the best books I've read this year. It is a historical crime thriller book set between 1975 and, then, the late 1980s. It is based in a summer camp where a little boy goes missing in 1975 and then, years later, his younger sister goes missing as well. A very atmospheric...

 Hello Loves! December is Decembering away beautifully.  Here are some delights from December so far...  My adorable new light makes me soooo happy. I've wanted him for so long and his little face makes me so happy.  I've called him Sebastian.  Season's first gajar ka halwa.  Re-reading an old favourite.  My 2025 planner lineup.  Coffee in my alphabet mug.  He's the cutest. 

 Hello Loves!  Here are some recent faves:  Cozy and introvert friendly things.  December is allll about that cozy life and I just want to seek out comfort and joy and slow down.  Presents under the 🌲 tree.  Grateful and happy for the little treats.  New books 📚 on my eshelves.  Current Comfort Read.  Always hits the spot.  Christmassy corners of home and alll the joy they bring.  Happy Friday the 13th my loves.  I've already seen three spooky films:  The Well, on Prime is more gore than scares.  Grudge and Grudge 2, also on Prime were re-watches I enjoyed very much. Mostly because I don't think I've ever seen these films since I saw them first back in the early aughts.  Also started watching The Ring again and that's a classic.  The plan is to watch some more spooky films and make the most of this Friday 👻 the 13th and a full moon 🌕. 

 Hello Loves!  I journaled more than ever this year and it made me so happy. Here’s a look at some pages and some set-ups that have my whole heart.  My Journals brought me so much peace and joy and happiness this year.  My place to write, vent and unwind and just be. These were some of my favourite pages from my various journals.