The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from 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...

  Book: Listen to Me (A Rizzoli & Isles Book 13)  Author: Tess Gerritsen  Pages: 302 Read on: Kindle  Read in: ~3 hours  Plot Summary:  Rizzoli & Isles return, in the nail-biting new thriller from  Sunday Times  bestselling author Tess Gerritsen. The murder of Sofia Suarez is both gruesome and seemingly senseless. Why would anyone target a respected nurse who was well-liked by her friends and her neighbours? As  Detective Jane Rizzoli  and  Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles  investigate the baffling case, they discover that Sofia was guarding a dangerous secret -- a secret that may have led the killer straight to her door. Meanwhile, Jane's watchful mother Angela Rizzoli is conducting an investigation of her own. She may be a grandmother, not a police detective, but she's savvy enough to know there's something very strange, perhaps even dangerous, about the new neighbours across the street. The problem is, no one believe...

 Hey guys, It is Saturday night, which means it is peak binge o'clock!  Here are some series that we've started watching this weekend! Several of these are adapted from books! Fun, right?  1. Pieces of Her (Netflix) Based on the eponymous novel by Karin Slaughter, this is a fast-paced thriller series that moves between present-day events and those that occurred in the mid-1980s.  A young woman's life turns upside down when her mother does some ninja-level moves when faced with a shooter at a mall. She finds out about her mom's not-so-kosher past life as she is on the run from an assassin.  2. Rudra (on Disney+ Hotstar)  The official Indian adaptation of Luther, Rudra is a murder mystery/ thriller series that is episodic in nature. The first case was pretty interesting and we're excited to binge the rest of the season tonight!  3. Dropout (Disney+ Hotstar)  Based on the life of tech scammer Elizabeth Holmes, The Dropout traces the meteoric ris...

  Spooky Season is upon us, friends! If you are a fan of horror or noir-ish crime fiction, then this is the time to binge on this type of content!  I recently finished watching The Chestnut Man on Netflix and thought I'd do a quick review.  Adapted from the eponymous best-selling Nordic Noir crime thriller novel, The Chestnut Man follows a team of two cops in Copenhagen as they solve a series of gruesome serial killings. Thulin, a star investigator and a single mother, wants to leave her highly demanding job as a homicide detective to make more time for Le, her young daughter. Hess, reeling from a personal tragedy, is on a break from Europol and back in his hometown for a few weeks. When the brutalised body of a young mother is found in her own backyard, along with a small chestnut man (little stick-figure creatures made from chestnuts by children) bearing the fingerprints of a minister's daughter, who was abducted and killed one year ago, Thulin and Hess have to rush aga...

Hey, hey! Since it is a Friday night, thought I'd share some of my recently watched and loved web series and movies  that my sister and I have really enjoyed recently.  Let's get into it, shall we? 1. Home Before Dark Season 2 (on Apple TV+) We watched and loved Home Before Dark (Season 1) on Apple TV+ earlier this year and really loved the storytelling, mystery and the little intrepid student detective/ journalist protagonist. The show's second season came out a few months ago and it did not disappoint. A very relevant mystery, which also helped tie up all the loose ends from Season 1. Highly recommend.  2. Only Murders in the Building (on Hulu and Disney+ Hotstar)  A crime comedy-is series where an unlike trio investigate a murder that takes place in their Upper West Side building and start a podcast to document their journey. A great mystery, fantastic writing and brilliant performances by Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez and an amazing ensemble cast, whic...

  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, hello! I hope the Lockdown (round 3 this time!) is treating you well! I hope you are physically and mentally well and are managing to find food to eat and entertainment to keep yourself engaged whilst cooling your heels at home! Basically, I hope you are safe and healthy! My sister and I have been re-watching some wonderful and, might I add, recently uploaded to YouTube, classic Doordarshan serials from the 1980s. For any non-desi readers, Doordarshan is India's public/ government broadcaster. Before the advent of cable TV in India, which happened with the onset of the Gulf War in 1990, Doordarshan or DD was the only entertainment option for TV viewers all over the country. Surprisingly, it turned out some very high quality, progressive, "modern" content. Don't believe me? Watch some of these shows that I am recommending below and see for yourself! *grin* 1. Trishna is the best Indian adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. If yo...

Well, hello there!  I ended up taking way too much time off without really meaning to do so!  Damn!  I think my birthday and February in general always ends up being a little too hectic for my liking.  :(  And to think that I meant to blog everyday this month.  Well..life has been crazy busy all month long.  And Mercury Retrograde has hit me something hard!  Our car went to the garage twice and once for servicing.  My mixer jar lid broke.  Two of our fans broke.  A mug broke.  A glass bowl shattered into a million different pieces.  It's been a LOT.  But there have been some highlights too.  My birthday...well...for most part. On my actual birthday- the 18th I was sick and car-less, so I ended up staying home and taking a long nap to heal myself. It was low key but good.  I did buy 10 books.  & Some goodies from Chumbak and other places.  I will share m...

Hello!  And Happy Friday the 13th to you!  In honour of this gloriously spooky date I thought I'd list some of the best scary films I've seen this year.  It's a mix of English, Hindi and even one Bengali film.  Let's jump into it shall we.. 1. The Possession of Hannah Grace: I watched this film quite by chance, I thought it would be one of those cheesy scary films but it turned out to be rather unsettling and well-made.  Find it on Amazon Prime.  2. Midsommar: This one was so hyped and all summer long I couldn't stop hearing about it. Eventually, it was unsettling and creepy enough, plus full of gore. But honestly, it didn't quite live up to the hype. But it's still worth a watch.  3. Scary Stories Told in the Dark: Based on an epically famous book, this adaptation was a fun watch. Scary in parts yet not too hardcore, perfect for people who aren't very into horror films but still enjoy the genre.  4. Annabe...

Hey, hey! It's another weekend! Happy Janmasthami, if you celebrate it! We had a nice little celebration at home with prayers and mithai ( sweets) ! My sister and I have picked out our weekend reads and here's what they are.... I am reading The Body Myth by Rheea Mukherjee.  Plot Summary:  Mira is a teacher living in the heart of Suryam, the only place in the world the fickle Rasagura fruit grows. Mira lives alone, and with only the French existentialists as companions, until the day she witnesses a beautiful woman having a seizure in the park. Mira runs to help her but is cautious, for she could have sworn the woman looked around to see if anyone was watching right before the seizure began. Mira is quickly drawn into the lives of this mysterious woman Sara, who suffers a myriad of unexplained illnesses, and her kind, intensely supportive husband Rahil, striking up intimate, volatile and fragile friendships with each of them that quickly become something more. ...

Netflix has really outdone itself this year with the variety of content that it has created and offered to all of us! We have really enjoyed multiple series and movies on the platform this year and here are our Top 10 Netflix movies/ series/ documentaries (in no particular order): 1. Anne with an 'e': Hands down, the most heartwarming, uplifting, sweet, heartbreaking adaptation of the Anne of Green Gables that I have ever seen! Love the show and highly, highly recommend it for cozy winter night viewing! 2. Wild Wild Country: Who knew our Poona-wala Osho got up to such shenanigans in the US?! We didn't! Why was this not talked about in India?! WTF! This is a BRILLIANT documentary on what a cult did in its attempt to wrest power from citizens of a small town in rural Oregon. Plus, Ma Sheela Anand is one living, breathing sociopath! Here is our review of it right after watching it back in April! 3. The Haunting of Hill House: One of the best horror series I have...

Hello!  And Happy Friday my loves.  Today is a glorious rainy, cold and grey day in my part of the world and nothing could make me happier!  Here are some of my recent loves for the last few days.. 1. A gorgeous Gamcha Bag from Riddhi Pankaj is so delightfully bright and so very Bengali.  2. This sweet little face. She is the squishiest little bub in all the land. She is a hippo-corn and she is the best thing to squish while taking a nap.  She is from Ali Express. I can't wait to go back to Bombay and cuddle with her.  3. Tinkle will always be a forever favourite!  4. Quiet Small Town Days.  5. You: I am in love! I didn't quite love the book but this show has me hooked. It is deliciously dark, keeps you on the edge of your seat and the NYC setting is just a cherrie on the top!  So good! 

Book: You Author: Caroline Kepnes  Pages: 433 Read on: Kindle  Read in: 5-6 hours  Plot Summary:  When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card. There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting. As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder. General Thoughts: We've had Y...