The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 The last few days have been just morose. My upstairs neighbours are loud and rude and gross (they throw garbage out their window) and I had to go up and give them a piece of my mind. Ugh. For someone who is painfully non-confrontational, this wasn't fun.  Since then we've lodged a formal complaint with the building and they've been issued a warning. And today was loads quieter.  I am just so sick of them and the urge to move out and run away from my life is so high.  I've been feeling out of sorts, so this morning my sister ordered me some new treats, a set of Camel brush pens and some glitter pens and a set of Nataraj Gel pens. We were getting some groceries and she added these things to the cart.  So I spent my morning drinking coffee, colouring and reading some adorable graphic novels.  Here's what Self-Care looked like today:  Coffee always helps turn a frown around.  A mindful colouring book.  Kindle & iPad full of books.  A re...

 Hello Loves!  My reading this weekend is a good mix of fun and seriousness.  First the serious and wonderful collection of short stories I am currently devouring.  How To Tell The Story of an Insurgency Edited by Aruni Kashyap: Stories set in and from Assam have become a favourite of mine. I have been reading a lot from Assam since 2020 and it's always a pleasure to head back to it's often conflicted world. This anthology of short stories from Assam centers around the insurgency and it's many facets. Told from many voices and written in Assamese. Bodo and English. this is a much needed and nuanced look at life in Assam. I am a couple of stories in and I am absolutely loving it.  I have a feeling I will breeze through this stories over the weekend.  So good!  Next I am taking a trip back in time.  To my childhood days.  All via good old Champak.  Did you grow up reading Champak?  I was honestly more of a Tinkle girl but my sister w...

Book: Magic in Mussoorie Writer: Atul Sethi Art: Vikas Upadhyay Publisher: Penguin Random House Pages: 64 Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me to Read: 1 hour Plot Summary:  Nakul Sahej and his friend Kuku stumble upon an antique book while on holiday in Mussoorie. The book turns out to be a magical one that transports the two back in time to the Mussoorie of over a century ago. Meeting historical personalities of that time-like Sir George Everest, who lives in a sprawling estate on the outskirts of Mussoorie, as well as the young maharaja of Punjab, Duleep Singh, who has been exiled by the British and is spending a summer in the hill station-Nakul and Kuku get involved in an intriguing adventure that sets off a series of events which can change the course of history!   Action-packed and unputdownable, this thrilling adventure is the first in a series of comic books set in the Garhwal Himalayas. Things I Liked: 1. A book of magic, adventure, time...

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: I Need To Pee Author: Neha Singh Illustrator: Meenal Singh and Erik Eserup Pages: 25 Plot Summary:   Rahi simply loves slurping refreshing drinks, and so she always needs to pee. But boy, does she hate public loos! On her way to her aunt's in Meghalaya, she has to pee on a train as well as stop at a hotel and even the really scary public toilet at the bus depot! And when those around her refuse to help her with her troubles, her only saviour is her Book of Important Quotes. Travel with the cheeky Rahi and read all about her yucky, icky, sticky adventures in this quirky and vibrant book about the ever-relevant worry of having a safe and clean toilet experience. Publisher: Penguin Read On: Paperback Edition How Long it Took Me To Read: Half an Hour General Thoughts: This book was kindly sent to me from the folks at Puffin India. But as always all thoughts and opinions are my own. Things I Liked: 1. I loved how simply and succinctly this book get...

Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Getaway Author: Jeff Kinney Pages: 225 Publisher: Puffin Read On: Hardback Plot Summary:   Greg Heffley and his family are getting out of town.   With the cold weather setting in and the stress of the Christmas holiday approaching, the Heffleys decide to escape to a tropical island resort for some much-needed rest and relaxation. A few days in paradise should do wonders for Greg and his frazzled family. But the Heffleys soon discover that paradise isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Sun-poisoning, stomach troubles and venomous creatures all threaten to ruin the family's vacation. General Thoughts: I bought the first book in the Wimpy Kid series way back in 2009 and I really loved it. It was funny and full of laugh out loud moments. At the time I didn't even know that this was a full fledged series so I didn't go actively looking for the other books. In 2012 I read the next few books in the series ...

Hello!  April is almost over and now it's time to share all of the books I bought in the month of April.  I bought all of these books in the beginning of the month from Amazon and I am so pleased with everything I've bought and I can't wait to jump into these books!  I got all of these books from Amazon and got such good deals on them! Nothing makes me bookish heart happy! :)  Let's see what I added to my bookshelves in April.  :)  Books Bought:  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi  The Wife and The Beloved and Other Stories by Ashapurna Devi  Rain in the Mountains by Ruskin Bond  The Breakdown by B.A. Paris  A Meeting on the Andheri Overbridge by Ambai  City of Death by Abheek Barua  What I Was by Meg Rosoff  Umrao Jaan Ada by Mirza Hadi Ruswa  Ghost World by Daniel Clowes  Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean A Collection of graphic storie...

Hello!  It seems like it's been an age since I listed out some of my Favourites on this blog!  I completely forgot all about doing my March favourites and now April is over too!  :(  Now to some recent loves of mine... 1. Floral Reversible Tote from Accessorize/// Isn't she gorgeous?  Foral loveliness.  Fits a ton of stuff and is reversible too.  Though to be honest, we might always stick to the floral side.  So pretty!  2. Summer Bougainvillea/// Bombay is in full bloom with these beauties. My apartment building is covered in these beauties. Makes me so happy!  3. The Crunch Box Popcorn/// Ah! If you love popcorn you have got to try it. They come in so many flavours and are all lovely. So far I've tried the Caramel, Cheese and Dark Chocolate. And the Caramel (pictured above) was my utter favourite.  You can get them at Amazon.   4. Tinkle/// It just isn't summer without ...

Book: Ghosts of Kingdom Past Author: Harsho Pages: 70 Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: An hour or so. Plot Summary:   Sir Alec Morgan, a famous British paranormal expert, is in Kolkata for the launch of his latest book. Accompanied by his able guide and teller-of-grisly-tales Joga, he goes on a tour of the city’s most haunted places—sites of ghastly murders and tragic romances. However, Sir Alec is bitterly disappointed with the tour and publicly scoffs at the lack of ghosts and spirits in the city. Little does he know that his words will soon come back to haunt him when he accepts a bet and pays a visit to St Mary’s Cemetery.   General Thoughts: I love Graphic Novels and am always looking for new ones to read. This one even had ghosts in it and I was sold. I wanted it ASAP. I didn't realise it was a children's book when I ordered it on Amazon, but I don't mind. I enjoy children's literature and I wasn't disappoint in the lea...

Hello!  I had to really think hard while coming up with this Top 5 list. I didn't read nearly as many comic books/ graphic novels as I would have liked to this year. Not nearly as many as I read last year. But the ones I read I enjoyed and I really want to read more in 2016.  Once again in no particular order let's see the Graphic Novel's and Comic Books I loved best in 2015.  1. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami: A sweet, strange and whimsy little book that has beautiful art and some very Murakami elements. The full review for this book can be found HERE.   2. Harappa Files by Sarnath Banerjee: An interesting and fun read full of wonderful art. A beautiful book. I immensely enjoyed it. Full review can be found HERE.   3. The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips: A film noir setting and a bunch of murders. All good things! Old Hollywood, shade characters and a script writer trying to make sense of it all. A ...