The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Slowly but surely coming around to loving Mondays 🥰 Here's what this rather happy Monday looked like in my world.  Coffee in a cute duck mug.  Finished this very cozy and wholesome book this morning.  Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda is a hug of a book.  Some new additions to my e-bookshelf.  Coffee and a book I'm reading through the month.  A spot of greenery. 

 Hello Loves!  Here are some Friday Joys 🎀🍄❤🎀🍄 Things bringing me joy this Friday:  Stacks of books.  Corners of home.  Sweet heart warming books.  Shelves on my iPad. Made a shelf for January in Japan.  Some new books. 

 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 Loves 🎀 I am feeling a little under the weather today.  So took things easy. Read a bit.  Chilled out.  And hoped for rain which has pretty much abandoned Mumbai.  Started this viral TikTok sensation..  My hopes/expectations are measured, I am just hoping for an easy and happy and emotional read.  I am a couple of pages in and quite happy as of now.  iPad, book and annotation things.  Finished reading this last night and it was cute and wholesome and full of cats.  In many ways it's exactly what you expect from a Japanese book.  Worth a read.  Iced-coffee.  Words of wisdom 🌿

  Hello Loves!  January is over and while so many people were complaining how long it was, I like January and the air of freshness and hope it brings with it.  I try to read happy and good books in January, fully believing that what I read in January will shape the rest of my reading year.  Well, January was largely a good reading month.  I read 18 books.  Out of which 6 were read for Japanuary. I have talked about all of those book in yesterday's post, so you can go on over that post and read my detailed thoughts about those books. I read a fair number of kidlit, which I love.  And some contemporary fiction.  I read mostly physical books and a some books on my iPad.  I read three graphic novels.  Lots of translations.  I bought ten books this month.  A solid reading month.  Let's talk more about each book I read this month.  BOOKS OF JANUARY 2024:  1. Animals in the House by Ruskin Bond: My first book of the y...

Hello Loves!  This year I decided to actively participate in Japanuary, a reading challenge/theme where people read some Japanese books in January.  I knew I didn't want to ONLY read Japanese books all month long, that kind of commitment I only make for Indian Books in August. But I wanted to read a handful books from Japan. And I did just that. I honestly thought I'd read like one book but to my surprise I read 6 books and now let's talk about them.   1. The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto, translation by Asa Yoneda: I read Kitchen by the same author last year, after hearing nothing but great things about it for ages. I didn't quite love as much as so many other people seem to. I liked it enough but I didn't love it.  So I picked this one up with some trepidation.  This novella is a story of young woman of nineteen, who uncovers a big secret related to her family and herself.  OK not a real Spoiler Alert but she finds out she was adopted into her fam...

Hello Loves!  Bought some books in the very beginning of the month.  This haul is a little different, because I bought two books I have already read and loved. I very rarely buy physical copies of books I have read on my Kindle but every once in a while, I read something that I love so much that I need to add the book to my shelves.  I read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and The Covenant of Water last year and fell in love, and I needed to have these books on my shelf...you know take up some physical space.  Similarly my sister read God of Fury back in December and wanted a physical copy.  So this haul is mostly acquiring some very loved books that we will re-read and re-love and be besotted with.  So let's see what I've added to my shelves...  This book is such a warm and cozy read. Very Japanese in so many ways and just a perfect read for anyone who loves books and is going through the motions of living and breaking up and coming into themselves....