The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 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...

  Book: Welcome to Paradise  Author: Twinkle Khanna  Publisher: Juggernaut  Pages: 224  How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days  Plot Summary:   Huma’s divided family – Team Cemetery and Team Crematorium– clash hilariously over matters involving pigs and penises as they decide what to do with Amma’s body. Madhura Desai writes an email to the chief justice of India, urging him to choose a ‘nice cut-off age’ to die, sending shockwaves across the nation. Along the shores of Satpati, Nusrat grapples with the loss of her son, and her voice. And Amita tells her husband about her breast implants but not about Bua, Bangalore and beautiful men. Perfectly observed, shot through with light and shadow and wry humour,  Welcome to Paradise  confirms Khanna’s reputation as one of our most masterful storytellers. Review: I have read both of Twinkle Khanna's previous books and enjoyed both of them. I oddly don't remember much about them and maybe at some po...

  Book: How the Bamboo Got its Bounty  Author: Sudha Murty  Publisher: Puffin India  Art: Pari Satarkar  Pages: 44 Publisher: Puffin India  Plot Summary:   ‘From human birth to death, our Bamboo finds one way or another to be useful to a common person. It is truly the unsung and the forgotten.’ In a lush, green forest, a shy, unassuming tree is presented with a reward by the forest queen. This makes all the forest inhabitants curious . . . India’s favourite storyteller brings to us the story of the humble bamboo that endures and selflessly gives. A charming ode to our bountiful forests and trees, their resilience and the abundant gifts they bestow upon us, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction to the world of Sudha Murty. Review: My second read of the year was in the same vein as the first, I chose something wholesome and comforting and when it comes to looking for something full of joy and comfort- Sudha Murty is an easy choice. ...

  Book: Animals in the House  Author: Ruskin Bond  Illustrator: Saumya Oberoi  Publisher: Puffin India  Pages: 48  How Long it Took Me To Read: 20 minutes or less.  Plot Summary:   ‘Grandfather and I saw eye to eye on the matter of pets, and whenever Grandmother decided it was time to get rid of a tame white rat or a squirrel, I would conceal them in a hole in the jackfruit tree.' Instead of having brothers and sisters to grow up with in India, young Ruskin had several odd companions, including a monkey, a tortoise, a python and a Great Indian Hornbill. His grandfather was responsible for all this wildlife, and their home in Dehra became a centre of action and laughter as a variety of creatures were brought home―the furry, feathered, fierce and friendly―all under one roof. Bursting with delightful illustrations, this chapter book features endearing characters and hilarious episodes, making it a perfect introduction to the wonderful world of ...

  Book: Terminal 3  Author & Illustrator: Debasmita Dasgupta  Publisher: Penguin India  Pages: 110 How Long it Took Me To Read: Under an Hour Plot Summary:   It's August 2019 and Khwab Nazir is waiting to board the plane at Terminal 3 of New Delhi International Airport. Set to represent India at an international jiu-jitsu tournament, Khwab nervously looks towards her unknown future. She also reflects on her complicated past-of growing up against the insurmountable difficulties of life in Kashmir. Between happiness and emptiness, desire and grief, penance and peace, Khwab has endured. She has a dream that life will be a paradise, one day. Breathing against the backdrop of conflict, Terminal 3, is the story of the everyday people striving to live their dreams in the Valley. Things I Liked:  1. This is a story we really need to hear and hear more of. People living in difficult situations and somehow holding on to hope and dreams and working on turning...

  Book: How the Mango Got its Magic  Author: Sudha Murty  Art: Priyanka Pachpande  Publisher: Puffin Books  Pages: 44  How Long it Took Me To Read: Half an Hour  Plot Summary:   We all love the sweetness of mango and how it quenches our thirst on a hot summer day, but have you ever wondered how the mango got its magical sweetness? The tale of how such sweetness came into existence is a fascinating one indeed. India's favourite storyteller brings alive this delightlful tale with her inimitable wit and simplicity. Bursting with captivating illustrations, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Sudha Murty. Review: We all love mangoes. The king of fruits has all of us looking forward to the harsh months of summer. On it's own, or in pickles or chutneys, in milkshakes and ice-cream- Mangoes work in every which form. To have story about how the Mango got it's own special taste and sweetness just made me ...

 Hello Loves!  How was the first Monday fo 2023 for you?  Good, I hope?  I am still knee deep in setting up various journals and enjoying the heck out of the process.  I also read my first two books of 2023. Two darling books by Sudha Murty that were surprisingly singed copies!!!  What a stroke of luck!  :)  Here's What My First Monday of 2023 Looked Liked:  How the Earth Got Its Beauty and How The Mango Got Its Magic by Sudha Murty: I started my year with these amazing books and they were just a happy and uncomplicated way to kick start my reading for the year. And they were both such a good time. My sister is reading them now.  10/10 Would Highly Recommend.  My beautiful books came signed.  Such a treat and so unexpected and what sweet messages!  :)  Love Love Love.  Always Appreciate the Beauty of the World.  :)  Set up a tiny Film Journal, where I will document everything I watch in a Year. Oh, and...

  Book: Listen to Your Heart  Author: Ruskin Bond  Illustrator: Mihir Joglekar  Pages: 104 Publisher: Puffin India  How Long it Took Me to Read: A couple of hours  Plot Summary:   Shortly before his eighteenth birthday, Ruskin embarks on a literary journey and reaches England after charting unknown waters. Greeted by the uncertainties of a new city, he muses over his loneliness, switches jobs, falls in love, befriends the ocean and relentlessly chases a big dream! What follows next is the metamorphosis of a journal entry into a novel as we time-travel to the fascinating events that led to the making of his iconic book,  The Room on the Roof . Capturing memorable experiences from young Ruskin's life,  Listen to Your Heart  is an inspiration for aspiring young writers, a meditation on embracing fears, seizing every opportunity but most importantly living one's dreams. Things I Loved:   1. Reading Ruskin Bond feels like coming ho...

  Book: Lost Girl  Author: Sana Shetty  Publisher: Harper Collins India  Pages: 324 How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days (with many breaks)  Read On: Kindle  Plot Summary: I n the nondescript town of Fagu, a few kilometres from Shimla, retired police officer Vanessa and her husband Aidan are coasting through a blissful post-retirement life and running their quaint cafe. One day, on their usual morning trek in the mountains, they notice something in the bushes, something that shouldn't be there. At the end of a hidden track, there's a young girl, barely in her twenties, badly hurt and unconscious. Two years later, the lost girl is now called Shanaya, and she helps out at her foster parents' cafe. Every resident of Fagu is aware of the mystery behind Shanaya's past, but she herself remembers nothing of it. The residents of Fagu have kept Shanaya's secret, and protected her from harm. She is one of them, and her life is peaceful, until a stranger arrives...

  Book: The Book of Cold Cases  Author: Simone St.James  Pages: 352  Publisher: Berkeley Press  Read On: Kindle  How Long it Took Me To Read: One day (I could not/ would not put it down)  Plot Summary:  In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion. Oregon, 2017 .  Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes. They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking...

  Book: Taxi Wallah and Other Stories  Author: Numair Atif Chowdhury  Publisher: Harper Collins  Pages: 111  Read On: Kindle  How Long it Took Me To Read: 3 hours  Plot Summary:   In Taxi Wallah and Other Stories, we encounter more of Choudhury's limitless imagination and deep empathy as he captures the many Bangladeshes that make up the nation. The stories in this collection are bound by their protagonists - outsiders looking in - whether it is the taxi wallah of the title story who ferries tourists to upmarket hotels in Gulshan, the chokra for whom the streets of Dhaka are both sustenance and threat, Rabia the maid who feels compelled to call even the youngest of her employer's children 'Apa', or the brick breaker who finds his life draining away as he hammers rubble at construction sites... Fuelled by Choudhury's trademark linguistic verve and energy, Taxi Wallah and Other Stories is a searing yet tender portrait of a country that is frac...

  Book: Tales from My Heart  Author: Ruskin Bond  Illustrator:   Sumouli Dutta Pages: 120  Publisher: Red Panda (Westland Books)  How Long it Took Me To Read: A couple of hours  Plot Summary:  Miss Kellner has a tin of biscuits that fascinates little Ruskin. And granny’s cat is just so full of attitude. Oh, and have you heard about the famous playback singer from Mumbai who sang for the ghost of the maestro Tansen? Ruskin Bond’s charming life has been anything but ordinary. In this wonderful collection, he scours through his memories to come away with tales that celebrate life, its myriad splendours and many lessons; spectacular wonders of nature; stories of ghosts; and the surprising friendships between animals and people.  Tales From My Heart , written in Bond’s inimitable style, is peppered with his trademark warmth and wit. Vividly illustrated by Sumouli Dutta, this is a gift for all readers, big and small—a family treasure to return t...

  Book: Shyam- Our Little Krishna  Author: Devdutt Pattanaik  Publisher: Puffin  This is such a great little book for not only kids but also adults! It was beautiful little stories from Krishna's childhood. Plus, it has beautiful art and has the option to colour said art as well. A total win-win!  Look at some of the pages!  Yashoda Maa dressing up little Kanha in flowers. Love the note of gender positivity in this anecdote, where Yasodha Maa and Kanha didn't care about dressing Kanha in gender conforming styles!  Krishna's role in the Mahabharata is one of my personal favourite parts of the great epic! Stories about how Krishna divided his support between the Kauravas and Pandavas, his sage counsel to Arjun in the form of the Bhagavad Gita and many big and small miracles performed by him are some of the highlights of the Mahabharata.  The stories about Kanha's relationship with the Gopis are the stuff of legend and their friendship has been expla...

  Book: The Gopi Diaries Coming Home  Author: Sudha Murty  Illustrator: Sandhya Prabhat  Publisher: Harper Collins  Pages: 104  How Long it Took Me To Read: An hour  Plot Summary:   The Gopi Diaries is a series of three books for children about a dog called Gopi. Told in Gopi's voice, the first book, Coming Home, begins with Gopi going to his new home, and tells the story of how he settles down with his loving, human family. How Gopi sees the world around him and what he thinks of the people in his life give the story a truly unique flavour. Written in Sudha Murty's inimitable style, these are books children and adults will treasure as the simple stories talk of basic values even when told from a dog's perspective. Things I Loved:  1. Like every other Sudha Murty book, this one is full of  warmth   and  comfort. Plus, this one has a dog. I  don't  know about you, but as far as I am  concerned  everything i...