The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

  Pretty Much my Mantra in Life.  Read More.  & Worry Less. 

Hello!  In a few hours 2017 will be gone.  A year which the world will remember as not so stellar.  For me personally, it was an OK year.  Not too bad...not too great.  A perfectly average year!  I am sorta glad to see it leave.  I cannot wait for 2018 and all that it bring with it.  But now let's stick to 2017 shall we? It was a year of reading, writing 25,000 words in one month, going back to Landour, watching over 100 films, cooking some amazing food, beautiful bags, lots of stationery and journaling and being content with my little life. :) READING HIGHLIGHTS!  1. I read over 200 books! 210 new books to be precise. To me this is a fantastic thing. I read over 170 books in 2016 and this year I wanted to do a little better. Even though my Good Reads Challenge was still 100 books, in my heart I wanted to double it; and I am so happy I was able to do just that.  2. I even re-read some old...

Hello!!!  I always intend to venture away from my usual reading styles. One of those forays away from my reading comfort zone is reading some non-fiction books. I prefer fiction and literature over non-fiction any day. But there are a few types non-fiction titles that interest me- memoirs & biographies and true crime. I absolutely want to read more from this genre and broaden my reading horizons.  I am so happy that I actually read quite a few non-fiction titles in 2017 and here are some of my favourites.  1. Found Dead by Shantanu Guha Ray/// Some of India's most popular and headline grabbing crime stories.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in pretty much one sitting.  Read a full review HERE.   2. Sold by Patricia McCormick/// I loved this book and it's incredibly important topic. Sex trade is a menace  that has to be curbed and books like this and conversations around the issue are good place to start an...

Hello, hello! So, I missed Blogmas yesterday. Apologies for that! I've been a bit under-the-weather and just couldn't get myself to do anything much yesterday apart from reading a bit. I don't know about anyone else, but when I am not feeling too good, I like to read thrillers! Fast-paced whodunnits that keep you engaged and diverted. So, I thought why not share some of our (my sister's and my) favourite thrillers from 2017. Here we go: 1. Penumbra by  Bhaskar Chattopadhyay Plot Summary:  I n the middle of one of the worst storms to hit the city, a mysterious letter arrives for Prakash Ray, an out-of-luck journalist, inviting him to a quaint, suburban bungalow, to celebrate the 60th birthday of an uncle he has never heard of . . . As Prakash reaches the venue, he is introduced to a motley group of people, all gathered there for the old man's big day: his son, his reticent brother, a dignified middle-aged lady who once owned the bungalow, a listle...

Book: Home Fire Author: Kamila Shamsie Pages: 272 Publisher: Bloomsbury Read On: Hardback How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary: I sma is free. After years spent raising her twin siblings in the wake of their mother's death, she is finally studying in America, resuming a dream long deferred. But she can't stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London – or their brother, Parvaiz, who's disappeared in pursuit of his own dream: to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he never knew. Then Eamonn enters the sisters' lives. Handsome and privileged, he inhabits a London worlds away from theirs. As the son of a powerful British Muslim politician, Eamonn has his own birthright to live up to – or defy. Is he to be a chance at love? The means of Parvaiz's salvation? Two families' fates are inextricably, devastatingly entwined in this searing novel that asks: what sacrifices will we make in t...

Book: The Vegetarian Author: Han Kang Pages: 210 Publisher: Portobello Books Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 3 days (with lots of breaks for thinking) Plot Summary:   Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people. He is an office worker with moderate ambitions and mild manners; she is an uninspired but dutiful wife. The acceptable flatline of their marriage is interrupted when Yeong-hye, seeking a more 'plant-like' existence, decides to become a vegetarian, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares. In South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of and societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision is a shocking act of subversion. Her passive rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, leading her bland husband to self-justified acts of sexual sadism. His cruelties drive her towards attempted suicide and hospitalisation. She unknowingly captivates her sister's husband, a video artist. She become...

Book: Three Thousand Stitches Author: Sudha Murty Pages: 256 Publisher: Penguin Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 2-3 days Plot Summary:  So often, it's the simplest acts of courage that touch the lives of others. Sudha Murty-through the exceptional work of the Infosys Foundation as well as through her own youth, family life and travels-encounters many such stories... And she tells them here in her characteristically clear-eyed, warm-hearted way. She talks candidly about the meaningful impact of her work in the devadasi community, her trials and tribulations as the only female student in her engineering college and the unexpected and inspiring consequences of her father's kindness. From the quiet joy of discovering the reach of Indian cinema and the origins of Indian vegetables to the shallowness of judging others based on appearances, these are everyday struggles and victories, large and small. Unmasking both the beauty and ugliness of human n...

Book: Pachinko Author: Min Jin Lee Pages: 496 Publisher: Apollo Read On: Kindle via Kindle Unlimited Plot Summary:   Yeongdo, Korea 1911.   In a small fishing village on the banks of the East Sea, a club-footed, cleft-lipped man marries a fifteen-year-old girl. The couple have one child, their beloved daughter Sunja. When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza, the family face ruin. But then Isak, a Christian minister, offers her a chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife.  Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends, no home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunja's salvation is just the beginning of her story.  Through eight decades and four generations,  Pachinko  is an epic tale of family, identity, love, death and survival. General Thoughts: This book kept showing up in my recommendations on Kindle Unlimited for days and I am so GLAD I read this book!!!!! Oh my GOD! T...

Book: A Hundred Little Flames Author: Pretti Shenoy Pages: 386 Publisher: Westland Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 3 days Plot Summary:   Sometimes, a journey back is a step forward.  When 26-year-old Ayan is sent to live with his grumpy old grandfather Gopal Shanker, in a tiny village, in Kerala, he is understandably devastated. What can a sleepy, idyllic village without even Internet connectivity offer a young man?  To make matters worse, Jairaj, Ayan’s domineering father has his own plans and is determined to have his way. Soon, Ayan has to come to terms with the hard realities of life and the blindness of greed as he and Gopal Shanker learn that life can sometimes unravel in unanticipated ways.  A young man, whose life lies ahead of him. An old man, whose life is all in the past. And a few months that change everything.  A Hundred Little Flames  is a charming account of a relationship across generations and al...

Book: Sold Author: Patricia McCormick Pages: 227 Publisher: Walker Books Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days Plot Summary:   T hirteen-year-old Lakshmi lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though they are desperately poor, Lakshmi’s life is full of simple pleasures: playing hopscotch with her best friend, looking after her black-and-white speckled goat, having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when Lakshmi’s family lose all that remains of their crops in a monsoon, her stepfather says she must leave home and take a job in the city. Lakshmi undertakes the long journey to India full of hope for her new life, proud to be able to earn, daring to hope that she will make enough money to make her mother proud too. Then she learns the unthinkable truth: for 10,000 rupees she has been sold into prostitution. General Thoughts: I am trying to read as much non-fiction as I can manage in the month of N...

Book: Turtles All The Way Down Author: John Green Pages: 336 Read On: Hardback edition Publisher: Penguin How Long it Took Me To Read : 3 days Plot Summary:   It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.In his long-awaited return,   General Thoughts: A John Green book after ages! Like everyone else I was very excited to read something from Green. Plus this book had a slight mystery element attached to it and mental health and struggles with mental illness are an important part of the narrative. My excitement was super high to delve into this book. Thank-you, Penguin for sending this book my way. The book was sent to me for review but my thoughts and opinions are entire...

Book: The Corpse That Spoke Author: Sidin Vadukut Pages: 102 Publisher : Juggernaut  Read On: iPad via the Juggernaut App How Long it Took Me to Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   Amarjit Chohan was a British-Indian entrepreneur with a thriving business, a gorgeous family and a chequered past. In February 2003 he disappeared with his family, having handed his firm to a new owner. Two months later the bodies began to wash up. The investigation that followed stunned Britain General Thoughts: With NonfictionNovember on this month, I do want to read some non-fiction titles this month. I don't know which books exactly but I want to read at least 5 non-fiction before the month is up. If you know me or have followed my blog for a while, you might know that I am a fiction reader through and through. I am not really drawn to non-fiction books. Stories make my world go around. So it will be a little bit of a personal challenge to read more non-fiction. Things I Lik...