The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Hello, hello! This year has been a bust as far as the Indian movie scene was concerned (for us). We watched a few good ones, though and so, are sharing those as solid recommendations to enjoy over a long weekend!  Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies): Hands down, the best movie of the year! Won't be writing much here because we have a whole post about it. Read it ! :) Streaming on Netflix.  Kill: A gory, thrilling, slick action flick that's made in India! Fast-paced and so, so, so thrilling. Streaming on Netflix. Watch it!  Stree 2: A sequel that is not a sophomoric disaster! Yes, please! This movie takes us back into the Stree universe, except, we have a new villain and also, some new allies. A fun, spooky watch, for sure! Streaming on Prime Video.  Munjya: A nicely made horror movie inspired by the myth/ legend of the Brahmadaitya- the belief that if a Brahmin youth days within 14 days of his sacred thread ceremony, he becomes an evil spirit/ entity. Highly recommen...

 Hello, hello, Today, we will be sharing our Top 12 documentaries of the year.  This year was a major non-fiction viewing year for us. Somehow, movies and series (fiction) across languages were so disappointing! Anyhoo, let's get to it!  1. Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth? is a heartbreaking, thought-provoking and very nicely made documentary about the dual abduction of cousins- Lyric and Elizabeth from a small town in Iowa. This was a rare case of double abduction and the documentary delves into theories, possible suspects and even unearths a few interesting connections with other cases. Highly recommend. Streaming on Jio Cinema. 2. Worst Ex Ever & Worst Roommate Ever are two amazing and scary documentaries about horrible exes and terrifying roommates. This is episodic and so, there are multiple horror stories shared by those who have experienced these! Streaming on Netflix.  3. Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter is an amazing documentary and story ...

 Hello all, If you've been wondering what planner to get for 2025, perhaps my review of the planners I have used this year might give you some ideas?  This year, my planning system was so streamlined and so good that I had to get on YouTube and share my thoughts on my system!  Do go watch, if you need some planner recommendations and inspiration!  Click on the video below to watch! And, maybe, Subscribe? :) 

 Hello August 🧡🤍💚 Hello Indian Books in August.  Hello more Rains.  I am hoping you are Kind & Gentle and Wonderful and Happy 💕 I Started my Month by making a TBR of sorts and watching the new season of Unsolved Mysteries. And re-watching Flop Show.  All good things 🤎 Here is what my day looked like:  I love this line-up and can’t wait to jump right in. Starting my month with some excellent shows. 

  What Today Looked Like:  Started a new book. Mayadevi's London Yatra by Bulbul Sharma is a charming, slice of life and bittersweet stories about regular people and ordinary lives. I am a couple of stories in and really enjoying this book.  Still reeling from a fever, so most of today was spent sleeping off and sweating off this flu. Ugh. I feel so out of it and weak.  Coffee in a tiny but happy mug. It's from Chumbak.  Finally watched Godzilla Minus One and absolutely loved it. It's streaming on Netflix and you have to watch it. I love all things Godzilla but these new one (the American films) and the whole Godzilla is our friend..is a bit odd. I am much more inclined to think of him as a super villian. This Japanese film has some seriously good visual effects (it won the Oscar) but it has an incredible story and a whole bunch of amazing characters you grow to care about. It's got thrills and a heart. 

 Hello, hello, If you enjoy MM/ gay romances, then I have some fun recommendations for you.  This is a series of 5 books by Eden Finley and Saxon James and all of them are available for free as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.  These are all books that are: Low Angst  Sweet  Medium spicy/ steamy  Sort of funny with some laugh out loud moments  HEAs  So, if you want to read something fun and light within the broader sports romance sub-genre, then these are good books to pick up.  Quick mini reviews:  Book 1: Power Plays and Straight As  Plot Summary:  “Look out for Zach and don’t hit on him.” My brother’s request sounds easy enough. Keep an eye out for his best friend on campus and keep my hands to myself. Easy. Even if Zach is a quintessential nerd, who I’ve always thought was cute, I don’t have the time to think with my … stick. There’s only one stick I should be focused on this year, and that’s my hockey stick. My ...

 Hello, hello, We come to you today with some very random (and not new) movie recommendations.  Let's get into it, shall we?  1. Wait Till Helen Comes (YouTube) First of all, if you want to watch a bunch of horror and thriller movies and are not finding anything on your usual subs, then go to YouTube and search for horror movies and you will find a bunch of not-so-bad movies!  Wait Till Helen Comes is a decent horror movie about a family that moves into a church-turned-into-a-home and strange things start happening.  2. Devil's Diary (YouTube) A teen/ high school horror flick. Kinda inspired by The Craft but is still its own thing. A mysterious blank journal that makes evil desires come true falls into the hands of the high school outcast. All kinds of evil shenanigans happen.  3. Solstice (2008 movie) (YouTube)  A pretty decent horror-thriller movie. The print on YouTube is not the best but it is okay if you are watching it on your tablet or phone. We...

  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 ...

 Hello, hello! Happy Halloween!  When the real world is so full of horrors, do we really need another day to remind us of the existence of all kinds of scary things? Maybe, maybe not.  Irrespective of whether you celebrate Halloween or not, here are 10 solid horror movies and shows that you can enjoy on this spooky day.  1. The Pale Blue Eye (Netflix)  is a horror-thriller-suspence series that has Edgar Allen Poe as a detective (of sorts) as he investigates murders of cadets at a military school in upstate New York. A spooky and atmospheric watch, which is very nicely done.  2. The Wonder (Netflix) is an interesting and atmospheric movie about a young girl, who has not been eating for over a couple of months. The village elders call upon a trained nurse and a nun to observe the girl to see it is a miracle or a hoax. An interesting one to watch if you don't want to watch something too spooky or scary.  3. Bodies Bodies Bodies (Netflix) is a slasher-come...

 Hello, hello! Happy Friday the 13th to all who celebrate!  As a horror fan, my plan for today is to watch as many horror movies as possible and so, in the spirit of sharing, here are 10 horror movie recommendations for you should you also want to watch one or a few of them! :)  Let's get started!  1. Talk to Me: Some high school kids find a mysterious embalmed hand that can summon spirits and decide to use it as some kind of a game. If you hold the hand, a spirit possesses you and it is safe to stay possessed for 90 seconds. But then things go wrong, as they do... 2. Raaz: A Hindi classic. Heavily inspired by What Lies Beneath but still quite scary and good!  3. The Exorcist (1973): Truly a classic of the genre. A little girl is possessed and her mother, a priest and family friends band together to save her.  4. The Conjuring: Based on a real case undertaken by Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring is a seriously spooky movie about a family's home being ha...

 Hello, hello, I hope your long weekend has gotten off to a great start!  After a busy week, mine has been slow and lazy, exactly as I wanted it to be!  In case you are planning to be home this long weekend, here are a few series and movie recommendations for you!  1. Destined With You is a Korean series that is a romance but with elements like reincarnation, mystery and magic. It is funny and sweet and totally worth bingeing this weekend. Streaming on Netflix. 2. Wilderness is a suspense/ thriller domestic drama about a woman, who decides to kill her cheating husband during a road trip through the US West Coast National Parks. It is gripping and worth watching. Streaming on Prime Video.  3. Athidhi (The Guest) is a Telugu (dubbed in 7 languages) horror/ suspense series about a man living with his wife in a beautiful home when random strangers start showing up on a stormy night. Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.  4. No Hard Feelings is a comedy movie about supe...

  Hello, hello, I hope your Monday has been good.  If you are looking for something to watch tonight or maybe something nice this week, I have Five Things to Watch.  So let's just jump in.  Friday Night Plan: This teen, coming-of-age and shenanigans-filled film on Netflix was such good fun. It was sweet, funny and has its heart in the right place. I liked how school life and different cliques are shown in a believable way. The popular kids aren't some monsters and relentlessly evil. It shows friendships in schools in a way that seemed so real. I had such a fun time watching this and if you need something short and fun and nostalgic watch this.  It's streaming on Netflix.  The After Party: This is a suspense-whodunnit-comedy. The second season recently wrapped up and if you are looking for something to binge, I highly recommend both seasons of this quirky show and the mystery is also decent. Both seasons are solid and fun and you can watch this over the we...

Hello September!  Hello Festivity!  Hello Fall (not here) vibes!  Hello Spooky Books!  Hello my Favourite Quarter of the Year!   I hope this month is kind and gentle and wonderful for all of us.  I am so excited for Janmashthami and Ganesh Chaturthi.  :)  And figuring out my plans for Durga Puja.  And I am happy to read from all over the world, now that my India only month is over.  I am working on my TBR and I think this is going to be a month of reading some Lit Fic and a ton of thrillers because it's been raining thrillers all over.  I have already started my month with two books.  One thriller, The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan - this is about two girls who survive a massacre at a Camp and after this near brush with death, things are not as they seemed to be. What happened that night? Were the killings that straight forward?  This book will remind you of several cult classic horror films, slashers mostly a...

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Indians!  Here's hoping we continue to enshrine the principles on which our Republic was founded and continue to appreciate our diversity!  Sharing a list of recent Indian books that are absolute 5-star reads! Each of these is highly recommended.    1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is an absolute must-read. Easily the best book we've read in years! Full review here .  2. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy is a very relevant book to read about the lives of various characters in present-day India. Highly recommend!  3. Villainy by Upamanyu Chatterjee has been fully reviewed here and is a must-read!  4. The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale is set during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 and is a wonderful, immersive read. Full review can be found here . 5. The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar is a story of a mother-daughter duo and the trials and tribulations faced by them. A ...