The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

Hello!  Ah! April.  Where do I even begin?  What a month!  Once again I find myself thinking long and hard at finding things I loved this month and my first impulse was to skip listing faves for this month and let this shitfest of a month be gone and done with. But honestly, even in all this mess, all this uncertainty, fear and anxiety there have been small moments of respite.  Little silver linings.  Finding bread.  Making malpuas .  A perfectly done pocha . A breezy day.  Long afternoon naps.  Cold showers.  Writing again.  Even in all this darkness there were moments of light.  So here are some of my favourite things from this month.  1. Colouring: I can happily just zone out and colour for hours on end and never be bored or lost in my anxious thoughts. This little colouring book has kept me happily occupied and happy for most of this month. So glad I am a little hoar...

Blue skies and open spaces to just breathe in.  Flowers. Both outside and at home. Things I Miss.  1. Not worrying constantly.  2. Ordering food on days I didn't feel like cooking.  3. Ice-cream. 4. Travel Plans.  5. Iced drinks.  6. My car. She's sitting unused and unloved.  7. Mail.  8. Packages. Little happy things to open up.  9. Flowers.  10. Seeing my parents. They are in another state, on the other side of the country and I don't know when I'll get to see them next.  11. Wearing cute clothes.  12. Wearing make-up.  13. Buying physical books.  (Not that I need new books but I miss treating myself to a new book every now and again.)  14. Going out without having a mini panic attack.  15. Making any sort of plans for the future. I HATE not knowing what the rest of this year is going to look like.  16. People.  ...

Hello!  How are thing with you?  The last few days have gone by in a blur. I swear, I intended to be better at blogging during this time. Write more. Do more reviews.  But..honestly...between all the house work, cooking and worrying constantly being productive is too much of an ask.  I applaud anyone who's making the most of these days and learning something new and diminishing their TBR, but me..I am allowing myself to feel the things I am feeling, losing myself in a good book or two and just cooking up comfort food.  That's how I am coping.  A journal entry apt for this occasion.  Our lockdown has been extended till the 30th of April, it came as no surprise. My city is struggling, the cases are above 1000 and this lockdown is absolutely necessary. Devastating but needed. I am no stranger to being homebound. I am happy to be home. It's just this whole stress and worry and scarcity of things that bothers me.  Add to ...

Hello!  This is an odd month to be doing monthly favourites in. I mean, I considered skipping this month altogether but figure even in this not-so-perfect time, there were things and moments that lifted the gloom from my heart.  So here are things that I loved this month.  1. Chai: I am a more dedicated Coffee drinker. But this month I've been drinking and finding a lot of comfort in a well brewed cup of tea. I like mine with ginger and cardamon and with a biscuit to dunk in it. I think it takes me back to my childhood and the comfort of having a little treat now and again.  2. Simple Home Cooked Meals: This quarantine has resulted in a lot of cooking. A lot of simple meals put together and that have resulted in some deliciousness.  In the picture is a roasted pepper and chicken pasta with a cream sauce. This took under half an hour to put together.  3. Kama Ayurveda Rose Jasmine Face Cleanser: My skin has been a hot ...

Hello!  How are we doing today?  I hope you are safe and sane and keeping yourself happy inspite of this lockdown and the gloom and doom.  Today I want to do what I do best..Talk about BOOKS!  So without much prelude let's just jump into some book recommendations shall we?  Here are 21 incredible books you could read during this lockdown.  I have books from multiple genres and I think there is a little something for everyone on this list. 1. Feluda Vol. I and II by Satyajit Ray: Brilliant short stories featuring a sleuth who solves crimes with his trusty companions Topshe and Jatayu by his side. These stories are comforting, fun, action filled and full of Ray's genius. Great for kids and honestly great for you too. These two volumes on their own are perfect to keep you occupied for 21 days and then some. Also anything else by Ray is a wonderful idea. His short stories and his sci-fi and ghost stories are some of my favourites....

Hello!  How are you?  Really, how are you?  We find ourselves in this strange time, this period of uncertainty and fear and I know its hard on all us. Some more than others. But all of us are feeling this wave of anxiety and stress and that is totally normal. I know I've been feeling pretty numb these past few days.  21 days in a long time.  A long time to be home and doing everything by ourselves.  Some of us have never been in for so long. EVER.  And some of us find ourselves doing home chores and cooking for the first time ever...I see people freaking out on my FB and basically nearly dying from ghar ka kaam.  I feel ya!  So I thought, I'd share some tips and trick to make these 21 days a little bit more bearable.  I wanted to share some tips on chores and doing your own household work, I don't know if I've ever talked about it in detail but for nearly 2 years, 2016-2018, my sister and I were without a domestic...

Hello, hello! I hope all of you are doing well and staying home as much as possible. Tomorrow, March 22nd, has been declared as ' Janta Curfew' (People's Curfew) by our Prime Minister, where we've been urged to stay home between 7 am to 9 pm. I know a lot of us are feeling stir-crazy already, so, I thought I'd share some web series and movies that you can watch/ binge on tomorrow to make the self-imposed curfew easier. Asur: Voot Select's new web series is a contest of wits and will between a deadly serial killer and two CBI Forensic Officers. This mysterious serial killer is on a spree and, for some reason, he is taunting two of CBI's top forensic officers. The series is a mix of mythology and science and is quite interesting. We're still in the process of watching it and are very hooked! Little Fires Everywhere: If you've read the book or not, this is a series that explores complex family dynamics, different styles of mothering and just...