The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 It’s my birthday.  And here’s what today looked like:  Read Ruskin Bond, which is a birthday tradition. Ate a fresh fruit salad. Got two new books in the mail.  Had cake.  Had coffee in a new mug.  Felt special and cozy. 

 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 Loves 🤍 Today involved:  Cups of Coffee.  Comfort Reading.  Adorable Bookmarks.  Rest. 

 Hello Loves!  I've somehow managed to pull my back.  I might have slept weird or I pulled it while shoving my Christmas tree in the loft!  Jeez!  So today I started a happy cozy read.  Slathered on some pain relief balm and drank my coffee and rested.  Some journaling was done too.  Here's what today looked like:  Started reading Grandpa's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murty and it's just what I needed today.  Still making my way through Bengali stories.  But this too heavy to hold today.  Love my journal.  Coffee always makes me happy. 

  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. ...

 Hello Loves!  Happpppy New Year!!!!  I hope 2024 is full of goodness, joy, calm and peace.  I hope it’s full of good books and gentle days.  I spent today doing things I like best~~~  Set up some of my planner pages.  Worked on some goals and intentions for the year. Gratitude Journaled. Changed my sheets and made my bed all floral and happy.  Slept like a baby. Ate the best oranges. And pizza for dinner. Watched some romance films.  And lined up some of my next reads.  Week One of January.  Pink, floral and happy.  My planner and my Gratitude Journal.  This weekly slim diary/ journal is from Atelier Neorah and it’s perfect for my little gratitude jottings. I don’t need something bulkier.  I still need to set up and figure out my various other journals. My reading and daily journals will hopefully get set up next.  The green bird print sleeve is from Chhappa and it’s a new sleeve for my iPad.  Simple and cl...

  Hello Loves!  Here we are, with my last reading wrap-up for 2023.   I am lowkey soooo proud I managed to talk about all the books I read this year. I won't lie, I did slip up with doing individual reviews this year. this is something I want to actively fix in 2024. But I kept up with my wrap-ups and this makes me soooo happy.  So let's talk about my December Books.  Well, I read 14 books.  I spent most of December focussed on doing Blogmas and Vlogmas (over on my IG) and reading did slow down quite a bit. Something I saw coming and I don't mind that reading took a bit of a backstage.  I read some good books and ended my yearly reading on Christmas Day.  It was a slow and sweet reading month.  Let's jump in.  BOOKS OF DECEMBER 2023:   1. The Greatest Goan Stories Ever Told, Edited by Manohar Shetty: I decided to spend my December in Goa, like so many people do, only I did it through my books. I read these 27 stories set in Go...

 And here we are at the final read for 2023.  I often document my first book of the year, so I figured this year I would extend the same courtesy to my final read to the year.  Funnily, my first and last book of the year are both by Sudha Murty.  Both are picture books.  And both were utter delights.  My first read was How the Earth Got its Beauty.  And my final read for the year is How the Onion Got its Layers.  That brings my total number of books read to 207.  According to Good Reads it's 200.  Some 7 odd books I read were not on GR, but it's fine.  207 is the real number of books I read this year. 200 is what GR is counting.  Either ways, for me this is a good place to stop for 2023.  All my reading is done and I will now pick up my next read only in 2024.  Here are some glimpses of my last read for 2023.  A gorgeous little book, a simple and heart warming folklore that is perfect for kids.  I enjoyed it...