The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 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 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. 

This has been a good year for Bangla/ Bengali content on OTT platforms. We have had a mix of thrillers, historical, horror and even drama series, which made it a very interesting year for Bangla content.  Let's get into our top Bangla web series for 2023!  Shikarpur is a thriller series on Zee5. It is a serial killer series set in a small town in North Bengal and is really, really nicely done. The pacing, story, suspense are all very good! Highly recommend!  Shwetkali is a thriller-horror series on Zee5. It is spooky, full of religious symbolism and menace. The pace, narrative and suspense are top notch! Highly recommend!  Buker Moddhey Agun is a cold case police investigative series on Hoichoi. It is a Bangladeshi series inspired by true events from the 90s. Very interesting and nicely done.  Indubalar Bhater Hotel is a historical drama series on Hoichoi, which touches upon themes such as women's rights, their struggles to cope in pre and post-Independent India...

 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 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...

We watched Adhura early this morning. The skies were dark, it was quiet all around with the only sound being the gentle pitter-patter of rains. Just the perfect mood/ vibe to watch a horror show set in a boarding school exploring themes like revenge, past sins, secrets and such!  Here are 5 reasons why you should definitely watch Adhura this rainy weekend!  1. The setting is absolutely gorgeous and perfect! The show is set on the beautiful campus of The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty and the misty greens, the darker-than-dark nights and the beautiful, regal old buildings amp up the spooky atmosphere of the show!   2. The story, as I mentioned earlier, is set in a boarding school in the hills. The batch of 2007 is back on campus for a reunion and a little 10-year-old boy, called Vedant, is acting strangely and scaring the beejeejus out of his bullies. Is Vedant's metamorphosis somehow connected to the return of the batch of 2007? What connects whatever entity is possessin...

 Hello, hello, It is Friday and in just a few hours, another weekend starts! WeeHee!  If you plan on staying in and being a couch potato, then we have some binge-worthy OTT show and movie recommendations for you!  1. Shabash Feluda (Zee5): Another new reboot/ new franchise for our favourite Bengali detective! This one stars Parambrata Chattopadhaya as Feluda and brings to life one of the many Feluda stories that have not hitherto been made for TV or film! This is a convoluted, fast-paced thriller and is definitely worth watching!  2. The Last Thing He Told Me (AppleTV): Based on the eponymous book, this is a fast-paced thriller about whether we really know the ones we love! When Hannah Hall's husband goes missing, she has no idea the kinds of things she would end up finding out about his past and the sacrifices they would need to make to keep his daughter- Bailey- safe. If you liked the book, you'll also like the series.  3. Kathal (Netflix): A sharp and well-ma...

 Hello, hello! A long weekend is just a few hours away from us and if you, like us, plan to just chill and be home, then we have got you sorted with some really interesting OTT recommendations.  Without any further ado, let's get into it, shall we? :)  Documentaries If you enjoy documentaries, then these three on Netflix are definitely ones that you should watch: MH370: The Plane That Disappeared looks into various theories behind the mysterious disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared into thin air in 2014! An interesting look at multiple conspiracy and scientific theories that speculate on what could've happened.  Waco: American Apocalypse is a look at the 51-day stand off between the FBI and a cult based out of Waco, Texas. The documentary sheds light on what went on for those 51 days and how, in the end, the tragic events that unfolded at the compound came to pass. A nice true crime documentary.  Challenger: The Final Flig...

 Hello, hello, Sharing some of our most loved movies and web series of February 2023!  Given we have some long weekends coming up in March, these would be good ones to watch.  Let's get into it!  1. Mr Queen: A K-drama that is absolutely hilarious and adorable but with a hint of palace/ political intrigue! When a 21st century masterchef falls into a swimming pool, he wakes up in the body of a 19th century queen-to-be. Hilarity ensues as he tries to keep the King at an arm's length, try desperate means to get back to his life and fix things in the past all at the same time!  2. Crash Course in Romance: An introverted, workaholic Maths tutor falls for an extroverted, kind restaurant owner. This is, however, not just an opposites attract love story but is also a commentary on the brutal education system in Korea, especially, the cut-throat world of competitive exams, special tuition classes for these exams and the toll it takes on students. There is also a bit of a...

 Hello, hello! We'd recently shared our Favourite Movies of 2022 and so, now this post right here is going to be the master list of all our favourite web series, documentaries and other OTT content that we loved in 2022!  If you haven't watched any of these, then you simply should use this long weekend to do just that!  Let's start with our favourite K-dramas/ Korean shows (and one film) of 2022!  Heartfelt, heartwarming, heartbreaking. If you are in the mood for all of the feels, then these Korean shows and movie are an absolute must-watch! All are streaming on Netflix.  A legal drama with a lot of heart, an extraordinary character and a story about three gritty sisters! Both so different but so amazing!  Moving on to Indian web series.. we have a mix of Hindi, Bengali and Tamil recommendations..  These are all quite good and interesting! Enlarge the image to see where each is streaming.  And now, a couple more Indian shows and some of our favou...

  Today was the second season finale of The White Lotus and if you haven't watched it yet, then, now is the perfect time to do so!  The White Lotus is an anthology series based on the follies and foibles of the rich as they spend a few days soaking up the luxurious life in a 5-star Resort, usually, somewhere very, very beautiful!  Season 1 was based in Hawaii and Season 2 has one-upped that by basing the show in Sicily! So, let's get into the quick reasons as to why this season is such a must-watch!  1. Since we were already talking about it- Season 2 is a visual treat! The beautiful town of Taormina in Sicily and the places around it are so stunning that you are torn between paying attention to the drama unfolding on the screen vs the gorgeous surroundings! Oooh la la! Some of the palazzos and hotels and markets shown are just drop dead stunning! What a treat for the travel hungry, who are waiting to start travelling!  2. Unlike Season 1, where there were a few...

 Hello, hello, It's Friday! That means, the weekend is here for us to binge some really amazing OTT content!  Without further ado, let's get into some of our recent faves across different OTT platforms... 1. Chup (Zee5)  In  Chup, a serial killer is brutally murdering film critics using lines from their own reviews. So, one critic gets "ruthlessly cut" while the other ends up "all over the place" and, well, you get the idea! Who is this killer and why is he killing film critics?  Sunny Deol as the ace homicide detective and Pooja Bhatt as a criminal psychologist are on the case! BTW, so good to see both after such a long time!  A pretty good thriller film with stellar performances from Dulquer Salman and Sunny Deol! Worth a watch for sure!  2. Bodh (Hoichoi) Bodh (conscience in Bengali) is a gripping and nicely written show about justice and not being afraid of facing off against more powerful people in the quest of that justice!  Retired judge, A...

 Hello, hello! Diwali is almost here!  Happy Dhanteras to everyone celebrating!  If you are planning on doing something low-key this weekend, we've got you! Here are some recommendations of movies and web series that you can watch this weekend... 1. 20th Century Girl (Korean Movie | Netflix)  Remember being in love for the very first time? Or having a massive crush on someone in school? Or just the insane shenanigans that you and your best friend got up to? If you love reminiscing about the past and enjoy nostalgic content, then 20th Century Girl is the film for you!  Cute, fun, funny and heartwarming, it is just the ticket for the slightly cold nights that we are seeing in India! :)  2. Shining Girls (AppleTV) Based on the eponymous book, Shining Girls, set in Chicago in 1992 follows Kirby, the sole survivor of a brutal serial killer, who kills smart, kind and talented women. Basically, 'shining girls'. Kirby teams up with a washed up crime reporter to tra...

  We binged The Midnight Club in one sitting yesterday and here are five reasons why you should watch this horror-thriller-mystery series right away!  1. Set in the mid-1990s in a hospice for terminally ill teenagers in Washington state, The Midnight Club is a cozy, atmospheric, occasionally spooky show that is mostly a thriller-mystery-suspenseful ride rather than an out-and-out horror series. If you are expecting a re-do of the makers' previous series such as The Haunting of Hill House or Bly Manor or Midnight Mass, then you will be disappointed horror-wise. This show doesn't have that many scares at all and is more of a mystery, thriller type show.  The show follows a group of terminally ill teenagers, who are in residence at Brightcliffe Manor. These kids meet every midnight in the hospice's very well-appointed library and share ghost/ mystery stories in a bid to scare each other and also, to take their minds off their illnesses, aches, pains and impending death....