The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Hello Loves!  If you know me, you know I am a complete bookmark obsessed fiend. I have always loved pretty little bookmarks but in the lat 3-4 years my collection has grown by leaps and bounds and I couldn't be happier about it.  I love it.  This year too I added some new loves to my life, I did use a lot of my older and beloved bookmarks but for this list, I am sticking to the new entrants to my bookish life.  So let's jump into it and see my most loved bookmarks from 2023:  1. Riya Designs: I found her shop earlier in the year and have since then made a few purchases from her. I've of course bought a ton of bookmarks..which they are magnetic and wonderful and I love them. I've also bought notepads and some stickers. All of which I've really enjoyed and I highly recommend you go check out her shop.  It's full of cute little things.  I think I own..pretty much every single bookmark Riya Designs has in her shop.  Go see and get yourself som...

Hello Loves!  Let's kick off the listing off my favourite things of 2022 with sharing my favourite mugs of the year.  I love me mug, honestly I cannot resist a cute mug when I see one...which is a little bit of problem.  This year I bought mugs from some new places and some old constant faves.  Here are my absolute favourite mugs from 2022...used for coffee (for most part), tea occasionally and even juice..I am not a glass person for some reason.  1. Goopy Bagha Mug from Alom Merch : First up we have this super nostalgic mug from Alom Merch. A little tribute to Ray and his magic and Bhooter Raja and some elements of the iconic Goopy Bagha films.  A perfect mug for a Ray fan.  Love this guy.  My Thamma used to do his voice for us when we were little and I love him a little extra just because of it.    Love love love.  2. Chumbak Mugs : I can't possibly have a list of favourite mugs without having Chumbak on the list.  I always...

 Hello Loves!  Historical fiction is one of our favourite genres to read and an easy way to travel back in time. This year we read a wide variety of books set across various periods of time. Apart from literary historical fiction, another historical sub-genre we indulged in this year were historical thrillers.  A crime caper set in the world from long, long ago.  We are doing this as a separate list because we had enough books to merit a Top 5 list and if you like thrillers but maybe haven't delved into historical fiction, these books might just be the ticket to get you interested and, hopefully, be a gateway to read more books from this genre.  So here are our TOP 5 Historical Thrillers of 2021 .  1. The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey: Perveen Mistry is a woman we've grown to love. It's always a delight to step back in time and visit her in a Bombay very different from the one I live in. Her stories have been a favourite since the first book in the series...

Hello Loves!  Today I want to talk about my favourite non-fiction reads of 2020.  If you know me or have followed me for any amount of time, you'd probably have noticed that I am not a big non-fiction reader.  I would much rather read a work of fiction.  But ever now and then I read a bit of non-fiction and find myself very, very taken by it.  Here are my favourite Non-Fiction Reads for 2020. 1. Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra: This book should be an essential read for people in our subcontinent. Seriously, everyone should read this book. It's brilliant and fantastic and I loved it so much. It is definitely something I'll re-read over and and over again and one that I will always recommend.   A full review can be found HERE.  2. Good Talk by Mira Jacob: A graphic memoir of what it means to be brown or black in today's America. It's a book about race, racism- both overt and micro-aggressions and identity. A mother's conversations with her...

 Hello, hello!  Time to kickstart our yearly favourites for 2020.  This year I am starting with a new category, Cozy Reads. Because we all need some cozy reading this year.  And thankfully I did end up reading quite a few cozy books that took my mind off things and kept me comforted and engaged and happy.  TOP 1O COZY READS OF 2020.  1. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: A group of residents at an old age home get together once a week to pour over old case files and solve a murder mystery. I mean, I don't know about you but this to me is exactly how I want to spend my golden years. Solve crimes and hang out with my old buds. What's not to love?! This book was warm and fuzzy and poignant and such a good time. A perfect read for any time but especially a winter afternoon with a cup of tea on the side. Highly recommend.  2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman: Another book featuring an older protagonist. Ove is a cranky old man who wants to end ...

Hello, hello, In the year where we all had to stay home, watching movies provided for an escape from the very real, very scary and heartbreaking reality around us.  Before we get into this list, just a little disclaimer that not all these movies were released in 2020, we just ended up watching them this year.    Ludo: Available on Netflix, Ludo was one of our favourite movies of the year! It was tongue-in-cheek, hilarious and thought provoking all at once. Pankaj Tripathi as Sattu Bhaiyya- a local goon- stole the show! Rajkumar Rao was brilliant (as always)! Do watch this movie if you haven't already!  Raat Akeli Hai also available on Netflix is a murder mystery and it is so well made! A rich, dysfunctional family's cruel patriarch is murdered and an honest police officer comes in to solve the case. The case takes on one unexpected turn after another as old sins and their long shadows catches up with the murder. Another must-watch!  Mard...

 Hello, hello, By now, you guys know about my deep and abiding love for bags of all kinds! So, how could I not do a Top 5 + 1 (sorry I could not narrow it down to five) Bags of 2020 post?! Truth be told, given how this year was, we did not buy that many bags at all! We bought a few at the very beginning of the year (before things went downhill) and we bought a few bags over the course of the year, but this was nowhere near the usual number of bags we buy on an average! Good for the old bank balance, bad for the soul! Sigh.  So, without much ado, let's jump into my favourite bags of the year!  (Image taken from Chiaroscuro Bags' Instagram) I ordered me a Basil Anabelle- a classic silhouette bag- from Chiaroscuro Bags for my birthday! It arrived only in June (due to the Lockdown, totally understandable) and I fell head-over-heels in love with this beauty!!  If you follow me in Instagram (@whimsybookworm), you may have seen me gush breathlessly over this stunner of...

 Hello!  &  Happy Halloween!  Whether you celebrate Halloween or not, I think this a good time to read some good old horror novels and watch some scary films and get scared good and proper. So I figured I'd share some good spooky books I've read this year.  Some are thrillers. Some are horror.  And others have a clear spooky vibe but aren't exactly scary.  So I am hoping there is something for everyone here.  Cool, let's get started.  1. My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix: This is one of my more recent reads, I read this in the very beginning of the month and it was everything it promised to be. Scary. 80s. Female friendships. And what I loved best about it was how realistic it felt, like the reactions of the characters and how they handled certain situations was just spot on.  Pick it up if you enjoy some 80s pop-cult references and if possessions are your jam.  I really enjoyed it and I enjoyed that this book was pepp...

I always intend on reading more non-fiction but truth be told I am primarily a fiction fiend. I enjoy an occasional foray into non-fiction. And I am so glad I read some really good non-fiction books this year. So let's jump into my favourites from this year. My favourite non-fiction reads of 2019 are: 1. I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara: The true story of a journalist's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer- a serial rapist and murderer linked to over 50 cases of sexual assault and murder. Michelle McNamara interviewed as many victims as she could, tracked objects stolen from the crime scenes that were taken as mementos, worked together with other amateur detectives to try and track down the Golden State Killer. This book is a true labour of love and a must-read for all true crime buffs. 2. At Home in Mumbai by Chandrima Pal: A great little book about the different kinds of homes and the people who live in them. From apartments to heritage b...

Today I want to talk about a genre I don't read nearly enough from- Historical Fiction. It's a crying shame really. I love..LOVE History. Both mine and from other corners of the world, history has always been an area of interest. And when done well there is nothing quite as satisfying as historical fiction. Going back in time, visiting a time and place different from my own, seeing important historical events and how it impacted people...there is so much to love.  OK..enough babbbling. Here are our Top 5 Historical Fiction Books of 2019: 1. Lilac Girls by Martha Kelly Hall: A beautifully written, poignant yet inspiring book about the 'Rabbit Girls' (the young Jewish women, who were experimented on at the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp). The strong and brave characters of this book (it is a true story) will move you and inspire you. Highly, highly recommend. 2. Lost Roses by Martha Kelly Hall: A prequel to (unconnected and can be read without reading) Lilac ...

Hello, hello! Anyone who reads this blog will know my deep and abiding love for thriller/ mystery/ crime fiction! So, it goes without saying that we read a lot of books from this genre over the year and, so, obviously, we had to do a Top 10 thrillers of 2018! Without any further ado, let's get into the list! 1.  The Last Mrs. Parrish  by Liv Constantine: A twisty-turn-y psychological thriller about a girl who envies a rich woman and will do anything to get her life. Click on the book name for our review! 2.  The Death of Mrs. Westaway  by Ruth Ware :  A young girl learns that she has inherited a huge amount of money from a grandmother she knew nothing about. When she reaches the family mansion, she steps into a world that is not only completely different from her own but is also full of dark secrets from her past 3. Cross Her Heart: A woman and her daughter are living a quiet and secluded life in small town England. All of this changes when h...

Hello!  Next up for my yearly favourites are my favourite 2018 YA aka Young Adult reads.  I don't read that much YA to be honest, not because of any prejudice of any sort. I think YA books can be just as amazing and just as meaningful and enriching as other literature. I just have for one reason or another been not reading a whole lot of YA fiction. Something to possibly amend in 2019.  These are some of my favourite YA Reads from 2018.  1. ONE BY SARAH CROSSAN: This was one of my first reads of 2018, how apt, given its title. A book written in verse, a very new reading experience for me. A story about conjoined twins and a decision to go separate ways and live a 'normal' life. Incredibly moving and powerful. I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough.  5/5  2. THE HATE U GIVE BY ANGIE THOMAS: There isn't enough I can say about this book that hasn't been said already. A powerful read and a great commentary on race, poli...

Hello!  It's that time of the year..the time to look back and pick my favourite reads of the year.  I am starting with Children's Books simply because this list came to me the easiest and these were some of the absolute loveliest books I read all year.  So let's get started!  FAVOURITE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2018.  1. GETTING GRANNY'S GLASSES BY RUSKIN BOND:  This might just be the best thing I read all year round. It was cozy, comforting and heart warming and left me feeling very happy and content. This is the book that I will be reaching to for years to come when I am looking for comfort.  5/5  Incredible and adorable.  Ruskin Bond weaves his magic.  And it's full of darling illustrations.  Perfect reading for a young reader or the child in you.  :)  2. THE WIND ON THE HAUNTED HILL BY RUSKIN BOND: Another Ruskin Bond on the list!  This book is a story of fr...