The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

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 ...

The last full moon of 2019. & The last one of this decade.  I managed to click these pictures on my camera standing the lawns of the tea garden bungalow.  I was shivering and risking running into leopards (a recent risk in those parts) but these pictures of La Luna are well worth it.  :) 

Hello!  Is there anything better than seeing miles of greenery? Nature and being amidst nature just makes me feel better.  The days I spend breathing in clean air and walking along the green paths and dewdrops are when I am at my happiest.  :)  Fern.  Wildflowers.  Wonky little daisies.  Hope your Sunday has been good.  Mine involved//  ~Naps and finishing up a book of scary stories.  Darkness by Ratnakar Matkari.  ~Watching random Bengali TV shows with my parents.  ~Wearing my old Benetton sweatshirt, which I've had since college days.  ~ Missing my Christmas tree and being in Bombay for Christmas. 

Hello!  Another glorious Durga Pujo for the books.  This has been a fun and lovely Pujo in my small-town of Jalpaiguri.  Things were a little delayed due to the rains and things were a little slow to start but by Saptami things were up and running and everyone was pandal hopping and dressing up and celebrating.  I went to a couple of pandals this year and they were all wonderful and artistic and must have taken so much work and talent to put together.  I want to share my most loved pandal of them all.  This one is close to where I live and is called The R.G. Club. It's a really small but stunning Pujo. It's run by the para folks and they hit it out of the park every single year. This year was no different.  The theme this year was Boats and they went all out.  The pandal was full of all kinds of different boats and ships.  All of this handmade with love.  So pretty.  :)  I could hon...

Hello!  I recently made a little Nykaa order, mainly fuelled by my interest in the new line of makeup by Masaba Gupta for Nykaa. I totally fell for the gorgeous packaging and couldn't resist getting a few bits from the line to try out.  And I am super happy with the results.  I got two nude lipsticks. Cool Guy & Numbu Paani and their matching nail paints because I really enjoy the Nykaa nail polishes.  The colours are lovely and pigmented and the packaging is perfect! I am so tempted to go back for more.  Cool Guy!  I also got a lip and cheek tint from Etude House.  I have bought two Benefit tints earlier this year and one from The Face Shop and I am a tint convert. So when I saw one from Etude House for fairly cheap I thought I'd give it a try.  I also got-  A basic Kajal from Nykaa.  A Plum eye cream--which is pretty good, worth a shot if you are in the market for one.  I ...

Hello!  & Happy Friday!  Time for another batch of things I've been loving lately... 1. Ornate Juttis/// I love, love, love these gorgeous red juttis. I got them for Christmas from a friend who was travelling in Punjab on work and these are so perfect. It's not something I would have picked out for myself and honestly, I don't know when I'll ever wear something this ornate but these are such things of beauty. Maybe, I should wear them just because. They are bound to add a pop of colour to any old outfit.  Indian craftsmanship and artistry is so incredible it sometimes blows my mind.  2. My Current Read--- Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks/// I am loving this book. I am really taking my time with it. I have been reading this for the past week and these stories are warm, charming and infused with so much character. I can't believe I had this gem of a book sitting on my bookshelves for  over a year and didn't read it. Silly me....

Hello!  My day today has just gone by in the a blur of a blistering headache. So, I have stayed off my screens for as long as I could possibly be. Hence today's Blogmas post is coming to you super duper late.  My day started with some happy mail though..a ton of beauty bits from Nykaa.   I shared the haul on my Instagram stories but I thought I'd share it on here as well.  So let's get into it.  Winter often means dry and chapped lips and a lip balm becomes an essential skincare item. I've heard so much about the Palmer Cocoa Butter lotion but I haven't ever tried it. My sister was in the market for a good lip balm and when we spotted this on Nykaa, we though we'd give it a try.  This was really inexpensive, only INR 117. This lip balm is super thick and moisturising. Perfect to wear before bed and wake up with smooth lips.  Very good!  I am glad we got this.  No Nykaa order is complete without getting some o...