The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

  Today has been a perfectly lazy and cozy Saturday.  It's been rainy and grey and I've been curled up with a book of folktales from all over India.  Flowers and Folktales.  I adore these crochet flowers.  My Moomin Bookmark keeping me company.  The Owl Delivered Good News All Night Long, Edited by Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai is the perfect book to kick start my reading for Indian Books in August.  A collection of Folktales and Legends and Myths from all over India.  My plan is to read a couple of stories every day and read this through the month.  I hope this Saturday has been relaxing for you too. 

  Book: Jungle Nama  Author: Amitav Ghosh  Illustrator: Salman Toor  Publisher: Harper Collins  Read On: Hardback Edition  How Long it Took Me To Read: 1 Day  Plot Summary:   Jungle Nama   is Amitav Ghosh's verse adaptation of an episode from the legend of Bon Bibi, a tale popular in the villages of the Sundarban, which also lies at the heart of the novel   The Hungry Tide . It is the story of the avaricious rich merchant Dhona, the poor lad Dukhey, and his mother; it is also the story of Dokkhin Rai, a mighty spirit who appears to humans as a tiger, of Bon Bibi, the benign goddess of the forest, and her warrior brother Shah Jongoli.   The original print version of this legend, dating back to the nineteenth century, is composed in a Bengali verse meter known as dwipodi poyar.  Jungle Nama  is a free adaptation of the legend, told entirely in a poyar-like meter of twenty-four syllable couplets that replicate the caden...

Hello Loves!  How is your weekend going?  Mine is fulllll of books.  My day started with some very happy book mail and I spent my morning reading on the terrace with my sister.  My sister finished a book this morning and started a new book too.  This is what we are reading this weekend.  :)    A stack of our Weekend Reads.  Our current reads.  My sister is reading Daura by Anukrti Upadhyay.  Unforeseen Desires by Anil Chopra: I t is the 1970s and the Emergency is at its peak. Arun, an idealistic young man, is a medical intern in Dehradun whose life takes an unexpected turn when he is accused of losing a senior doctor’s wedding rings. As he begins his search for the rings, he meets Victoria, an older English missionary, who has made India her home. Arun persuades her to rent him a room in her compound, and, slowly, over shared meals and games of Scrabble, the two form an unlikely bond. In Victoria, Arun finds a patient listener and ...

Hello!  I am here today to share some glorious books I bought for my birthday. Honestly, my birthday is the only time when I buy books without a shadow of a doubt or an inkling of guilt. Otherwise, I constantly feel a little guilty about adding to my shelves. Especially when it comes to buying slightly expensive books.  But during February all my guilt goes flying out of the window.  Be gone guilt.  It's time to treat myself.  I got 11 books and I've already read two out of this lot.  So here's the newest loves added to my shelves.  I got all of these books from Amazon, I normally go bookshop hopping on my birthday but this year health troubles and car troubles kept me home.  So Jai Ho Amazon.  Starting with a book I finished just last night.  Suralakshmi Villa was wonderful.  It is a fleshed out novel version of an existing short story that I read a couple of years ago. I didn't know this going in. Bu...

Book: How The Sea Became Salty Author: Sudha Murty Pages: 40 Publisher: Puffin India/ Penguin Random House Read On: Paperback How Long it Took Me To Read: 15 minutes Plot Summary:   A long, long time ago, seawater was sweet and drinkable. How it became salty is a remarkable story. India's favourite storyteller brings alive this timeless tale with her inimitable wit and simplicity. Dotted with charming illustrations, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Sudha Murty. General Thoughts: The publisher kindly sent me this darling little book for review. Thank you :) All thoughts and opinions are my own. Things I Liked:  1. The writing as always (I really enjoy Sudha Murty's writing and story telling) was simple and beautiful and moving, all hallmarks of Murty's writing style. 2. The art in these pages is truly beautiful and add so much to the story. 3. This is a perfect way to introduce kids to the ...

Hello!  My book buying was at a complete standstill during my two month stay in the hometown. I tend to skip my manic book buying when I travel. It's a great way to be kind my wallet when I am spending my money on travel.  But in Darjeeling I knew I had to buy some books from the Oxford Book and Stationery Co, mainly as travel souvenirs and to buy books from those parts and support a local bookshop.  I spent some time browsing the shelves and came back with 5 precious books. I even got the books stamped!  :) Little happy bookish things!  Hello gorgeous!  BOOKS BOUGHT///  Curious Tales from the Himalayas by Shaguna Gahilote and Prarthana Gahilote  Tibetan Folktales by A.L. Shelton  The King's Harvest by Chetan Raj Shreshta  Legend of the Lepchas by Yishey Doma  The Himalaya Club and Other Entertainments from the Raj by John Lang I read a little bit of this book and really loved the st...