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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 97 of 2021. Dear Charlie, I am sorry you've been having a tough time lately. I can't even imagine the pain of losing your best friend in such a horrific manner. The trauma and guilt, you carry for leaving her alone the night her paths crossed with a serial killer, must be astounding. I am so sorry what she endured at his hands and what you've lived with since. You became a veritable recluse and now you've decided to drop out of college and head back home. I guess I understand why you need to leave and put some distance between you and the place plagued so many memories. But did you really need to hitch a ride from a total stranger? And drive out at night? Why get into a car with someone you know nothing about, someone who from the get go is giving you sus vibes? Why girl why? And alllll of this when there is an active serial killer on campus? Haven't your beloved films taught you anything? Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! And now here you are stuck in a car with a stranger who you've begun to suspect is the serial killer and there is nothing but the dark night stretching ahead of you. Man, I wish you well. But I can't in all honesty really wrap my head around some of seriously stupid decisions you've made lately. Seriously Behen stay satark and safe. Much Concern and Some Eye-Rolling, Pooja PS: The full review for this book is up on the blog. Link in bio. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #rileysager #survivethenight #fiction #thriller #mystery #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #bookreviews #booksarelife #booknerdigans #bookbloggers #ontheblog (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ8swKlJ_Oi/?utm_medium=tumblr

#whimsybookworm2021reads #rileysager #survivethenight #fiction #thriller #mystery #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #bookreviews #booksarelife #booknerdigans #bookbloggers #ontheblog

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 96 of 2021. #AnneTyler writes about perfectly ordinary things. Families. Middle-class, small-town sensibilities. Marriages. Inordinately mundane matters that we are all familiar with. But what makes her an incredible wordsmith is: how she infuses her ordinary worlds and stories with so much sincere warmth and heart and astute observations, that you find youself seeing new shades and layers to perfectly ordinary situations. I first heard of her when A Spool of Blue Thread was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2015. I read it and loved it and wanted to see (very naively) if she had other books out! Well she did. About 20 odd books! Since then I've read 3 of her books. Bought a few more and am hoping to someday read everything she's ever penned. Simple yet profound and moving and so utterly unpretentious. I am currently halfway through #clockdance and am really enjoying the time I am spending with the people in this book. Hoping to drink some coffee and slowly savour this tale of new and surprising connections. Hope you are having a good weekend too. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #fiction #bookishfeatures #igreads #americanliterature #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #currentlyreading #amreading #bibliophile #bookrecommendations #bookreview #womenwhoread #readmore #readwomen #booksandcoffee #coffee #literaturelover #weekendreads (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ3RJitpMgB/?utm_medium=tumblr

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 137 of 2021. My last read for #IndianBooksinAugust this year is this charming yet very realistic young adult book. #mirrormirror is the story of seventeen year old Ananya, who like so many girls her age struggles with body image issues. For the last five years, after a humiliating instance of fat shaming and bullying, Ananya has changed her lifestyle and especially her diet. She also cut off her best friend Raghu from her life because he was an unwitting witness to her humiliation. Now Raghu is back and some new feelings about him have surfaced. A relevant and moving tale about how young girls learn to hate their bodies and how society shapes their self-esteem and self-image. I am a little way in and can't wait to see where this story takes me. For now I am rooting for Ananya and wishing her well. Chalo back to my book I go. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #booksbooksbooks #ya #yalit #fictionbooks #indianbooks #litwithindianlit #bookishfeatures #bookbloggers #bookblogging #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #bookstagramindia #vsco #sunkissed #currentlyreading #currentreads #readwomen #womenwhoread (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTP2InPPZbW/?utm_medium=tumblr

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 136 of 2021. Next for #IndianBooksinAugust I snuck in a little romance. A little chick-lit if you will. A genre I read very, very rarely from. I think I sorta overdid/over read from this slice of the bookish pizza in the early 2000s. I read every Shopaholic, love at first sight, enemies to lovers romcom there was. And I loved it. A lot. Now I prefer consuming this genre through films. Give me a good romcom and I will happily watch it. Books not so much. This book was a fun and funny ride. The family black sheep- LJ, comes back home for her beloved Paati's (Grandma) funeral. And is forced to live with her large and slighlty dysfunctional family for 13 days. Cousins who she doesn't get along with anymore, a twin who's the good kid of the family, a sister-in-law who's a little too perfect and a Dad who doesn't even talk to her anymore. It's a lot. Add a hot family lawyer to the mix and 💥 boom you have a recipe for...family bonding and so much chemistry and love. An enjoyable read that I quite enjoyed. Good fun. Sometimes it's nice to step out and sample something different. Oh,I read this for free via #primereading and you can too if you're a prime subscriber. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #romance #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #ereader #ebooks #fictionbooks #bookreviews #bookbloggers #bookblogging #booknerdigans #booksmakemehappy #contemporaryliterature #indianbooks #theworstdaughterever (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTPC4e3vKuC/?utm_medium=tumblr

#indianbooksinaugust #primereading #whimsybookworm2021reads #romance #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #ereader #ebooks #fictionbooks #bookreviews #bookbloggers #bookblogging #booknerdigans #booksmakemehappy #contemporaryliterature #indianbooks #theworstdaughterever

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 117 of 2021. If you're a person of a certain age and grew up in India at a certain time, some things are true for us all: We all bought our school shoes from Bata. We all lived through power cuts. We were all introduced to mythology through our television. I don't much remember Ramayana, but Mahabharata mornings were special. It is hands down my favourite epic out of the two. The Ramayana with it's clear cut demarcations of good and bad, right and wrong, dharma and adharma...felt a little stifling to me. Plus, as a woman I always found it a bit...not quite right on multiple levels. As a result stories from The Ramayana haven't really called out to me or rather I've kept my distance from them. For most part, these stories and these subplots have remained a fleeting memory. The names Bali, Sugreeva and Tara I knew only barely. I only knew the basic outline of their arc, so this book felt brand new. This book was startling, surprising and the best part it made me think of this tale as old as time in a new light. See these brothers, their love, their world and their struggles in a new light. What makes a good man? What makes a good ruler? And who gets to decide a man or a Vanara's place in the world? Love, jealousy, vindication, war and righteousness and the oldest love triangle. Interesting. Glad I picked it up. . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #indianbookblogger #IndianBooksinAugust #mythology #Vanara #AnandNeelakantan #bookrecommendations #history #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #bookblogging (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSO8H5_JKax/?utm_medium=tumblr

#whimsybookworm2021reads #indianbookblogger #indianbooksinaugust #mythology #vanara #anandneelakantan #bookrecommendations #history #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #bookblogging

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 84 of 2021. Dear Muneera, Congratulations on the new house. Man, you are living the dream. I am not even kidding when I say I have had this exact daydream countless times: some old uncle passes away and bequeaths me a fortune. You get to live my dream! A house, a huge house in Richmond Town! And the timing is great too, isn't it? Zain's business isn't doing too well right? The money you'll save in rent will come handy. Plus a large house means more room for your little family and more space for little Adnan to run around. What a blessing! What a windfall! Except.. things aren't entirely perfect in your new house... The shadows that flit across the walls. The screaming that wakes you up every night. And Adnan acting strangely all of a sudden. So maybe this new home is not such a blessing after all?! Stay strong. I am sure things will be OK..I hope they will be. Take Care. Stay Safe. Don't be too scared. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #booksbooksbooks #morebookslessalgorithm #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #bibliophile #horror #thriller #indianwriting #indianbooks #bookworms #bookbloggers #letters #huji #spookyreads #bookreview #quickreads #readmore #fiction #bookandplants #womenwriters #houseofscreams (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZCQcspw4C/?utm_medium=tumblr

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 81 of 2021. A book I have been dyinggg to read for months now. A book I spent alll of today reading and simply unable to put it down. Read way past my bedtime and I am happy to report it was well worth the wait/anticipation. I really really enjoyed this book. It kept me hooked from start to finish and left me satisfied. If you liked The Secret History you'll enjoy this. If you like books about close knit groups, college, secrets, sociopaths and shrinks...pick this up. I finally finished it and now I can finally go to sleep and hopefully not have nightmares about Persephone, Demeter, Iphigenia or Medusa. I may have liked it more than #thesilentpatient which is a very good thing be. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #booksofinstagram #thriller #themaidens #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #mystery #darkacademia #fiction #readers #kindleandchill #bookstagram #bookstagramindia #unitedbookstagram #ilovebooks #booksmakemehappy (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQMjO0ZpvEH/?utm_medium=tumblr

#thesilentpatient #whimsybookworm2021reads #booksofinstagram #thriller #themaidens #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #mystery #darkacademia #fiction #readers #kindleandchill #bookstagram #bookstagramindia #unitedbookstagram #ilovebooks #booksmakemehappy

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 60 of 2021. What my weekend reading has looked like. #deadmentelltales I've been in a murder-y mood all weekend long. But then I am almost always in a murder-y mood. 😝 This book was full of murders most foul, crimes, deaths- accidental or otherwise and a Police Surgeon who does his best to make sense of these deaths. I really enjoyed this book and the writer's journey from being a medical student to professor to a medico legal advisor. I loved reading about some Kerala's baffling crimes and how cops and forensic teams solved them. If you like true crime then this is a good book to pick up. Heaps of Trigger Warnings though: Violence, Sexual Assault and Suicide. Pick it up but with caution. Talking about this and my murder-y watch list for this weekend on the blog. Link in bio 📚 . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworms #booknerdigans #bookbloggers #readingwithhci #truecrime #memoir #translated #indianbooks #indianblogger #weekendreads #ereaders #Kindle #bookreview #bookrecommendation #booksandflowers (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO8GMurJDLT/?igshid=u0z1os4rpd9b

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 43 of 2021. Remember Starr Carter from THUG? One of the things I liked best about that book was the people, community and kinship in that world. And so it was nice to be back in that world, albeit a couple of years before Starr's time. We are back in the same neighborhood in the late 1990s. We meet Maverick, Starr's dad, grappling with being a teen dad, gang violence, relationship hardships and growing up and settling scores. I really enjoyed this book. I loved being back in this world. Honestly, going in I didn't realise this was a prequel to THUG, it was a very happy surprise. Seeing Starr's world before her arrival. Seeing Maverick trying to navigate a difficult situation and growing up rapidly and raising his son. A good read. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #yalit #concreterose #angiethomas #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookworms #bookreader #reader #booknerd #booknerdigans #bookreview #bookrecommendations #fiction #90s #booksofinstagram #igreads #booksmakemehappy #morebookslessalgorithm (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/COH_d6BJQXC/?igshid=i7g7e1c1s5qw

#whimsybookworm2021reads #yalit #concreterose #angiethomas #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookworms #bookreader #reader #booknerd #booknerdigans #bookreview #bookrecommendations #fiction #90s #booksofinstagram #igreads #booksmakemehappy #morebookslessalgorithm

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Books 30 to 33 of 2021. Last night I finally signed up on @pbstoryweaver an incredible resource for amazing children's books in multiple languages. I first heard of them from the wonderful Ipshita of @thephotodiary Thank you Ipshita, for introducing me to this joy inducing treasure trove of darling books! I spent some time reading some beautiful books, smiling the whole time. I know I will spend many happy hours reading these gorgeous books. Go check them out and sign up, especially if have littles, you are in for a treat. Gosh, kids books make me so happy. Swipe to see the books and some incredible art. @pratham.books . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #kidlit #childrensbooks #childrensliterature #indianblogger #indianbooks #bookrecommendations #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #art #picturebook #beautifulbooks #fiction #thehappynow #femmemarch (at West Bengal) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAbNPLJRSP/?igshid=1se5w14la76s8

#whimsybookworm2021reads #kidlit #childrensbooks #childrensliterature #indianblogger #indianbooks #bookrecommendations #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #art #picturebook #beautifulbooks #fiction #thehappynow #femmemarch

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 23 of 2021. Trigger Warning: Rape and Caste Based Violence. The Badaun Case, involving two young girls made headlines back in 2014. To be honest I didn't read most of the coverage. I did so for my own mental health. I could not, just couldn't stomach another case, another headline from hell, another woman, girl, child reduced to a mere statistic in a world that is increasingly and consistently hostile and cruel to women. I don't read about rape. I don't watch films about it. No matter how acclaimed, I keep away. It stays with me for days, weeks even and leaves me on edge. Yet I picked this book up. Partly because I read and adored Sonia Faleiro's book on the Mumbai Bar Dancers- Beautiful Thing. (Pick it up if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it.) Secondly, as uncomfortable, occasionally triggering and horrifying as books like these tend to be, they are also important. People like you and me- living in big cities, in little bubbles of our own, need to know about the India that exists outside of our comfort zones. The India that could well be another planet entirely. A world governed by rules that could be well set in stone. Where caste, class and gender determine whether you get to live or not. And in this world, a young girl has no agency, autonomy or even the most basics of human rights. This book was not easy to read. It broke my heart, infuriated me and quite often left me seething thinking about how callously women are treated in our country. I it put down several times to just catch my breath. But it was important to read and bear witness. It is impeccably researched, well-written, nuanced and sensitive. Please read it, but be well aware of the TWs. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #femmemarch #nonfiction #indianbooks #thegoodgirls #soniafaleiro #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booksmakemehappy #bookstagramindia #unitedbookstagram #womenshistorymonth #womenwhoread #kindleandchill #bookbloggers #bookblog #bookishfeatures #igreads (at West Bengal) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMbl3f_FgVW/?igshid=xmvy6pi6a2hv

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 141 of 2021. "'Hope,’ he said. ‘Damn thing never leaves you alone." "Until recently, I didn’t think that humans could choose loneliness. That there were sometimes forces more powerful than the wish to avoid loneliness." To say that Ishiguro has a way with words, is like saying water is wet. His words wield power. They act like a chisel, quietly but steadily chipping away at your heart. Little by little, piece by piece. By the end of his books you find yourself slowly unraveling and trying hard to gather back the broken bits of your heart and maybe put them back together. I remember reading Never Let Me Go in my flat in Bangalore and crying loudly, messily and unabashedly once I turned the last page. Even now, ten years later that memory and the book, both vivid and visceral are some of my most profound reading memories. When We Were Orphans also left me similarly shaken and moved and affected. By the end of #KlaraandTheSun I found myself in a similar stupor. Ishiguro has managed to deftly, subtly but surely to once again chip away at my heart (in the best way possible). This book is deceptively simple, exquisitely beautiful and wholly relevant and even though is a work of speculative fiction, easily believable. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. Wept a little. Felt a lot. Thought plenty. And I am sure I wil continue to think about it. A worthy contender for the #manbookerprize this year. I've never read a #kazuoishiguro I didn't like and I've read all but one of his works. He's a writer I will always, always recommend. It's always a pleasure to read his books. Klara was an absolute delight. ☀️ . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #literaturelovers #literaryfiction #literature #readeveryday #alwaysreading #bookreader #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #fiction #bookbloggers #bookblogging #favourites #readerscommunity #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #bibliophile #ilovebooks #ereader #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTtCT5Hv3pp/?utm_medium=tumblr

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 140 of 2021. One of my most favourite thing in the world is learning more about my family lore. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved hearing stories about people from my family. A granduncle who loved his car so much, he covered with it with a mosquito net at bedtime. My great-grandfather who loved dressing up in his tennis whites every evening for a round of tennis with his British friends. A grandaunt who in her later years insisted on wearing every piece of jewellery she owned. An aunt who ran off and brought so much shame to the family. An uncle who blew up his sizable inheritance on financing dubious films. People I never met. Never saw. Yet I am connected to them all. So this book, about Yamuna who is looking into the life of her grandaunt Lalitha, whose life is shrouded in mystery, had me hooked from the get go. Like her I wanted to learn more about Lalitha, how she lived, who she loved, her music, her legacy and her marriage. An immersive read that I enjoyed very much. A perfect way to jump into the #jcbprize Longlist. A full review is up on the blog tonight. Link in bio. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #whatweknowabouther #krupage #booknerdigans #bookbloggers #bookblogger #alwaysreading #readerscommunity #literaturelovers #literaryfiction (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTkD_dwps6o/?utm_medium=tumblr

#jcbprize #whimsybookworm2021reads #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #whatweknowabouther #krupage #booknerdigans #bookbloggers #bookblogger #alwaysreading #readerscommunity #literaturelovers #literaryfiction

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 139 of 2021. This book made me sad. But more than that this book did something terribly important, it made me have a realisation about myself. A fairly profound one, if you think about it. I figured that literary thrillers are not my cup of tea. I love literary fiction. I adore thrillers. But somehow when these two favourite genres of mine mesh together, it often... almost always doesn't work for me. (Here's looking at you The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.) Also, open endings are not my favourite thing. Ever. Especially in a mystery-esque setting. I loved the writing here. Very much so. It does what good writing should, pull you hand first into this bleak world. For every single page and every single moment of this read I was there, in Idaho, in a secluded, isolated home and then in a claustrophobic prison cell with one of our main characters. I was there and feeling everything they were feeling. The plot too had my whole heart: A family goes to collect wood on an oppressively hot day in August of 1995. Something horrible happens. A child dies. A family falls apart. Told from multiple POVs and set across multiple timelines,this book had me very invested in this world and it's people. Till the last page was turned and we ended the book left to make our own inferences and deductions. We are never told (explicitly or otherwise) what happened and why. Open endings always bother me. But I don't mind them in romances, family dramas or even in cinema. But something about leaving things unsaid, unclear and unresolved in a mystery just leaves me feeling unsettled. Imagine if Christie ended any of her books with Poirot going- "Madame et Monsieur I leave you to draw your own conclusions about the crime. A murder most foul happened and you must think about it but I won't be divulging the reason behind it nor the culprit. Au revoir!" Read this book to enjoy the writing. It really is very good. But stay away, if you like you mysteries solved and sorted by the last page. I loved the literary fiction side of this book, not so much the thriller aspect. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #bookreviews #idaho #literaryfiction #thriller #mystery #bookstagram (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTgwPf1p6Ju/?utm_medium=tumblr

#whimsybookworm2021reads #bookreviews #idaho #literaryfiction #thriller #mystery #bookstagram

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 138 of 2021. Do you like true crime? Do you know all the true crime Classics? Do like reading about dysfunctional families? Well. .then this book might be of interest to you, since it's a mix of all of these things. A messed up family, a serial killer, secrets and siblings...all come together in this very atmospheric read. But did I like it?! Well...to find out more about this book and my thoughts about it, head over to the blog for a full review. Link in bio. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #bookstagram #thriller #mystery #bookreviews #bookbloggers #bookblogging #thefamilyplot #fiction #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #ontheblog #booknerdigans #indianblogger #readerscommunity #alwaysreading #Kindle (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTXk_VEP62g/?utm_medium=tumblr

#whimsybookworm2021reads #bookstagram #thriller #mystery #bookreviews #bookbloggers #bookblogging #thefamilyplot #fiction #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #ontheblog #booknerdigans #indianblogger #readerscommunity #alwaysreading #kindle

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thewhimsybookworm · 3 years

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Book 134 of 2021. For my next read for #IndianBooksinAugust I went a little back in time. Calcutta, 2002. We all know women are expected to live by a different set of rules. Morality works differently for men and women. A little slip-up (as perceived by society) and you are thrown to the wolves. Drishti is learning this life lesson the hard way. She is independent, successful musician living and working in Calcutta in 2002. She is also a single mother to four year old Tara. All good? Well, not quite. You see Drishti has had a child out of wedlock and that has the so-called Bhodroloks all hot and bothered. So when little Tara goes missing, everyone and their second cousin turns their attention to this case, no not to help find the missing child but to analyse, scrutinize and demonize a single mother. Part thriller, part true crime re-telling (in its treatment), part social commentary and a character study, this one packed a punch. Talking more about this unputdownable book on the blog. Link in bio. . . . #whimsybookworm2021reads #booksofinstagram #bookbloggers #bookblogging #bookworms #dirtywomen #madhumitabhattacharya #litwithindianlit #thriller #mystery #readwomen #alwaysreading #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookreviewer #booknerdigans #flatlay #booksandcoffee (at Kolkata) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTMYaLFJStV/?utm_medium=tumblr

#indianbooksinaugust #whimsybookworm2021reads #booksofinstagram #bookbloggers #bookblogging #bookworms #dirtywomen #madhumitabhattacharya #litwithindianlit #thriller #mystery #readwomen #alwaysreading #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookreviewer #booknerdigans #flatlay #booksandcoffee

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