Manali Book Shop

Our shop is set up inside House No 687 in the Dnello Dado area, right by Anjuna Beach. It’s an old house with thick walls and small windows. Living and working here means you get used to the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves when the town gets quiet at night. We have books everywhere—on the tables, under the benches, and filling up the old wooden shelves. Because it’s an old building, the floors are a bit creaky and the front door sticks whenever it rains. We get a lot of travelers coming in with sand on their feet, looking for something to read while they sit on the beach. I’m usually sweeping the floor three or four times a day to keep the sand away from the books. It’s a slow life here. We don't keep strict hours like a city store might. If the weather is nice, we might be a bit slow to open up. We have a few cats that like to sleep on the stacks of old paperbacks in the corner. Most of the books we have are used ones that people have traded in. It makes for a very random collection, but that’s how we like it. The neighbors are all local families and we’ve lived here long enough that everyone knows us. It’s a bit messy and crowded, but it feels right for a beach house.