The best bookstore on the beach!

Of course I am biased but I really think that my friend Joy's bookstore (Ancy's bookstore - named for his daughter) is the best one on the beach. From humble beginnings (maybe 30 books eight years ago) he has built up a very good collection of just under 2,500 books (as of when this entry was initially written in 2008 - now, in 2009, he has about 3,000 books). He's got about 1,300 English books, 400 German and 300 Swedish and a smattering of other languages.

I spent the last few days of my visit helping get the store ready for the upcoming tourist season - we painted and installed five new shelves (still have paint in my hair) and put the English, German and Swedish books in alphabetical order by author. The photos show me putting the English books in order and finally admiring my handiwork!

























Joy still has some work to do including an exterior paint job on the shop, giving the floor a good clean and installing some lights. If you're in Kovalam Beach and need something to read (or just want to say hello) do drop by. The shop is behind the Velvet Dawn restaurant which is down near the lighthouse end of lighthouse beach (another landmark is Hotel Sea View Palace which is just next door).