Kochi Books

Up a staircase off Princess Street, above the noise, a small shop that has been choosing its stock carefully since 2005. Smaller than Idiom and sharper for it: Indian history, spirituality, languages and Kerala-interest titles, arranged so that the shelf itself makes an argument. It doubles as a quiet place to sit and read a few pages before deciding, and it ships worldwide, which matters when the book you want will not fit in the bag. A good half-hour for when the street below gets too warm.

A tight, well-chosen shelf of India explaining itself, one floor above the street