Let your love (for books) blossom - Bangalore, India

Not far from the madness of MG Road lies the ultimate retreat from a busy day in Bangalore city. Blossom Book House provides endless floors of towering shelves of books on every subject imaginable, from Astrology to Ayurveda. It was established by Mr Mayi Gowda in 2001, and as word spread the little shop grew. Now based on Church Street, Blossom offers the perfect balance between a well-stocked bookshop and a kitsch library. Amongst the many bookstores in Bangalore, Blossom stands out as the only one where the staff may occasionally sit down with you for a chat or offer you a free drink. There is no pressure at all to buy- it is just a place to appreciate the literary world.

Wandering through the stacks of books, I was surprised to discover that there is structure in the apparent chaos. All the books are properly ordered in their correct sections and the staff appear to have a sixth sense homing device to any book you require. Do not be surprised if you accidentally trip over another customer sitting and reading in a quiet corner or aisle - Blossom Book House promotes browsing.  I read most of Clarissa Pinkola Estes’s ‘Women Who Run With Wolves’ over two days sitting in the Philosophy section, and when I finally bought it I could not believe the bargain.

Blossom is a treasure trove of new and used books, of well-known modern literature and unusual classics. You really could spend an entire day just getting lost. For any book lover or writer it is a rather breathtaking experience: drifting between the immense piles of books is truly humbling.