Where are you staying this time ? There are quite a few book shops up and down Calangute/Candolim now, with a lot of second hand ones at cheap prices. I'm sure someone has mentioned a book exchange in Calangute ? so maybe someone can point you in the direction of it.
I know most of the beach shacks now take any books for other guests to use, so thats another option for you.
Shouldn't be any need to take a vast amount with you.
Spike.

Marinha Dourada does have an area where the books are kept, it's on the opposite side of the lake from the Reception, in the childrens play area. They have a couple of shelves. We always leave our books behind so that they can be added to. MoJos over the road from the Marinha also have books available.

Another place to try is in Baga on the CSM road, near to Bernards Place (opposite side of the road), there is a little book shop there with quite a good choice.

Hi Rita, if you go to the meets at the Carvery they have a lot of books you can borrow.
There is also a fair sized second hand book shop on Dr Alfonso Road in Calangute that refunds you some money if you return the books you buy.
What we also do is swap books with all the people at the shack we use.

Our hotel keeps a stock of books in several languages for people to borrow whilst on holiday. I have taken many of my own books over the years and have left them there. Several of the beach shacks also keep a stock of books for you to borrow.

All the hotels we've stayed in have had books left by previous guests and the beach shack we use does too.

Thank you all for your replies - because I normally have enough baggage allowance to take what I need I have not had to source new reading material and have obviously been walking round with my eyes shut to all these missed oportunities. Did not spot the books in the MD as we did not use the area on the other side of the lake, just cut through some times as a short cut to get out of the sun.

We are staying at the new hotel The Nazri in Baga in March for 3 weeks this time and planning to spend a bit of time 'down South'. Been meaning to do it for the last 2 seasons but once we arrive we find it hard to get off the sunbed!

Rita

Theres a few places down the CSM road that have them outside their shops, I ended up reading stuff that I wouldn't normally think about so it was great for me.
Don't forget that you can always get books in duty free so you can then put them in your hand luggage..... I know they can sometimes be more money but WH Smiths had great deals last year!

My problem last year was the pages falling out because the glue was 'melting'!!!

You have a bookshop at Jay-Jay´s, just ahead of where La Calypso use to be, not so far from Nazri

Or you could buy a 'copy' book off 1 of the sellers on the beach

Yes Shirley. One of the BEST we bought was from a stall when we were staying at Palolem few years back. It was a paperback copy of the Da Vinci Code...BUT it was made up of AT LEAST 4 other paperbacks! It was brilliant...ALL the pages WERE there and it must have taken the guy a painstakingly long time to do it! To make it 'neat' though he'd cut around the book..and some of the pages had the first line or two missing. We still have it..and wouldn't part with it for the world! LOL!

That is so funny Betty, it is amazing what lengths the Goans will go to to make a bit of money, makes it all the more precious though.
There were some very good copy books like Shantaram, White Tiger when I was there in March.

Some of the "pirated" books (as opposed to used ones) have pages missing. Very frustrating when you're just getting into the plot!
As folks have said, most hotels and many shacks have "leave one, take one" shelves.

I bought a pirate copy paper back from a young guy on Calangute Hight Street (outside the Red Lion/AKA Snowland Bar) most of the pages/print were fine but on some pages the print got feinter and feinter so I had to guess those bits of the story (can't remember the book now but it was reviewed well by HTers). Funnily though I would still buy a book off this guy, he was so sweet and I would buy from him just for his cheek Fizz

If I can't find informal book exchange and I've run our of books I go to Rama Bookshop just off the roundabout in central Calangute. he has a large stock of English language second-hand books (amongst a vast array of others!). You can buy outright or trade-in. His pricing structure seems to have absolutely no rhyme or reason to it, but it's kind of one of it's charms!

There's also a bookshop/cafe in Calangute called Literati, very pleasant place to have a drink while you browse ( E/1-282 Gaura Vaddo ).

And the Oxford Bookstore on the main Calangute Road from Candolim is by St Anthony's Chapel. A little on the pricey side, but the books are new and it is a proper bookshop.

I'm a ten books a week person so I really needed to find these places

just got a sony book thing, same weight as a hard back! have now started down loading it will fit hundreds on it

A bit off topic (to the original post) but book related, has anyone got any book recommendations they would like to share? I have read the usual like shantaram and the like that have been reviewed before so just wondering what the current trend in books for holiday reading is? Fizz