India, Nov. 4 -- I look for bookshops wherever I travel, but I didn't expect to find one at a luxury resort in the Maldives. A friend and I had arrived with a few books between us and had already worked out where we'd read them: on the swing, in a hammock, stretched out on a beach chair, or simply plonked on the sand.

Then we discovered the Barefoot Bookshop

At Soneva Fushi, in the Baa Atoll, shoes are discarded almost as soon as you arrive. The resort calls it its "no news, no shoes" philosophy, and the bookshop fits in.

Tucked among the island's greenery, it looks nothing like the bookshops I usually frequent. Shelves branch out like trees; books suspended on strings seem to float overhead. There are no pavements outside, no commuter...