LeseGlück Buchhandlung

The LeseGlück Bookstore in Kreuzberg’s Wrangelkiez

The LeseGlück bookstore is located on Ohlauer Straße in the Wrangelkiez, not far from the Landwehrkanal and Paul-Lincke-Ufer. The neighborhood is dense and lively, and it has a practical peculiarity for this store: Right next door, at Ohlauer Straße 41, is the neighborhood theater EXpedition MEtropolis, where the larger readings take place. Those arriving by car should plan for parking, as the Wrangelkiez has been managed as parking zone 65 since December 2022. The U1 and U3 stop at Görlitzer Bahnhof, and the U8 at Schönleinstraße.

Eleni Efthimiou and Susan Pfannstiel founded the bookstore in 2007, after a spontaneous encounter at a party and with the idea of creating a place open to everyone. Both still run the establishment today, supported by a small team. In 2021, the store was awarded the German Bookstore Prize. Over the years, the bookstore has, by its own description, become the neighborhood’s literary living room, and coffee is also available there.

Bilingual Contemporary Literature and the GlücksAbo

The LeseGlück bookstore’s assortment is bilingual, with contemporary literature available in German and English. Additionally, there are books on socio-political topics, graphic novels, travel, cooking, gardening, and urban planning volumes, as well as an extensive children’s and picture book section. New releases from small and independent publishers are deliberately highlighted, and advice is tailored to the customers’ interests and mood rather than bestseller lists. The store collaborates with daycare centers and schools in the neighborhood to promote reading.

A unique format is the GlücksAbo (Happiness Subscription): For a self-chosen period, a hand-picked book arrives once a month, for oneself or as a gift, selected according to reading preferences and with a moment of surprise. Registration takes place in the store. The event program ranges from premiere readings to film evenings and concerts, up to a Bookdinner that combines literary and culinary delights. Readings cost eight euros, reduced five euros. The team accepts orders in the store, by phone, or by email; deliveries are made by bicycle within the neighborhood and by post outside Berlin.