Reading Room – A Community of Readers. A Space to Share Books.

This is us – the initiators behind Reading Room 🤍 Since we started Reading Room in November 2024, many new faces have joined us. So the beginning of a new year felt like the perfect moment to (re)introduce ourselves. We’re Teresa, Shirley and Deniz. We come from very different professional backgrounds, but share one big love: books — and reading them. The idea for Reading Room was born when Deniz and Teresa independently shared the same New York Times article about Reading Parties in the US. That post sparked a conversation, and not long after, the decision to bring something similar to Berlin. In the early stages, Andrea accompanied and supported the project. Shortly after, Shirley joined, shaped the visual identity of Reading Room, and completed the team as it exists today. And just like that, Reading Room came to life. Teresa doesn’t always find as much time to read as she’d like since becoming a mother, but makes up for it by reading several books at once. She moves through intense reading phases, mostly drawn to fiction with the occasional nonfiction in between. After years of reading mainly in English, she’s recently rediscovered German books. Shirley once thought she wasn’t much of a bookworm anymore until she allowed herself to stop reading books she didn’t enjoy. Since then, she’s found her way back to reading, mostly fiction. Her favorite moments to read are before falling asleep, on train rides, or in quiet cafés. Deniz is without a doubt our fastest reader. She prefers reading books in their original language (mostly English) and keeps an impressively organized overview of everything she’s read and still wants to read. You’ll usually find her reading on the couch or in cafés after a workout. At the end of last year, we spent a few hours at the Jakob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum with the wonderful photographer @natashaaufmkamp . We’re so thankful for your creativity, your time, and the gentle way you captured us. Thank you for your soft eye and warm perspective. We’re excited for what this year has in store and are already working on new ideas, formats, and collaborations. Happy New Year ✨📚

Only a few days left until our first Morning Edition of Reading Room, kicking off this Sunday @cafetiergarten 🌿☕️ Please note that the event is already fully booked. If you successfully RSVP’d, you should have received a confirmation email yesterday with all the important details. 📋 Since we received so many requests afterward from people who would still love to join, we kindly ask anyone who booked a spot and can no longer attend to let us know so we can offer your place to someone on the waiting list. We’re very much looking forward to reading together with you over freshly brewed coffee or tea! 🍵🥐

Introducing a new category on our Substack: Why We Read Together. It’s a series in which we want to give space to voices from book clubs. Whether they have founded one themselves, visit one regularly, or simply have an opinion on the subject. First up is @evapramschuefer . Eva is a writer and journalist for publications including Süddeutsche Zeitung and Condé Nast, and she just published her debut novel at Rowohlt Verlag. In 2025 she launched her digital bookclub @cult______classics , sharing her passion for books with a broad audience on YouTube. With Eva, we talked about her and book clubs in general and why reading rarely stays a solitary act. Find the while interview on Substack. Link in bio 🌸 #books #bookclub

We are back with another Newsletter! 💌 This time we feature new Fellow Reader interviews with @leonieherweg and @aida_berlin , offering fresh inspiration and expanding our reading lists. Community Reads returns with books loved by our community, and our new series Why We Read Together explores different forms of book clubs, beginning with a conversation with @evapramschuefer about her digital book club @cult______classics . To close the circle, we are also announcing our next event, an Early Morning Edition at @cafetiergarten , the very space co-founded and shaped by Leonie Herweg, inviting a new way to gather and read together at the start of the day. To RSVP, Newsletter subscribers get first dibs to sign up. Link in bio. Happy reading! 🌸

Since November, Berlin has been home to a new independent bookstore: @chapters_berlin 👀 Bringing global voices to the heart of Moabit, Chapters pairs a thoughtfully curated selection of English-language books with a vibrant program of community events. Behind Chapters is Sharmaine Lovegrove @shar_love_ – founder and former publisher at @dialoguepublishing , literary agent at International Creative Agency, and co-founder of the Caribbean literary magazine PREE. Throughout her career, Sharmaine has created space for bold, underrepresented voices and built literary communities that reach far beyond the mainstream. For a new edition of our Fellow Readers series, we get a glimpse into Sharmaine’s literary world as a reader, editor, and community builder. Read the interview on Substack (link in bio or via our story). 📚✨ Photos: Robert Rieger (@robertrieger )

In our latest Newsletter Shirley shared a personal selection of her favorite bookstores across Berlin. As we are incredibly lucky to live in a city with such a wide variety of wonderful independent bookshops, this is by no means a complete list, but maybe a little inspiration to explore a new Kiez and browse through some well-curated bookshops. Featuring @uslarundrai @antiquariatmutabor @anakoluthbuch @hundthammerstein @proqm @buchhandlung.stadtlichter @shesaidbooks @knesebeck11 @buecherbogen_berlin @autorenbuchhandlungberlin @bildband.berlin (additional tip) Read the whole article on Substack, link in bio 📖

We’re back in your inbox sooner than expected. We simply couldn’t wait to share a few things with you: a new Fellow Readers interview, a small selection of our favorite bookshops in Berlin, and some impressions from our recent event with Paleworks. To keep it short: 📚Books, Berlin, and a conversation with Sharmaine Lovegrove (@shar_love_ ) Happy IWD / Feministischen Kampftag 🤍

Last week we hosted the very first Special Edition of Reading Room, and we honestly couldn’t be happier with how the evening turned out. This was truly a night dedicated to slowing down, reading together, and celebrating design. Together with @paleworks , we transformed the @deutschesdesignmuseum into a space where design met books, accompanied by smooth jazz tunes from @radio_hack . It was our first collaboration, and we’re so grateful for the trust, the energy, and the seamless teamwork. Thank you @yagmurruzgar , @ozanakkoyun_ , and @bujar___.a for making this evening so memorable. Spending the night in the stunning rooms of the museum, surrounded by the current exhibition on Dieter Rams, made it even more meaningful. We learned about Rams’ design, discovered Paleworks’ beautiful new trays, shared an hour of collective reading, chatted and enjoyed delicious drinks by @booouuuche alongside tasty bites from @eatcravers . Thanks again for sponsoring the evening and keeping us all fueled throughout the night. The museum’s carpet meant everyone slipped off their shoes, so we read in socks, sitting and lying on the floor — easily one of the coziest details of the evening. Surrounded by iconic design pieces, reading somehow felt even more special. @mariestaggat accompanied us throughout the evening and captured it all so beautifully. We’re incredibly grateful to have had such a talented photographer document our event. Thank you for your energy, your time, and your amazing eye. And thank you to everyone who joined us! We’re already looking forward to the next (special) editions ✨

Little reading inspiration for the first spring weekend 🌞 All the books we read at Reading Room Edition #8 in February at Refuge Worldwide Community Space. #books

Meet Yağmur! With our Paleworks x Reading Room event coming up in just a few days, we’re excited to introduce you to one of the two faces behind @paleworks : Yağmur Rüzgar. For our latest Fellow Reader interview, Deniz spoke with Yağmur about her current and upcoming reads, from foundational design theory to lighter fiction for slower evenings, and about the role books play in grounding and expanding her practice. 📚 Thank you, @yagmurruzgar . We loved getting a glimpse into your reading world. Read the full interview on Substack (link in bio or via our story) 💌

SAVE THE DATE 📍When Books Meet Design On February 24, @reading_roooom and @paleworks jointly invite you to an evening shaped by books, design, and sound. Set within the current Dieter Rams exhibition curated by @radio_hack at the Deutsches Design Museum, the evening combines a silent reading experience with the soft launch of the Pale Tray, accompanied by music curated by Bujar Aruqai (@radio_hack ). For drinks and snacks, we’ve partnered with @booouuuche and @eatcravers who will be offering their delicious creations throughout the night. 📚 Please make sure to bring the book you are currently reading or a favorite you’d like to return to. We look forward to welcoming you. 📣 Stay tuned, the RSVP list will be available soon. Event Details February 24 Doors open 7:00 pm Start 7:30 pm Location Deutsches Design Museum Uhlandstraße 185, 10623 Berlin

Last Tuesday was icy and slippery in Berlin – which made it even more special that so many of you found your way to @refugeworldwide.space for the first Reading Room edition of 2026. And once again, it felt truly special. ✨ Every bench, chair and cushion was taken as we spent an hour quietly immersed in our books, gently guided into the silent part of the evening by ambient tunes from @pluraplura 📖 🎶 Afterwards, the space opened up for conversation, and a wonderfully wholesome hum filled the room: people chatting about their books, drifting from one conversation to the next, lingering. As always, there were some familiar faces alongside many new ones. Thank you to everyone who continues to accompany our editions with so much joy, and a big thank-you to all the newcomers for sharing this reading experiment with us. 🩵 Shirley and Deniz captured the evening in images, here’s a small selection. 🎞️ Before the next regular edition, we’re excited to share news about our very first special edition coming up soon. Stay tuned! And as always, thank you to @refugeworldwide.space and George for your support! 🫶🏻 - Teresa