Why Bookstores Are Thriving in Socially Conscious Berlin

Riding Berlin trains, I'm often struck by the number of people reading actual books.

In other cities I visit, subway commuters seem to universally stare at their phones these days. Is this due to some Luddite disdain for technology in the German capital? Or does it align with the fact that, after money, books are the most popular Christmas gift in Germany? Some 49 percent of Germans are putting books under the tree this year, while 54 percent are giving money, according to retail statistic service handelsdaten.de