Love love love this place. Just what the neighborhood has always needed. I can lose myself for a whole day in here are the staff are just great. I often take my noisy kids for 'reading time' which is always a big hit. They have the place very well designed, do a nice job with staff picks, etc. and have friendly, knowledgeable staff. Ticks every box. read more

I always enjoyed the walk down to Greenlight on Fulton St. when I lived in Prospect Heights & Park Slope. When I recently finished my book: The Yellowstone Group, and discovered how hard it is to make it as an author, I was tremendously grateful to Greenlight for stocking a few copies on their shelves. Thanks guys! Your support means everything to me. read more

After reading the NY Times article about the little independent bookstore that could (with a little help from its neighbors) (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/nyregion/19bigcity.html?ex=1379563200&en=400cab2a7910fe5a&ei=5124&partner=facebook&exprod=facebook), I had been anxiously awaiting a pilgrimage to Greenlight. In fact, visiting this bookstore was one of the only things I wanted to do in Ft. Greene, which I don't visit with any kind of frequency. An added impetus came when some strangers on a Brooklyn-bound subway struck up a conversation with me based on the novel I was reading and recommended Greenlight's events and readings very highly and when a friend of mine moved close to the neighborhood. After my first trip here, though, I have to say that I was a little underwhelmed. The space itself is clean, bright, open, and sunny, although perhaps a little too small for a bookstore; the issue I have concerns the use of that space--the selection, coordination, and arrangement of books within it. Keep in mind that I'm the kind of person who walks into bookstores needing nothing and vowing to buy nothing--because (a) I have a pile of at least ten library books checked out at a time and (b) I have many unread new books overtaking their shelves in my apt--yet who always manages to leave a bookstore with at least one new book if not a stack. At Greenlight, I left with only a greeting card and a free bookmark. After perusing the entire store, I didn't discover anything I hadn't heard of that looked intriguing (the usual way I acquire new books), and I couldn't find anything I was looking for for myself or my friend. One table that particularly disappointed me was the local Brooklyn author's table. The Jonathans (Lethem and Safran Foer) were well represented, as was one of my favorite authors, Kate Christensen. There was a fair amount of Paul Auster, but nary a Siri Hustvetd in sight (either on the local author's table or in the rather scant fiction section). Yes, Paul Auster is a bigger name, but these two authors are a power literary couple, and Hustvetd is just as good a writer (if not the better imho) in the pair. I would have also liked to see a little representation of Sara Gran, a very local author and Brooklyn native whose 2006 NYTimes Book Review cover article, "Call it Brooklyn," addressed the use of Brooklyn locales in fiction: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/nyregion/thecity/10broo.html?pagewanted=print. It would be hard to claim these authors' absence from the store was anti-feminist since both store owners are female and since Kate Christensen's novels as well as Amy Sohn's "Prospect Park West" occupied some real estate. The issue is, rather, that the selection of books here is a little capricious, arbitrary, and random. Essentially, the "local" table features only local authors with national renown but not necessarily the most notable or newest titles. I'm sure that any book the store did not have in stock could be ordered, but that's not the point for me. I prefer the serendipitous, in-person bookstore find. Don't get me wrong here, I'm very much on the side of the dying breed of independent bookstores in their war against the Borders and Amazons of the world. I would rather pay full price for a new novel at an independent bookstore than give my money to a sterile corporate entity offering a discount. I just think this particular independent bookstore could be better. Perhaps if this store had more space it could be as good as Book Culture or Book Court. Or, using the space it has, perhaps it would be well served to borrow from the model of used bookstores like The Strand and Heights Books, filling every nook and cranny with books and stacking the rest from floor to ceiling. I will likely return to Greenlight for some readings and to peruse again and will update this review accordingly. read more

Beautiful bookstore with an excellent selection of both adult and children's books. The layout is very clear and I'm always able to find a new book that may interest me. With the decline of local bookstores, it's such a treat to have one down the road! The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. It can get pretty crowded on the weekends, but it's never bothered me. read more

I secretly despise Barnes and Noble. I pretend that I like their big corporate idea. I use their bathrooms whenever I can (especially the Union Square location). I browse their books. I spend hours in their store. I kill time in their store. I use their store for references. But, deep down inside, I know the truth. My bohemian soul will always be loyal to independent booksellers. So when I finally visited Greenlight, I knew I could shed my mask of pretention, and be myself. Corporate America has taken away the creativity and individualism that this country was originally founded on. And all in exchange for the dollar. How sad. But, I digress. This bookstore makes me believe that mom and pop shops can still survive, and that in the end, they are superior to the generic and monotonous corporate bookstores out there. This bookstore is right on a busy stretch of Fulton St, right across from Habana Outpost. The store is bright, and gets lots of natural light. I like that it had a homey feel to it. Almost felt like you were in a friend's library. They have many New York-themed books, with many books signed by the author, including Jumpa Lahiri and Jonathan Lethem. I also enjoyed browsing their fiction, philosophy, psychology, history sections. Now granted they don't have a vast selection, but I am sure there is more than enough here to keep you interested. I like that they have recommendations by staff. No where did I see a bestseller area. I like that they want you to form your own opinion. Or at least know about the opinions of the staff at the store. And likely since they are working in this beautiful store that you happen to love, their picks may just coincide with your interests also! Thanks Fort Greene for keeping it real and having such a wonderful bookstore in your family. Makes me jealous, but at the same time proud. Eat your heart out B&N. read more

Great selection, for the most part, and I'm thrilled they get so involved with the community, but in this day and age, when even Jezebel is pondering the reality that books may have truly lost their purpose, would it kill the staff to be even a little engaging? Seriously, the most unfriendly, attitude-driven group of sad sacks I've ever encountered...repeatedly. I won't be traveling to Greenlight anymore, which is sad as I'm a lover of small, independent bookstores but sorry gang, customer service does matter. read more

So many great options here for gifts and indulgences for yourself! The employees are awesome and are always down to make thoughtful recommendations. The layout is great, feels very wisely planned. The film section is great, and such a great selection on food!! The best place. The books they feature in the front are so carefully selected too. read more

i concur that it's lovely to see an indie bookstore take roots in fort greene. tis true about the bright lighting and open space. agree with monica m. about the new york section and the staff book picks. watch out b&n and borders, greenlight is out to take you DOWN. a great selection from lydia davis to classics like emily dickinson. staff is super friendly. they have a free frequent buyers program. just give them your name at the register. you won't be sorry. i left with a copy of fitzgerald's flappers and philosophers. i'll be back again and again. shar's giving you an air hug greenlight books! read more

A perfect indie bookstore. Support it, people! Well curated and merchandised. Great use of space. You can tell they definitely know the tastes and ranges of their patrons. Not the place to come for the formulaic brain candy, but if that's your thing then buy it here and support them. Definitely the place to find something challenging. Exceedingly friendly and professional staff. Very cool to learn about the Kobo ebook program they are a part of. This is wonderful place that any book lover will be proud of. Wish them nothing but the best of luck! PS: Coffee stores next door and across the street! read more

This is a great bookstore. They have everything I want and a lot of stuff I didn't know I wanted til I went in there. I went in with my 9 year old daughter and we found 4 books that we were looking for. They have a great kids section, very complete with stuff for all ages and levels of reading. For adults they have tons of great nonfiction, as well as all the latest fiction that you are seeking out. They had a great spirituality section, with a number of Thich Nhat Hahn books that are great. They had a tons of awesome art books, and graphic novels. This is a well thought out book shop with some wonderful employees keeping it going strong. There was a very long line but I was so happy to see so many people buying books it was worth the wait. read more

I absolutely love this little gem of a bookstore. I find that places like Barnes and Noble (while having a huge variety), lose that personal touch. This is my kind of bookstore. The people that work there have actually read a lot of books and can make some great recommendations. It feels good to walk in here and look around at all the cool books they have. Not to mention they have a ton of books from local authors, in which they write about the local area. That makes it feel like a really great neighborhood book store. read more

The poetry section is pretty underwhelming last time I checked. Lots of collected and selected works.

A quiet little bookstore, yet with a great amount of spacing to keep you comfortable!

Great neighborhood bookstore with a friendly staff. If they don't have a particular title in the store they can order it quickly. They have regular book readings/signings. They also have story time for kids on the weekend and a nice selection of children's books and gifts. read more

I feel like a sleazebag for saying it, but Greenlight doesn't exactly do it for me. I've spent a lot of time asking myself why. The main thing I want to say here and now is that I go in frequently willing to buy something, and leave empty-handed. As a voracious reader, I am as surprised by that as perhaps they are. Here are a few thoughts as to why -- though I am deeply grateful such a place exists in my neighborhood -- it doesn't scratch my itch. The feel of the store is cool: blond wood. The selection is overweighted towards officially "significant" (well-reviewed in the right venues) fiction. Corollary: the fiction is all expensive. Corollary: as another commenter has noticed, there is virtually no genre fiction: thrillers, mysteries, romances. The layout favors Children's books much more than, say, history. As a non-child I feel vaguely elbowed aside. They have foreign language books, but in so stingy a selection that I wonder, Why bother? Ditto dictionaries and other forms of "information." For a bookstore catering, plainly, to the highly educated, why are there so few books about, say, Beethoven or Shakespeare? More essays! I wish I could put my finger on my distress. These are plainly serious people running a serious bookstore: given that even most Manhattanites live in bookstore-starved neighborhoods, how can I complain? And yet, why do I so often leave depressed, not exhilarated, and emptyhanded rather than laden with purchases? There is something too-quiet, too-perfect, too-smart about this store. I am someone who reads Proust in French, so I'm hardly a thug. But even I feel like I can't ask for, certainly not hope to find, the latest Lee Child. But why not? People read for multiple reasons, and they are not always of the most exalted. Greenlight, I thank you, I truly do! But I seldom think with joy of you; whereas I do of smaller, quirkier, cozier places like Word in Greenpoint or Community Bookstore in Park Slope. Is there no way you can be a little trashier and more lovable? read more

Great bookstore in a neighborhood I really enjoy.. I went here last week in efforts to find a few christmas presents, and I have to say that the staff is extremely helpful and personable. I also like the general layout of the store; it's clean and organized and makes me want to there there all the time now. read more

Greenlight is great. If the place doesn't charm your pants off, well, you're wearing your belt too tight. They have good displays of local authors, new books, and other thematic selections. The employees are super friendly and equally prepared to talk about the latest wordsmithery of Paul Auster or Miss Jay Alexander ("Follow The Model": One of my friends actually bought it here). There are a whole lot of writers living in Brooklyn, and therefore Greenlight is able to attract a lot of literary luminaries (recent or future speakers include Jhumpa Lahiri, David Mitchell, Vendela Vida, and Gary Shteyngart, along with a lot of lesser-known but very awesome people). They also have a series where bloggers interview authors, and occasional slam poetry nights, things like that. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that I so wish there were more seating in here. I think there's room, though it would perhaps disrupt the aesthetic of the place a bit, and it would contribute so much to the sense of community that is blossoming thanks to their evening events. I highly recommend signing up for Greenlight's newsletter or stopping by if you're in the neighborhood. Places like this, that combine extraordinary access to culture with cozy neighborhood vibes, are what make Brooklyn such a great place to live. read more

Very well-curated bookstore with excellent events for readers and writers. A phenomenal children's section too. The best place around for last minute birthday gifts for birthday parties. They also have a nice rewards program. When you spend $200, you get books, bags, among other items. The staff is helpful and kind to children, even wild ones. :) read more

Beautiful bookstore with very nice selection, lots of hardcovers. A nice place to mill and check the surrounding area out. Nice selection of cards and potential gifts. read more

It's a cute bookstore with a bunch of hipsters and not too many book selections. I'm sure people go here to help out the local businesses.

Greenlight Bookstore is arguably one of the dopest bookstores in Brooklyn. The curation of books is beyond perfection as they've really put some effort in stocking titles and authors that are usually pretty hard to find at your local Barnes & Noble. Even when I know I have books up to the ceiling in my apartment, I'll always pop in just to see what new titles have hit their stands. As an active culture reader, I love that Greenlight has a table with the latest titles from geniuses such as bell hooks, Ta-Nehisi Coates, etc. There's no need to dig, the best of the best is laid out for you the moment you walk in. They also have a pretty awesome selection of photography books. I love a good photographic journey through the 80's in Harlem, or a montage of memories from Motown in the 70's. I've been making Greenlight my store of choice since moving to Brooklyn a few years back and it warms my heart to see that they're still standing strong! read more

If this bookstore were in my neighborhood, I would live there. The first time I walked in there it was like discovering the Emerald City. All of the books looked so shiny and pretty. I wanted to buy everything. It's neatly organized, well curated, and (to quote Mary Poppins) practically perfect in every way. read more

If there isn't a famous saying about how every neighborhood needs a bookstore, there should be. And that bookstore should be like Greenlight--warm, welcoming, and for everyone. I've been to a few readings here, and have stopped in when killing time to browse and it's always a pleasure. The staff is beyond friendly, and they carry pretty much any book you could want, and if they don't have it, they can order it for you. Did I talk about the readings, which are varied and feature big names and smaller indie writers? They really make an effort to reach a broad audience, and the staff recommendations are great as well. Three cheers to Greenlight! read more

Very neat and organized with a friendly and helpful staff. They seem to stock more new literature than classics, and have a wide variety of stationary and journals. read more

A local book shop doesn't get better than Greenlight. They have it all, including story time and sing along for the little ones. You can find a great selection of books, gifts and cards at this VERY well run and curated book shop. read more

This place has been pretty much an "instant classic" since it opened. It's the closest indie bookstore selling new books to my neighborhood and my only criticism is that they make it soooooo easy to spend more than I intend every time I visit Greenlight. It's well lit, open well into the night, and the shelves are spaced enough that you don't feel like you're squeezed on a rush hour C train. The well-curated tables of featured books and employee selections are the main source of my unplanned literary spending...there is always something interesting that I've never heard of, or that I've been meaning to read for a while but forgot about. They will order a book for you if they don't have it in stock. In this day and age where Amazon et al are working overtime to torpedo independent local businesses, we should support the great ones like Greenlight! read more

Wish it stocked the books I want to read! Catered to Brownstoner-types who want to learn how to make a compost heap in their backyard. Pleasing to browse, tho, and love how they've plugged themselves into the community with events. read more

I had been here for a Geoff Dyer reading a few months ago, and a few weeks ago had a good customer service experience with them when I ordered online. I had ordered a signed copy of a book and although it arrived extremely quickly, the book that arrived wasn't a signed copy. When I contacted Greenlight, they immediately processed a new order for me, which arrived only a day or two later, along with a free Greenlight tote bag, and told me to keep the unsigned copy as well instead of returning it. They handled the complaint very quickly and satisfactorily. read more

A great book store. Very clean. Excellent fiction section. Kind of wish they had a sale or clearance section. If they do have one I didn't see it. read more

Greenlight is everything you could want from a local bookstore. Friendly and hip employees, healthy selection of books, large stationary section, bathroom, and lots of kids to flush out the scene. The books aren't categorized in an entirely ordinary fashion, which makes the hunt for your book more fun. read more

Great book store with a phenomenally hand picked selection. I always find what I'm looking a for but its never an overwhelming selection. Staff is super helpful and friendly, but not overbearing. My favorite bookstore in this area by far! read more

The term "neighborhood gem" was created for places like Greenlight. Always a good selection of books, helpful staff, and many events/readings. Plus BAM members get a 20% discount! read more

I have patronized Greenlight on several occasions and have always been greeted with a pleasant and helpful staff. My challenge is the severe lack of multicultural books outside of the realm historical events and other stories that focus on racial issues. Black, Asian and Hispanic children should be allowed to have a well rounded selection. White children should be able to select a book about an average kid such as The Diary of ____ and the main character has a hue to them without it being a story about Black history or a Indigenous tribal ritual. By restricting the selection of childrens books we are just raising another generation to have limitations of how they envision themselves and their perception of others. I encourage Greenlight to incorporate a wider selection of childrens books. The customer base is there! read more

This is the kind of bookstore where you find new authors, new books to love. There's so much crap that's published, and what they've done is sifted through and found the best stuff for you to choose from. read more

Lovely staff, great story-time and wonderful events calendar. Book selection is cool too.

Mr. Smoothie Productions wishes to thank Greenlight Bookstore (and Krystal) for their courteous help in promoting the movie Mr. Sophistication. Thank you from the cast and crew! read more

Absolutely the best book store! Every time I've asked for gift suggestions for all ages (but particularly children, and I do not have my own) the staff is SO knowledgable and makes ME look like a hero to the recipients. So dependable, so kind, so neighborhood essential. Love Greenlight! read more

It's an independent place, which is great I guess, but I don't really see any difference in the selection from a chain place. Maybe they have a wider selection of children's titles? The reasons I usually have for by a book on the outernet, used, foreign-language, less common titles, don't really apply. Their sweet spot seems to hover around the Junot Diaz-Adam Gopnik-Zadie Smith zone that you can get for free on NPR. They do have a lot of cook books, too. read more

Fantastic indie bookstore! They also have a good card selection. I love going in and checking out the new paperbacks.

This store has a nice, clean interior. But that's about all it boasts. Unless you're shopping for fiction, don't expect to find what you need. read more