Driven by social media and word of mouth, the KL Reads community has expanded into a thriving network of readers, drawing in book lovers from all walks of life. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
If you’re a regular at Kuala Lumpur’s Perdana Botanical Gardens (Taman Botani Perdana), you may have noticed swathes of people – from families with children and small groups of friends to couples and those happily on their own – spread out across the lawn next to the Conservatory Garden every Saturday morning, quietly reading.
The curious sight often draws inquisitive onlookers, asking if it’s some sort of book club.
“We’re not an organisation or a book club,” clarifies Victoria Navina, 34, who founded Kuala Lumpur Reads (KL Reads), in a recent interview.
“We’re a community-driven initiative aimed at promoting reading, social cohesion, and the active use of green public spaces as a no-cost third place,” she adds.
Since May 2023, come rain or shine (and in Malaysia, there’s plenty of both), Navina has made it a weekly habit to read in a park. While the number of fellow bookworms who join her can get to over 100 these days, it wasn’t always like this at the start.
KL Reads has built a dedicated following, with readers eagerly gathering on Saturday mornings at the Perdana Botanical Gardens. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
“Some weeks it would just be me who turns up. But I kept going anyway, because showing up when nobody else did, in my mind, is also a form of advocacy,” she says.
In its first year, KL Reads sessions took place at Bukit Kiara Federal Park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. But when the park closed for renovations, they moved to Perdana Botanical Garden, where they’ve been since, from 8.30am to 10.30am every Saturday. (“But readers are more than welcome to come earlier or stay on later,” adds Navina.)
“At first, the transition was hard. We were sad because we had just found the perfect spot for reading at the park in TTDI and we had grown to love it there – we missed the community, the stream, and the green surrounding us.
“But soon, we found little things to love at the new location, like the tree we usually sit under, and the two myna birds that always come to share snacks,” says Navina.
Many families attend KL Reads, fostering a reading habit in their children. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
Due to the more central location and easy accessibility via public transportation – Perdana Botanical Garden is a short walk from the Muzium Negara MRT station – more readers started to join them.
“We used to get 10 to 20 people joining us on a good day, but with word getting around, more and more people started coming. Some of them talked about KL Reads in social media posts and travelogues. One in particular led to what we now call the ‘boom’, starting from the 89th edition onwards. Since then we’ve always had over 100 readers!” says Navina.
The start of the Reads movement
Navina is quick to point out that while she founded KL Reads, the idea originally came from India, namely Cubbon Reads, after Cubbon Park in Bangalore, where it all began in early 2023. The concept quickly gained traction across the country, inspiring chapters in other cities and among the Indian diaspora worldwide.
While scrolling through Instagram one night, she came across a Reel by Cubbon Reads showing people reading leisurely in the park.
Bring a picnic blanket or camping chair for your reading comfort. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
“That night, I sent them a message commending them for the initiative, hoping there were such things here in Malaysia. They replied almost immediately, asking why not Malaysia and why not me.
“Being an introvert, I didn’t think I was someone who could simply start something. But a conversation with the founding curators of Cubbon Reads, Shruti Sah and Harsh Snehanshu, encouraged me,” she shares.
The very next day – the day she considers “Day Zero” for KL Reads – Navina went out to nearby parks to scout the right location and soon held the first edition in the first week of June 2023.
“KL Reads was the first international chapter set up outside of India, and is the most successful one so far, owing to its consistency and community-led approach,” she says.
Now, KL Reads is quickly approaching its 100th edition, which will be in the last week of April this year.
KL Reads founder Victoria Navina (right) with her partner and co-curator Sadho Ram. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
Getting back into the reading habit has been a challenge for some, but perseverance makes all the difference.
“It’s probably been about seven years since I’ve read a book,” says James Guan, 36, business development and partnership executive.
“But since my wife Lily convinced me to come for KL Reads, I’ve finally gotten around to reading a book my ex-manager gave me as a farewell gift 12 years ago. Reading outdoors among all this greenery has had a good effect on both my physical and mental well-being.”
Proving stereotypes wrong
Though KL Reads has come a long way since its early days, at the moment it’s still only Navina and her partner, Sadho Ram, curating the weekly sessions and Instagram account (which has over 13,700 followers at the time of publishing). However, they’re now looking at bringing additional curators on board to help manage the community.
Navina admits that getting to this point has not been easy, with the biggest challenge for most being simply showing up.
At the end of every KL Reads session, readers will be asked to stack their books (and e-book readers) together for a photo. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
“There are days when it’s hard, when we’re physically unwell, when we have bad mental health days, when we’re exhausted and lack sleep, when we stay up late working across time zones, whether it is work or weekend commitments. Regardless, our commitment to KL Reads has not changed,” says Navina.
Running KL Reads is, of course, not her full time job – she works as a public health professional, but even then, Navina tells us that she has turned down job offers to focus on KL Reads.
“At first, people laughed at what we were doing. They would ask what strange beha-viour it is to read in the park – it’s too hot, too uncomfortable, too busy, too far. They said it’s impossible to do something like this in Malaysia, as there’s the stereotype that Malaysians don’t read,” says Navina.
Babra Ruin, 27, a learning and development executive, is thrilled to be surrounded by fellow book lovers.
Navina envisions KL Reads as a haven for book lovers - a place to feel safe, comfortable, and completely immersed in a good read … even if it means kicking off your shoes. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
“I actually enjoy reading outdoors, but when I do it alone, I can’t really enjoy myself because of safety concerns. But when I come for a KL Reads session, I know that I’m safe, because I’m surrounded by other readers.
“I feel like I’ve finally found my people among the KL Reads community,” says Ruin.
Navina says it took nearly two years to build KL Reads, and now others want to start chapters nationwide.
Known as sister chapters, there are not only several across the Klang Valley, such as Bandar Tun Hussein Onn (Cheras), Cyberjaya, Subang Jaya, and Shah Alam, but also in other states, like Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, with even more in the works.
Navina hopes that more readers will be inspired to join the movement and turn it from an outlier into a part of the local culture, strengthening community involvement and signalling the demand for improved urban planning and green spaces.
“It requires nothing but just reading in a park, but with this simple act, you’re promoting reading and advocating for green public spaces. A space purely for the pleasure of being outdoors in a green environment with a book and each other. What could be better?” she concludes.
