KL Reads: How One Woman Sparked a Reading Revolution

By Danial Martinus • 24 Mar 2025 in Features

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There’s a certain magic in reading. The way a book pulls you in, letting the world around you blur into the background as you lose yourself in its pages.

Some of us have felt it in the quiet corners of a library, in the glow of a late-night lamp, or even tucked into a window seat at a café. But Victoria Navina found it somewhere else—in a park, surrounded by strangers who, like her, just wanted to read.

An ode to Cubbon Reads

It started with an Instagram reel. A silent reading community in Bangalore, India, called Cubbon Reads had caught her eye. People gathered in the park, each engrossed in their own book, yet sharing a collective moment of quiet connection.

It was such a simple concept, but it struck something deep within her. In Malaysia, public parks were seen as spaces for exercise, for children’s laughter, for community events—but rarely for reading. Why was that?

“That night, I sent them a message commending them for the initiative, hoping there were such things here in Malaysia,” Navina tells JUICE. “They replied almost immediately, asking why not Malaysia and why not me, and I had a conversation with the founding curators of Cubbon Reads, Shruti Sah and Harsh Snehanshu.”

That was all the push she needed. She didn’t set out to start a movement, just to reclaim something she had loved—reading in a park.

She had done it often while studying abroad in Russia, where public spaces hummed with quiet readers on benches, by rivers, and in subways. She missed that.

And so, one day, she went to the park, sat down, and read.

A quiet rebellion against the rushed, transactional nature of city life

At first, it was just her. Then a few more came. Some weeks, people joined in; other times, they didn’t. There were scorching afternoons and unexpected downpours, but through it all, Navina persisted.

“At that time in TTDI, while it was a beautiful park and always full of people doing all kinds of activities, we struggled to attract readers to join us. There were weeks when one or two new readers would come but wouldn’t come again,” she shares.

“It made us wonder if there was something we were doing wrong or if we were the odd one out.”

She shifted the timing, tried different parks, and wrote heartfelt reflections online about each session. Even when no one came, she kept reading.

She had created something meaningful—a space where people could gather, without expectations, without the need to perform, just to read.

And just to be clear: KL Reads isn’t a book club. There are no assigned readings, no required discussions. It’s simply about the act of reading—alone, together in a “third space” (away from home and the office).

In a poetic way, it’s a quiet rebellion against the rushed, transactional nature of city life. A space where introverts can find company without conversation, where strangers can sit side by side in comfortable silence.

For a long time, however, Navina felt like she was fighting an uphill battle. People seemed to love the idea but hesitated to show up. Slowly, though, something shifted.

Shattering stereotypes about reading in Malaysia

In their 89th session, everything changed. More people came. Then even more. A video went viral, and suddenly, KL Reads wasn’t just a small gathering—they had evolved into a movement.

Now, every Saturday at the Perdana Botanical Garden, over a hundred readers gather, books in hand. The stereotype that Malaysians don’t read? It crumbles in the face of this sight.

KL Reads has even inspired new chapters across the country. People have started reading in other parks too, alone or in small groups, reclaiming green spaces in their own way.

“We always thought that maybe people were just not interested, but it took perseverance, consistency, dedication, and a social media boost by our readers to get the word out there,” Navina says.

“It turns out Malaysians do enjoy reading in parks.”

By this point, Navina—a public health professional by trade—had given up job offers, even PhD opportunities, to keep this going. It wasn’t just about books anymore; it was about what KL Reads meant.

In a city often consumed by noise and speed, it’s an act of quiet defiance. A reminder that not everything needs to be monetised, structured, or complicated. Some things can exist just for the sake of being.

Sadho, Navina’s partner and co-curator of KL Reads, has been by her side throughout this journey, supporting her vision and helping shape the movement.

People still have misconceptions, though. They ask if they need to sign up, if there’s a reading list, if they’re allowed to bring a comic instead of a novel. They think KL Reads is only for ‘serious’ readers. But the truth is, it’s for everyone.

If you want to read, you belong. That’s it.

“Quiet impact over performative success”

KL Reads continues to grow, not because of marketing or sponsorships, but because people keep showing up. Because the simple act of reading in public has become something bigger—a quiet, organic movement that reminds us of the joy in slowing down.

Navina often reflects on what KL Reads has taught her. The power of consistency, of showing up even when no one else does. The beauty in simplicity. The way a single idea, followed through with enough heart, can ripple outward in ways you never expect.

Navina and Sadho. (Image courtesy of KL Reads)

“Think of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. We might not be able to achieve this in today’s highly polarised world where the only thing that matters is getting ahead—competition, capital, ownership, consumption, status, visibility, instant gratification, cynicism, etc. It’s a hopeless world,” she laments.

“But imagine—readers spread out in a park, reading. It feels like hope in a hopeless world. Wellbeing, community, connection, public spaces, belonging, fulfilment, an appreciation for the environment. It makes me so, so happy. It makes me appreciate the subtleties of human connection. KL Reads is altogether connection, creativity, and purpose for me.”

One day, Navina hopes KL Reads won’t even need to exist as a named initiative. That reading in parks will become a natural part of life, like it is in so many places around the world.

But until then, she’ll be there every Saturday, book in hand, waiting for others to join her in the quiet revolution of reading.