My Partner & I Just Wanted To Read In Parks. We Never Expected To Start A Movement

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If you've visited Perdana Botanical Garden on a recent Saturday morning, you may have noticed swathes of people lounging on camping chairs or stretched out on the grass, immersed in their books or e-readers

A curious sight, no doubt, given that Malaysia's humid outdoors isn't typically associated with such leisurely activities, let alone the enduring stereotype that Malaysians don't read.

They are part of Kuala Lumpur Reads, a growing silent reading initiative that brings people together in green public spaces with a simple mission: to read and rediscover the joy of quiet moments in nature.

Among the readers, you'll find a diverse mix — young and old, families with children, solo readers enjoying their own quiet company, couples sitting side by side, and friends sharing a space in silence, interrupted only by the rustle of leaves or the occasional chirping of birds perched high in the trees.

Some come with well-worn paperbacks, others with sleek e-readers, and a few with hefty hardcovers that demand both hands. Regardless of who they are or what they're reading, they are bound by the same simple intention: to slow down and read in silence, surrounded by fellow book lovers and greenery.

This growing community of silent readers is now spreading across the Klang Valley and beyond, with sister chapters of Kuala Lumpur Reads emerging in other states, including Sabah, and more in the works.

And if you're wondering what makes this silent reading initiative different from a typical book club, it's this: where book clubs has a set of rules and can feel like a commitment — you must read something specific or come prepared with thoughts — Kuala Lumpur Reads has no such rules, thus removing that pressure.

There's no need to intellectualise anything. You read what you want, at your own pace.

People can simply be.

Kuala Lumpur Reads didn't begin as a movement.

My partner, Victoria Navina, started it in May 2023 with no grand plan.

She merely had one simple desire: to read in a park.

There was no organised gathering, no specific intention, only the act of bringing a book outdoors.

It all began with a viral reel from Cubbon Reads that popped up on her Instagram feed.

The reel showed people reading leisurely in Cubbon Park, Bangalore, India.

Something about it stuck with her. Maybe it was the idealism of it, the quiet defiance against the world's constant demands. Or maybe it was just the sheer beauty of the scene — people coming together, not for networking, not for productivity, not for transactions, but simply for the love of reading.

Cubbon Reads is a silent reading community founded by Shruti Sah and Harsh Snehanshu, before very quickly inspiring chapters across Indian cities and among the Indian diaspora worldwide.

Navina has always loved reading. She's also always loved green spaces. When she was studying medicine in Moscow, she used to read in parks — at Patriarch Ponds, Gorky Park, or by the Moscow River.

She says there's something about being outdoors with a book, in the company of strangers who expect nothing from you. That feeling of being alone, yet not lonely. A feeling she finds comforting.

So, when she saw that Cubbon Reads reel, she thought to herself: Why don't we have this in Malaysia? Why isn't reading in parks normal here?

After a chat with the founders of Cubbon Reads, she decided to change that.

On the morning of 27 May 2023, she packed a book, drove to Bukit Kiara Federal Park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), and posted online that she'd be there if anyone wanted to join her. She calls it "Day Zero".

She sat alone that day. I was supposed to join her, but I slept through my alarm.

When Kuala Lumpur Reads had its first session on 3 June, a couple of my friends and I showed up. However, for many Saturdays, it would just be Navina, or at times her and me.

But we kept showing up!

Some weeks, one or two readers would drop by; other times, a small group of friends or family who lived nearby, but the size of the group never seemed to grow beyond half a dozen readers.

We wondered if the idea was too simple to catch on, if people found it strange to read in public. There were even moments when we questioned ourselves — was this worth it?

"Would people ever see reading in parks as normal?"

During one of our initial sessions, some of our own friends laughed at the idea, calling it "weird". It stung a little — and if I'm being honest, it still does. And then there were the passersby, who would glance over curiously. It was as if the sight of people sitting quietly with books in a park needed justification.

There were mornings when it felt disheartening — when the effort seemed futile.

We even reached out to many people who we thought might be able to support our initiative in some way — local authorities, libraries, and other community movements. But we rarely got a response.

If we did, it was just polite enthusiasm that never turned into anything tangible.

People dismissed what we were doing: "Too hot, too uncomfortable, too busy, too far. What if there are ants?" They said it was impossible to do something like this in Malaysia.

But Navina, more than I, believed in the idea. And so, we kept showing up.

Then, on 25 May 2024, a year after the "Day Zero" in TTDI, we marked our first anniversary in the park with the highest turnout we'd ever seen there — 11 readers, including Navina and me.

It wasn't a big crowd, but after months of near-empty sessions, it felt like a quiet victory.

Two months after our first anniversary at the TTDI park, we found ourselves facing an unexpected challenge — to find another location

Authorities were closing the Bukit Kiara Federal Park for desilting works, and with no clear timeline for its reopening — possibly up to two years — we knew it was time to consider a change.

It wasn't easy.

TTDI had been our home for over a year. The turnout was often small, but it was where Kuala Lumpur Reads took root. It was where we sat through quiet mornings, no matter the crowd, no matter the weather. It felt like we had just begun to build something, and now we had to let go.

We tried out Taman Rimba Kiara, but it is too poorly maintained with stagnant water. The community park in front of TTDI library didn't have much shaded, open space. Our greatest disappointment? Discovering that TTDI library was closed — despite its supposed weekend hours of 10am to 5pm. As it turns out, the library remains closed on Mondays, public holidays, and even on the first Saturday and Sunday of every month.

"How do cities thrive when they close off public spaces — places meant to bring people together and serve as communal hubs? "

That uncertainty took us to Perdana Botanical Garden, where we spent hours scouting for a suitable spot — one with ample shaded, open space — where readers could spread their mats and read in silence.

For those of us used to the suburban greenery of TTDI, moving to Perdana Botanical Garden in the heart of KL felt like a shift into chaos

Nestled near the Parliament building, where highways intersect and the city hums with movement, the area lacked the familiar charm of TTDI. There were no uncles selling fresh farm vegetables, no forest sounds wrapping around us. We missed the crisp air, the cool stream where fishes would nibble at our toes.

But as we spread out our mats for our first session, reading — even in the middle of the city's bustle — still felt like a sanctuary. We were joined by many first-timers who seemed like natural park readers.

The wildlife here was different, too. The monkeys in TTDI would demand food outright, while the birds in Perdana had better manners — hovering nearby as if politely asking before bursting into song.

That first session ended with a discussion about urban mobility — or rather, the lack of it. We realised our new reading spot was a full kilometre from the nearest MRT exit, tucked away deep outside the park.

It sparked a broader conversation about how difficult it is to move around Kuala Lumpur without a car and, how poor public transport connectivity limits access to public spaces.

Even in moments of quiet, we found ourselves reflecting on the city around us and how it could be better — because beyond just a reading initiative, Kuala Lumpur Reads has become a public health movement.

Navina often speaks about how simply spending time in nature has a profound impact on wellbeing. Studies show that it lowers stress, improves mood, and enhances mental health, yet in a city like Kuala Lumpur, many of us don't make time for it, unless we're exercising or there's a specific reason to be there.

"This was an opportunity to unlearn that belief and choose to read in parks," she reflected recently.

"Reading outdoors isn't just about leisure. It fosters social cohesion and wellbeing. In a city where stress, burnout, and digital fatigue are common, KL Reads offers a low-pressure, screen-free activity that encourages rest and shared experience. Many who attend make friends, and in a place where isolation is often felt despite the crowds, that sense of belonging matters."

In that sense, the Reads movement is about more than books; it's about engaging with public spaces in a way that isn't driven by productivity, but by simply being. At the same time, it signals a growing demand for better urban planning and more accessible green spaces as a no-cost third place.

Since moving to Perdana Botanical Garden, we've seen more people embracing the idea of reading in public spaces.

What others once called "unusual" has become natural, challenging the idea that weekends in Kuala Lumpur must revolve around malls, cafés, or commercial spaces.

Now, nearly 200 readers gather with us every week, turning quiet corners of the park into shared sanctuaries of stillness. It proves that people do want to read, that they do want parks to be more than just decorative. At its core, it is a reminder that green public spaces should be used, loved, and protected.

And perhaps the most beautiful outcome? Kuala Lumpur Reads has inspired sister chapters across the country. People have even started reading in parks on their own, outside of KL Reads.

To Navina, the real dream isn't growing Kuala Lumpur Reads. It's about making it obsolete. A future where reading in parks is so normal, so ingrained in our culture, that no initiative is needed at all.

So if you've read this far, we invite you to join us

Come sit with us under the trees.

Read with us — or any of our sister chapters — in the quiet company of others.

You just might find what we've found — a moment of stillness, a community that asks for nothing, and a reminder that sometimes, the simplest things make the biggest difference.

After all, it was in this quiet, unassuming space that Navina and I found each other.What started as a shared belief in the power of reading and public spaces became something much more — something that led us here, not just as co-curators of KL Reads, but as partners in life.

And now, nearly two years since that first quiet morning in TTDI, Kuala Lumpur Reads is approaching its 100th edition — proof that sometimes, we do get to have nice things, and all it takes is showing up.

Timing and location:
Saturdays, 8.30am to 10.30am
Perdana Botanical Gardens

IG: Kuala Lumpur Reads