Book lovers, take note: this is your sign to hop on the new ETS train from JB to KL and find your way to The Library by BookXcess at Sunway Square Mall in Selangor, just 30 minutes from Kuala Lumpur City Centre. With more than 1 million books in-store, it’s no wonder that the biggest 24-hour bookstore in Southeast Asia is open around the clock, AKA all the time you’ll need, and more, to see ‘em all.
First up – how to get yourself to The Library. While technically not located in KL, that’s the nearest major city where this store can be found. If you’re taking the ETS to KL Sentral, Sunway Square Mall is a 1 hour and 15 minute journey by public transport, and you’ll have to take both the LRT Kelana Jaya Line as well as a bus. Otherwise, call yourself a Grab, and it’s a 45-minute car ride away.
If you’re heading here right off the jet at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, AKA Subang Airport, the car ride is anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes long, depending on traffic.
Even if you aren’t a bookworm, you’ll want to check out BookXcess’ newest flagship store, which opened just 2 months ago. If not for the books, come for the ‘gram, because there’s literally no shortage of photo-worthy spots from top to bottom of the multiple floors this bookstore stretches over.
Your photo walk starts at Whale Fall, an installation by Malaysian artist CO2 that’s made of damaged books from the BookXcess warehouse. It presides over the winding staircase which brings you into the heart of the bookstore, much like Hope, the blue whale skeleton that greets each visitor to the Natural History Museum in London.
Also on the staircase are pumpkin installations that are instantly recognisable as inspired by Yayoi Kusama. And you must look up into the rafters once you get into The Library, where you’ll see Flying Books suspended from the ceiling – almost as though you had stepped into a whirling storm of books.
With double-volume ceilings and floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with more than 1 million books, it’s hard not to find yourself in awe of the sight.
We kid you not when we say that every corner of the bookstore is deserving of a shot – look for the holes in the shelves, strut down the gangways, and get lost in the mazes. P.S.: There’s almost 1km of walkways within the 38,000sqft store, which would make clocking in those 10,000 daily steps a breeze.
There are 2 cafes in The Library: Good Mojo Smoothies and Kenny Hills Bakery. The first, as its name suggests, serves made-to-order smoothies, including a Strawberry Matcha Smoothie (from RM14.90, ~S$4.84), which you can add whey protein (RM3, ~S$0.97) or collagen (RM3, ~S$0.97) to. Do note, however, that they only open from 10am to 2am daily.
Their sister cafe, Kenny Hills Bakery, has shorter opening hours from 10am to 11pm daily, but has a wider, more cafe-like menu. Think handmade Roasted Chicken & Leek Pie (RM38, ~S$12.35), XO Creamy Prawn Tagliatelle (RM42, ~S$13.65), and Gula Melaka Latte (from RM15, ~S$4.87). They serve artisanal ice cream too, with prices from RM12 (~S$3.90) for a single scoop.
With Sunway University, Monash University, Taylor’s University, plus Sunway International School all located directly next to, or nearby Sunway Square Mall, it’s little wonder that the third space which The Library provides has become a sanctuary for students.
There are at least 300 seats throughout the bookstore, equipped with free Wi-Fi and fitted out with sockets and in all shapes and forms – whether you’re looking for terraced steppes for social discussions, individual nooks, communal tables, or even rocking chairs as you give yourself a break.
Come in the day, and you’ll even be treated to views to die for from the full-height windows that run around The Library.
We visited past midnight on a Thursday evening, and the place was packed.
Should banging out tunes on the piano be your version of therapy, they’ve got an upright one near the entrance too.
Nestled in one of the corners is FRAK/TURE Fashion Studio, a brutalist, avant-garde thrift store that we think only the brave should enter.
For something more family-friendly, there’s Becon Stationery, where mugging students might stock up on stationery to make the studying session more enjoyable.
If ever you find yourself sleepless in KL, this is where you might want to visit. Between the frenetic energy of the students cramming for assessments, and the peace of any recesses you might find, and the million-plus titles on offer, you might just find the night passing by too quickly.
Address: L2-19, Level 2, Sunway Square Mall, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 24 hours, Daily
Contact: +60 3-5650 5169 | The Library by BookXcess website
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Photography by: Vivien del Valle, Shannon Tan
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