Imagine 500 tiny books inside a glass fishbowl. Each is just an inch tall, made of soft foam and wrapped in a printed cover and a title.
Rachel Pierce, who started the Book Bowl Challenge, picks her next read by drawing one small book at a time.
A few years ago, Pierce told a new acquaintance that she loved reading. But when they asked what she’d read recently, she realized it had been about a year since she last picked up a book.
That inspired Pierce to do something about it.
In December 2023, she launched a project described as “a fishbowl, 500 mini books and a challenge to never stop reading.”
On her Instagram feed, Pierce shares previews and reviews. She visits local libraries and bookstores, puts together outfits inspired by book covers, and cooks dishes from books, like chicken pot pie and brownies from Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
Kansas City magazine caught up with Pierce to talk about why reading matters.
Do you remember what some of the obstacles were or what was going on in your life that made incorporating reading difficult?
These things happen, right? We get to adulthood: I’m doing my graduate program, I’m starting a new job, there’s relationships, there’s family, there’s just life that sort of gets in the way.
And I realized that reading hadn’t been prioritized in my life, and I wanted to change that. I wanted it to be true when I told people, “I love to read. It’s one of my favorite hobbies” and be able to back it up with, “Oh, here’s a really good book I just recently read. I would love to talk to you about it.”
I was looking back through some early Instagram posts, and you said you read in a style and at a pace authentic to you. What does that mean?
It started with a lofty goal: I wanted to read a book a week. Spoiler alert, I did not hit that goal at all.
And yet, even missing that goal feels really empowering for me, and I’m so excited to tell you about the 50 books I have read, which I wouldn’t have read before I started the challenge.
You’ve reached a milestone in the project with book 50, and your mom selected it. (She drew a “free space” and chose Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy). How did you decide to have your mom choose?
My mom has been the secret undercover biggest fan of the Book Bowl Challenge. The start coincided perfectly with her retirement, so she was very much also in a similar boat of “I want to read more books.”
It’s been a behind-the-scenes thrill for me to have her read some of the books that I’ve read so we could talk about it and dish. So I knew that I wanted to rope her in.
The Kansas City Public Library’s summer reading program, through August 15, is for all ages. When you sign up, you get a free book. When you read five books, you get a prize. For adults, it’s a pint glass. Any other thoughts on how to encourage folks to read?
Meet yourself where you’re at, even if it’s just 15 minutes of replacing your scrolling on your phone with reading.
Read something fun, read something intriguing. You pick something up. Judge a book by its cover.
Change your scenery, go to the park, whatever you need to do to carve that time out for yourself. It is worth it, even if it’s the smallest baby step you can imagine.
And for the summer reading program, bring a buddy.
Kansas and Missouri libraries are collaborating on a dinosaur- and soccer-themed summer reading program: Read, Score, Roar! Sign up at a library near you at kcsummerreads.org.
