Announcing the Around the World in 80 Days Mini Reading Challenge

Do you love to travel via books?

We do, which is why we’re launching a mini reading challenge this year. Reading is such a fun way to disappear into a new and exciting world and for as long as TB can remember, she’s loved reading books set in different countries. While she’d love to visit all of them for real, the second-best thing is to travel from the comfort of her couch with Sam, her cat and reading buddy.

Want to know more about our challenge and the chance to win a $75 Amazon gift card?

Here are the deets:

What exactly is the Around the World in 80 Days IHS Mini Reading Challenge?

The short answer is it’s a fun event to get people to read more sapphic books that take place all over the world!

The mini challenge runs from March 20, 2024 to June 7, 2024. You can join at any point during the 80-day span just by picking up a book and starting to read. You have until June 30 to finish reading for this challenge.
To promote the widest variety of women-loving-women stories, the IHS team will share posts 3 times a week during the 80 days, featuring books that take place outside the US.
Why can’t I read books that take place in the US? Because this summer, we’re going to have a second mini reading challenge called Road Tripping Through the USA.

Why should I get involved?

Because reading is fun!

Not a good enough reason?

There’s a chance to win a $75 Amazon gift card.

How do I enter the $75 Amazon gift card giveaway?

We’ve created a simple form for you to submit the books you’ve read. All we need is your name, email address, the title of the book, name of the author, and where it took place. You can submit the books as you read them or at the end. Whatever is easiest for you. Every submission is counted as an entry for the gift card. The more you read, the more chances of you winning.

Here’s the Around the World in 80 Days book submission form. Please only include one book per form.

How do I get started?

That’s an easy one!

Pick a book.
Read.
Write down the book, name of the author, and where it took place.

That’s it! There is no need to register before you start.

If you want to make things more fun, we suggest joining a reader group.

The next best thing to reading is talking about what you’re reading. IHS has a Facebook group where we would love to hear about your reading progress.

Plus, since the next best thing to reading is talking about what you’re reading, you’ll find plenty of other SapphFic book lovers to chat with and get even more book recommendations.

How do I find books?

We’ll be sharing posts featuring different locales three times a week. You can also consult the Geographic Locations on I Heart SapphFic. Not every country is listed in the database because we need a certain number of books before we can carve out a new category option. There’s also the search option. Type in a location and see what books pop up.

What are all the rules?

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we?

The 2024 Around the World in 80 Days IHS Mini Reading Challenge runs March 20, 2024 to June 7, 2024.
A book must take place outside of the US, but some of it can happen in the US. We ask that a decent portion occur outside of the USA.
We ask that you visit as many places as possible via your reading, but we will count books set in different parts of a country. For example, you can read a book set in one province in Canada and another book that takes place in a different province, etc. Also, you can read a book set in York, England and another in London, England. Heck, we’ll even count a historical fiction set in London and a modern-day tale from London. The main thing to remember is to explore and have fun!
Each book read for the mini challenge can also be counted toward the yearlong IHS reading challenge as long as it fits one of the categories and vice versa.
A book must be started during the 80 days and completed by June 30.
The format can be ebook, Kindle Vella, print, or audio and the story can be written in any language.
Size doesn’t matter. Graphic novels, Kindle Vella, short stories, novellas, novelettes, fanfic, and anthologies count the same as novels for fulfilling a category.
Rereading a favorite book counts as long as you read it in full during the 80-day period.
Different books in a multi-book series can be counted toward places such as a series that has a book that takes place in England, Scotland, Wales, etc. (please see Rule #3 for more guidance). Remember, each individual title can only be counted once.
Each book must have one character with a woman who loves/is attracted to a woman, though it is not necessary for the book to have a romance or romantic subplot. This includes those who identify as lesbian, queer, bisexual, pansexual, and homoromantic asexual women. This also includes nonbinary, trans, and intersex individuals who identify as sapphic in some manner. We welcome the very broadest interpretation of this definition as long as it keeps to the spirit of the challenge.
Even though we’ll be showcasing books that take place in different locations, you do not have to read from our curated lists.
At the end of the challenge, we’ll ask you to submit the books you read via a form. Please only include one book per form. Each book counts as one entry for the $75 Amazon gift card. The more you read, the better your chances of winning. Forms may be submitted until 11:59pm (EST) on June 30, 2024.
The drawing will be held on July 3, 2024, and the winner will be notified via the email provided on your submission form.
The prize amount is listed in US dollars. If you are not in the US Amazon store, we will provide a gift card for a comparable amount in the currency of your local Amazon marketplace.