Announcing the Road Tripping Across the USA Mini Reading Challenge

Road Tripping Through the USA square graphic

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 places. 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 Road Tripping Across the USA 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 USA!

The mini challenge runs from July 16, 2024 to September 30, 2024. You can join at any point during the challenge just by picking up a book and starting to read. You have until October 15 to finish reading for this challenge.
To promote the widest variety of women-loving-women stories, the IHS team will share posts roughly 3 times a week during the challenge, featuring books that take place in the USA.
Why can’t I read books that take place outside of the USA? Because this past spring we hosted the Around the World in 80 Days challenge.

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 Road Tripping Across the USA 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 about three times a week. You can also consult the Geographic Locations on I Heart SapphFic for certain regions of the USA. Not every state is listed in the database because that would require too many tags. There’s also the search option. Type in a state, city, or other identifiable area (think Rocky Mountains) in the US and see what books pop up.

What are all the rules?

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

The 2024 Road Tripping Across the USA IHS Mini Reading Challenge runs July 16, 2024 to September 30, 2024.
A book must take place within 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 state. For example, you can read a book set in New York City and another book that takes place in Upstate New York, etc. Also, you can read a book set in Fort Collins, Colorado and another in Pueblo, Colorado. Heck, we’ll even count a historical fiction set in NYC and a modern-day tale from the Big Apple. 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 challenge dates, July 16, 2024 to September 30, 2024, and completed by October 15.
The format can be ebook, Kindle Vella, Ream, Patreon, Wattpad, 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 challenge 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 Denver, Colorado Springs, Estes Park, 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 October 15, 2024.
The drawing will be held on October 18, 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.