I can’t believe the Sapphic Reading Challenge 2021 is already over!

I would say it was a big success. I got so much feedback from readers who said they read more than ever before and found a lot of new favorite books and authors through the reading challenge. Best of all, many tried books they otherwise wouldn’t have picked up and were surprised at how much they enjoyed them.

Running a year-long reading challenge is also a huge endeavor. Putting together 62 book lists, with a total of 982 books, was a lot of work, and I couldn’t have done it alone. A big thank-you to Erin, who helped me look up all the blurbs and links, and to fellow author Donna Jay, who helped me run the Sapphic Reading Challenge Goodreads group.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank all of the readers who participated and enthusiastically talked about the books they found and loved; the authors who donated books for the giveaway, and everyone who helped promote and spread the word about the Sapphic Reading Challenge.

 

Sapphic Reading Challenge 2021 stats

Since I’m not just a words woman, but also a numbers gal, here are some interesting stats about the Sapphic Reading Challenge 2021:

• 777 readers participated in the Sapphic Reading Challenge and sent in their book lists. I know there were more readers following each Sapphic Reading Challenge posts and using the suggested reading lists to find books for their to-be-read list, and that’s totally okay too, but I only counted those who officially sent in their reading lists.
• A total of 64,275 sapphic books were read for the Sapphic Reading Challenge! Most likely, it was more than that, but that’s the official count from the book lists that were sent in.
• 48% of participating readers earned a Book Dragon level 2 (affectionately called the “Double Dragon”), which means they read at least 100 sapphic books in 2021. 31% accomplished a Book Dragon level 1 badge, which represents 50 sapphic books read in 2021. 11% completed the Book Bear badge (30 sapphic books), and 8% achieved a Book Squirrel (20 sapphic books). 3% ended the year with a Book Penguin badge (10 sapphic books read in 2021).

• I was most pleasantly surprised at how many people tackled the Book Unicorn, which represents the harder-to-find genres and themes. 46% of all participants achieved a Book Unicorn badge in addition to one of the regular badges.
• For the Book Unicorn, readers had to read books for 10 of the 12 Unicorn categories, so they were allowed to skip one or two of the categories if they wanted. 50% of the Unicorn readers completed all 12 categories. The category that was skipped most often was steampunk fantasy—which surprised me. I thought most people would skip horror, but it was only on #2 of most-skipped categories, along with dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction.
• 24 readers sent in three completed Dragons or more, which means they read 150 books or more. One reader read a total of 694 sapphic books read in 2021!

 

And the winners of the Sapphic Reading Challenge book giveaway are…

Using a random number generator, I drew six winners—one for each level. Each of them wins a book bundle of either 10 signed paperbacks or 10 ebooks or a mix of ebooks & paperbacks (winner’s choice).

The winners are:

• Paige R.
• Tannaz
• Elizabeth B.
• Mirielen
• Declan S.
• Lyn

 

Congratulations! If you are one of the winners, keep an eye on your in-box. I’ll email you tomorrow to arrange the delivery of your book prizes.

 

THE MOST-READ BOOKS FOR THE SAPPHIC READING CHALLENGE 

It was very interesting to take a look at the book lists as they came in and see what books readers were reading for each category. I decided to put together a list of “most-read books” for each category and share them with you in case you want to stock up your to-be-read list (as I did). After all, so many avid readers can’t be wrong!

For some categories such as “recommended by a friend” or “re-read a favorite book,” nearly every reader seemed to have read a different book, and it took until the end of the year before I could clearly determine the most-read books for these categories. To me, that proves how vast our genre is by now. There are so many sapphic books available, with more being published each month, that there is one for every taste, and that’s wonderful to see!

In other categories such as “ice queen character,” “age-gap romance,” or “enemies-to-lovers romance,” many readers were drawn to the same books. Some categories had two or three clear winners, while others had about a dozen that were in a tight race for “most-read book.”

Here are the 5 books for each category of the Sapphic Reading Challenge:

 

Enemies-to-lovers romance:

1. Heart Failure by Chris Zett
2. Paper Love by Jae
3. Bet Against Me by Fiona Riley
4. Hotel Queens by Lee Winter
5. Night Tide by Anna Burke TIED WITH Falling Slowly by Lila Bruce

 

Character with an everyday job:

1. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
2. When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass
3. Contract for Love by Alison Grey
4. Up on the Roof by A.L. Brooks
5. Heart Trouble by Jae

 

Return to hometown:

1. Perfect Rhythm by Jae
2. The Long Way Home by Rachel Spangler
3. You Again by Aurora Rey
4. Behind the Pine Curtain by Gerri Hill
5. In the Black by L. Dreamer

 

Character is a journalist or reporter:

1. The Red Files by Lee Winter
2. The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay
3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. The Miracle Girl by T.B. Markinson
5. Clichéd Love by Lynn Galli TIED WITH Under Your Skin by Lee Winter AND The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter

 

From The Lesbian Review’s “Best of the Best” list:

1. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
2. Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton
3. Spindrift by Anna Burke
4. Dare to Love by A.L. Brooks
5. Before You Say I Do by Clare Lydon TIED WITH The Headmistress by Milena McKay AND Gillette Park by Gerri Hill

 

Only one bed:

1. Alone by EJ Noyes
2. Anyone But Her by Erica Lee
3. Just for Show by Jae
4. All the Reasons I Need by Jaime Clevenger
5. Mutual Benefits by HP Munro

 

Character with a disability or mental illness:

1. Just Physical by Jae
2. Wounded Souls by RJ Nolan
3. Ask Me Again by EJ Noyes
4. The Roommate Arrangement by Jae
5. Mending Defects by Lynn Galli

 

Character is a book lover:

1. Good Enough to Eat by Jae & Alison Grey
2. Must Love Silence by Lucy Bexley
3. Sunsets and Shades by Erica Lee
4. Give In to Me by Elle Spencer
5. The Secret Poet by Georgia Beers

 

One-night stand to forever:

1. Turbulence by EJ Noyes
2. Thursday Afternoons by Tracey Richardson
3. Just Physical by Jae
4. No Strings by Gerri Hill
5. In Her Arms by Melissa Tereze

 

Speculative fiction:

1. Reaping the Benefits by EJ Noyes
2. Second Nature by Jae
3. Good Enough to Eat by Jae & Alison Grey
4. Shattered by Lee Winter
5. Wild by Meghan O’Brien

 

Ice queen character:

1. Hotel Queens by Lee Winter
2. The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter
3. Ice Queen by Gun Brooke
4. Heart of Ice by T.B. Markinson
5. The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair

 

Neurodiverse character:

1. Two Hearts Alone by Harper Bliss
2. Worthy of Love by Quinn Ivins
3. Leaving’s Not the Only Way to Go by Kay Acker
4. The Words Shimmer by Jenn Matthews
5. Fitting In by Amanda Radley

 

Longer book:

1. Those Who Wait by Haley Cass
2. Damage Control by Jae
3. Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon
4. Jericho by Ann McMan
5. All the Little Moments by G Benson

 

Character is a medical professional:

1. Who’d Have Thought by G Benson
2. Ask, Tell by EJ Noyes
3. Unrivaled by Radclyffe
4. A. Metro by RJ Nolan
5. One More Chance by Ali Vali TIED WITH Falling Hard by Jae AND Passion’s Bright Fury by Radclyffe

 

Genre you don’t usually read:

1. Good Enough to Eat by Jae & Alison Grey
2. Dead Lez Walking by G Benson
3. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
4. Of Iron and Gold by Lexa Luthor
5. Second Nature by Jae

 

Grumpy & sunshine:

1. Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
2. The Roommate Arrangement by Jae
3. Hunter’s Way by Gerri Hill
4. Gulf Breeze by Gerri Hill
5. Under a Falling Star by Jae

 

Character is a teacher or professor:

1. Chemistry Lessons by Jae
2. Coming Home by KJ
3. The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins
4. Beowulf for Cretins by Ann McMan
5. Everything We Never Wanted by Sienna Waters

 

Coming out later in life:

1. Wild Things by Karin Kallmaker
2. Dare to Love by A.L. Brooks
3. Breaking Character by Lee Winter TIED WITH About That Kiss by Harper Bliss
4. If the Shoe Fits by EJ Noyes
5. Just Jorie by Robin Alexander TIED WITH Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae

 

Historical fiction / historical romance:

1. Backwards to Oregon by Jae
2. Hidden Truths by Jae
3. Shaken to the Core by Jae
4. The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
5. Kicker’s Journey by Lois Cloarec Hart TIED WITH A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian

 

Nerdy/geeky character:

1. Paper Love by Jae
2. Just My Type by Lucy Bexley & Bryce Oakley
3. The Scent of Rome by Lise Gold
4. Infinite Loop by Meghan O’Brien
5. The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins

 

Age gap romance: 

1. If You Kiss Me Like That by Harper Bliss
2. Middleton by Melissa Tereze TIED WITH The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter
3. Never Say Never by Rachael Sommers
4. Detour to Love by Amanda Radley
5. At Your Most Beautiful by Harper Bliss TIED WITH Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner AND Coming Home by KJ

 

Character of a different ethnicity, culture, or race than you:

1. Dear Taylor by Eija Jimenez
2. I Can’t Think Straight by Shamim Sarif TIED WITH Femme Like Her by Fiona Zedde
3. The Power of Mercy by Fiona Zedde
4. Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
5. Big Girl Pill by KD Williamson TIED WITH Prize Money by Celeste Castro

 

Recommended by a friend: 

1. The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay
2. Thrust by Rachel Spangler
3. And Playing the Role of Herself by KE Lane
4. When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass
5. The Headmistress by Milena McKay TIED WITH Middleton by Melissa Tereze AND About That Kiss by Harper Bliss

 

Character is a musician: 

1. Perfect Rhythm by Jae
2. Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter
3. Irregular Heartbeat by Chris Zett
4. Love’s Falling Star by B.D. Grayson
5. Forbidden Melody by Maggie Robbins

 

Your favorite author’s favorite book:

1. And Playing the Role of Herself by KE Lane
2. The Lily and the Crown by Roslyn Sinclair
3. Ask, Tell by EJ Noyes
4. Jericho by Ann McMan
5. Alone by EJ Noyes TIED WITH Wild by Meghan O’Brien

 

Character was adopted/in foster care:

1. When Sparks Fly by Kristen Zimmer
2. Kiss the Girl by Melissa Brayden
3. Heart Trouble by Jae
4. Changing the Script by Lee Winter
5. Popcorn Love by KL Hughes TIED WITH All That Matters by Susan X Meagher

 

Shy or socially awkward character:

1. Must Love Silence by Lucy Bexley
2. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
3. Something in the Wine by Jae
4. Pitifully Ugly by Robin Alexander
5. The Lily and the Crown by Roslyn Sinclair TIED WITH The Love Project by T.B. Markinson & Miranda MacLeod

 

Character rocks a power suit:

1. If the Shoe Fits by EJ Noyes
2. Hotel Queens by Lee Winter
3. Next of Kin by Jae
4. The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter TIED WITH Never Say Never by Rachael Sommers
5. Hopeless Romantic by Georgia Beers TIED WITH Too Close to Touch by Georgia Beers

 

Book starts with the first day of a new job:

1. Under a Falling Star by Jae
2. The Bartender’s Pride by TJ Dallas
3. Irregular Heartbeat by Chris Zett
4. 46 by Lynn Ames
5. Turbulence by EJ Noyes

 

Mystery:

1. A Curious Woman by Jess Lea
2. Gallows Humour by Carolyn Elizabeth
3. Red Tide at Heron Bay by Gerri Hill
4. The Red Files by Lee Winter
5. Amateur City by Katherine V. Forrest TIED WITH Payback by Charlotte Mills AND Gillette Park by Gerri Hill

 

Friends-to-lovers romance:

1. Chemistry Lessons by Jae
2. Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden
3. Always Alex by Robin Alexander
4. The Thing About Tilly by G Benson
5. The Goodmans by Clare Ashton TIED WITH Snow Globe by Georgia Beers

 

Body-positive book:

1. Just for Show by Jae
2. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
3. Finding Home by Jamey Moody
4. Mind Games by Cara Malone
5. A Curious Woman by Jess Lea TIED WITH Body Language by Renee Roman

 

Disguised or living as a man:

1. Backwards to Oregon by Jae
2. Heart of Gold by L. Dreamer
3. Hidden Truths by Jae
4. Nottingham by Anna Burke
5. Crossing the Wide Forever by Missouri Vaun TIED WITH The Devil Between Us by S.C. Wilson

 

Character works in the food industry:

1. Not the Marrying Kind by Jae
2. A Taste of Love by Clare Lydon
3. Table for Two by Kate Gavin
4. The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher TIED WITH Scent by Kris Bryant
5. Recipe for Love by Aurora Rey TIED WTH How Sweet It Is by Melissa Brayden

 

Re-read a favorite:

1. Ask, Tell by EJ Noyes
2. The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter
3. Who’d Have Thought by G Benson
4. Backwards to Oregon by Jae
5. Popcorn Love by KL Hughes TIED WITH When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass

 

Road trip:

1. The Road Ahead by Amanda Radley
2. Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters
3. 44 Hours by Donna Jay
4. Infinite Loop by Meghan O’Brien
5. Just Jorie by Robin Alexander

 

Bisexual or pansexual character:

1. Strawberry Summer by Melissa Brayden
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3. Not the Marrying Kind Love by Jae
4. Who’d Have Thought by G Benson TIED WITH 16 Steps to Forever by Georgia Beers
5. Get It Right by Skye Kilaen

 

Animal on the cover:

1. Pas de Deux by EJ Noyes
2. Run to You by Georgia Beers
3. Second Nature by Jae
4. Puppy Love by Cara Malone
5. The Adventurers by Bryce Oakley

 

Girl-next-door character:

1. Breaking Character by Lee Winter
2. 16 Steps to Forever by Georgia Beers
3. Not the Marrying Kind by Jae
4. Conflict of Interest by Jae
5. Falling Hard by Jae TIED WITH The Flaw in Our Design by Monica McCallan AND Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton

 

Adventure in nature:

1. The Stars at Night by Gerri Hill
2. 44 Hours by Donna Jay
3. Rock and a Hard Place by Andrea Bramhall
4. Desolation Point by Cari Hunter TIED WITH The Adventurers by Bryce Oakley
5. All at Sea by Cheyenne Blue TIED WITH The Island Between Us by Wendy Hudson

 

Mistaken identity:

1. Mistaken Identity by Donna Jay
2. Scent by Kris Bryant
3. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
4. Departure from the Script by Jae
5. Telling Lies Online by Miranda MacLeod TIED WITH Under a Falling Star by Jae

 

Set in a country you don’t live in:

1. Paper Love by Jae
2. Modern English by Rachel Spangler
3. Changing the Script by Lee Winter
4. Not-So-Straight Sue by Cheyenne Blue
5. Coming Home by KJ TIED WITH I Can’t Think Straight by Shamim Sarif

 

Part of a series:

1. Conflict of Interest by Jae
2. The Devil Incarnate by Ali Vali
3. Departure from the Script by Jae
4. French Kissing: Season One by Harper Bliss
5. Northern Vows by Lise Gold

 

Character is a business owner:

1. Hopeless Romantic by Georgia Beers
2. Not the Marrying Kind by Jae TIED WITH Scent by Kris Bryant
3. Twice in a Lifetime by Clare Lydon
4. Breaking Routine by Melissa Tereze
5. Ready or Not by Melissa Brayden

 

New-to-you author:

1. Sprinkled in the Stars by Violet Morley
2. The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay
3. Coming Home by KJ
4. Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
5. The Fifth Surgeon by Faith Prize TIED WITH 44 Hours by Donna Jay AND Never Say Never by Rachael Sommers

 

Set in the 20th century:

1. The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins
2. Shaken to the Core by Jae
3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. The Beginning of Everything by Cara Malone
5. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

 

Character who isn’t “Hollywood beautiful”:

1. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
2. Damage Control by Jae
3. Everything Between Us by Harper Bliss
4. Just for Show by Jae
5. The Shape of You by Georgia Beers

 

Character works in STEM:

1. Love by the Numbers by Karin Kallmaker
2. Chemistry Lessons by Jae
3. Unlikely Match by Fiona Riley
4. The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins TIED WITH Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
5. Breakthrough by Terri Cutshall TIED WITH Remember Me, Synthetica by K. Aten

 

Forced proximity:

1. 13 Hours by Meghan O’Brien
2. Snow Falls by Gerri Hill
3. Alone by EJ Noyes
4. Lost in Paradise by Rachel Lacey TIED WITH Accidental Honeymoon by Miranda MacLeod
5. 44 Hours by Donna Jay TIED WITH Protecting the Lady by Amanda Radley

 

Anthology, short story collection, novella:

1. Sliced Ice by Lee Winter
2. Glimpses by Jae, Lee Winter, Lola Keeley, A.L. Brooks, Cheyenne Blue, Fiona Zedde, Chris Zett & Quinn Ivins
3. Beyond the Trail by Jae
4. Happily Ever After by Jae
5. After Happily Ever After by Astrid Ohletz & Alex K. Thorne

 

The most-read books for the Book Unicorn level:

 

Butch/butch pairing:

1. Life Rewired by Lynn Galli
2. Night Call by Radclyffe
3. Shattered by Lee Winter
4. Desperate Times by Hildred Billings
5. Take a Chance by D. Jackson Leigh

 

Time travel:

1. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
2. Kiss Me Every Day by Dena Blake
3. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
4. Gift of Time by Robin Alexander
5. The Sea Within by Missouri Vaun TIED WITH The Time Slip Girl by Elizabeth Andre

 

Character over 40:

1. One Golden Summer by Clare Lydon & T.B. Markinson
2. This Foreign Affair by Harper Bliss
3. Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
4. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan
5. After Mrs. Hamilton by Clare Ashton

 

High fantasy:

1. Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon
2. Daughter of Fire: Conspiracy of the Dark by Karen Frost
3. Broken Wings by L-J Baker
4. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
5. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

 

Polyamorous relationship:

1. Love Without Limits by Harper Bliss
2. Forever Theirs by Anna Stone
3. The Three by Meghan O’Brien
4. Nights of Silk and Sapphire by Amber Jacobs
5. Three’s a Crowd by Cynthia Dane & Hildred Billings

 

Thriller:

1. Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter
2. The Target by Gerri Hill
3. Dirt Nap by Carolyn Elizabeth
4. Ignis by KJ TIED WITH The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif
5. Killer Instinct by Barbara Winkes

 

Sapphic nonbinary character:

1. Christmas Inn Maine by Chelsea M. Cameron
2. Ignis by KJ
3. Simply Connected by Alex Washoe
4. Love Kills Twice by Rien Gray
5. In the Silences by Rachel Gold TIED WITH Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller AND A Jade’s Diamond by Char Dafoe

 

Steampunk or gaslamp fantasy:

1. Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger
2. Demon in the Machine by Lise MacTague
3. Skin Deep by Violet Penrose
4. A Pinch of Salt by Nita Round
5. The Lost Temple of Psiere by K. Aten

 

Jewish character:

1. Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman
2. Hotel Queens by Lee Winter
3. Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
4. Great Bones by Lynn Ames TIED WITH Timing Is Everything by Alison R. Solomon
5. The Papercutter by Cindy Rizzo

 

Horror:

1. Dead Lez Walking by G Benson
2. Keeper of the Cave by Gerri Hill
3. Castle Wrath by Karin Kallmaker
4. Dani by Angelique Jordonna TIED WITH Venandi by KC Luck AND Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
5. Cold as Hell by Neen Cohen

 

Character is a sapphic trans woman:

1. Fake It by Lily Seabrooke
2. Knowing Her by Raquel De Leon
3. Dreadnought by April Daniels
4. Being Emily by Rachel Gold
5. Staying True by Suzie Carr TIED WITH Tengoku by Rae D. Magdon

 

Dystopian, apocalyptic, or post-apocalyptic fiction:

1. Darkness Falls by KC Luck
2. Survival Instincts by May Dawney
3. Compass Rose by Anna Burke
4. The Three by Meghan O’Brien
5. In Dyer Need by Claire Highton-Stevenson

 

Join the Sapphic Book Bingo 2022!

I’ll be running another year-long reading challenge in 2022. This time, it’s a Sapphic Book Bingo, with two different bingo cards to choose from. I’ll post the rules and categories tomorrow (January 1) and the book recommendations for the first square (“favorite romance trope” with 10 books for each of the top 6 favorite tropes) on January 6.

Make sure you subscribe to my blog so you won’t miss it!