In our busy lives, it can be difficult to find time to read for fun—or to read at all! Yet one of the most enjoyable parts of our work as historians is reading scholarship about the past and discussing that work with others.

That’s why we’re happy to announce the Winter Reading Challenge, the third iteration of our popular AHA Reads program. While previous AHA Reads challenges took place over the summer, we’re hosting the Winter Challenge during the months of November, December, and January in honor of our upcoming annual meeting in San Francisco (January 4–7, 2024). That’s also why, as you’ll see below, the Winter Challenge tasks focus on California, the American West, and the Pacific Rim.

To complete the challenge, participants complete one reading task between November 1 and January 31. For these tasks, we define “a history” as nonfiction of any length—a book, an article, a chapter. And you can fulfill them however you’d like. You define for yourself the parameters of each task.

• Read a history of a place on the Pacific Rim.
• Read a history by a presenter you’re excited to see on the AHA24 program.
• Read a piece of historical fiction (novel, story, poem, play) set in the American West.
• Read a local history of San Francisco or Northern California.

And we’re hoping you’ll talk about how you’re fulfilling the challenge. We encourage participants to post about what they’re reading for this challenge on the AHA Member Forum or on social media using the hashtag #AHAReads.

Want a paper copy listing the tasks? Tear off the back cover of the November issue of Perspectives on History or download a PDF here.