Modeled after similar programs in Missouri and Illinois, the goal of "Read Your Way Across the U.S.A." is not only to encourage adults to read more books but also to promote the exploration of a variety of works from around the country.
Participants "visit" five different regions--the Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, the South and New England--by choosing fiction or nonfiction in which the region is the subject, the setting, or the home of the author. They are eligible to enter the monthly prize drawings for each novel read (local businesses have donated gift certificates ranging from free oil changes to museum passes), and once they finish works from all five regions, they may contend for the grand prize.
"The theme requires adults to do some thinking about what they read," says Julie Linneman, the programming and outreach coordinator for Wichita's public libraries. "We're hoping they will step out of their niche and try other things. And we're hoping people who haven't been in a library for a while might say 'Hey, this sounds like fun.'" Oh yes, unabridged audio books count, too.
