2026 Popsugar Reading Challenge

  I love a good reading challenge, and since 2016, I've been heavily following the Popsugar Reading Challenge, which means this year wil...


 

I love a good reading challenge, and since 2016, I've been heavily following the Popsugar Reading Challenge, which means this year will be my tenth year participating in the same reading challenge, which prompts change each year based on a particular theme. What I've noticed the past several years is a lot of take on things like the letter of the alphabet that coincides with the year (for example, this year, a book that starts with the letter "Z"- the 26th letter of the alphabet), so I'm curious what that will look like come 2027. 

I'm always excited to work towards completing this prompts, but I don't know I've ever completed all 50. I always read more than 50 books, but they don't always reflect the prompts. This year, I'll also be completing an Atlanta-local Bookish challenge, so I'm curious to see how that will change things this year. For the Popsugar challenge, it's all about bragging rights, but the Bookish challenge comes with some incentives (like tote bags and t-shirts, depending on how many books from the list you read).


Looking ahead, I have some plans for some prompts, while others have me a bit nervous (the shadow daddy one for instance - I'm not a reader of romantasy so far, so let's see how that goes).




01. A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot

02. A book that features a platonic friendship between a man and woman

03. A book you meant to read in 2025

04. A book that starts with the letter "Z"

05. A book about women astronauts

06. A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight

07. A book about a granny hobby

08. A book about a sexless marriage

09. A book with a "type C" character

10. A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover

11. A book with a dad as the primary caregiver

12. A book with "pop" or "sugar" in the title

13. A book featuring a character with a hidden past

14. A book set in Michigan or written by an author from Michigan

15. A book about new beginnings

16. A book less than 260 pages

17. A book about your favorite event in the Winter Olympics

18. A love story that defies social boundaries

19. A book about teen angst

20. A book with a character who does Pilates or Lagree

21. A book about a bachelorette trip

22. A book about a book club

23. A book you were hoping would fit into a prompt but doesn't

24. A book about postpartum

25. A book that explores influencer culture

26. A book with a character who navigates infertility

27. A book with a character who has curly hair

28. A book about debt

29. A book that takes place during harvesting season

30. A travel ghost story

31. A book that makes you feel FOMO

32. A book with an underwater civilization

33. A book about college

34. A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist

35. A book that makes you want to travel to Italy

36. A book about a mob

37. A book about a pop star

38. A book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title

39. A book with a character who runs a marathon

40. A book outside your comfort zone



Advanced prompts


41. A book in a different format than your usual: physical, audio, eBook

42. A book inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist

43. Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (1)

44. Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (2)

45. A book that features birding

47. A book told entirely through letters

48. A book with a shadow daddy

49. A book with a mention of your zodiac sign

50. A book about Afrofuturism






What prompts seem most exciting to you? Which feel daunting? I'd love to hear more about your thoughts.













Kayla Whitter is a 30-something INFJ and Hufflepuff. She enjoys reading avidly, binge-watching tv shows, and occasionally venturing out into the world. She can often be found drinking coffee, and eating burritos or Chick-fil-a.

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