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The PopSugar Reading Challenge 2026 has 50 prompts: 40 on the main list and 10 labeled advanced prompts. The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2026. Prompts combine themes, representation, settings, book length, formats, and reading outside your usual habits.
How the 2026 challenge works
Use one book for each prompt, recording your choices as you go. A title may legitimately satisfy more than one prompt, so you can either count it once where it fits best or use it strategically to make the year manageable. The official printable contains prompts 1–40, followed by advanced prompts 41–50.
Prompt 41 specifically lets you switch from your usual format: physical book, audiobook, or ebook. The active calendar-year window is January 1–December 31, 2026. A Goodreads participant page contains reader tracking posts; an older entry on that page lists January 31, but later 2026 entries use December 31.
PopSugar Reading Challenge 2026 prompt list
Main prompts 1–40
| No. | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1 | A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot |
| 2 | A book that features a platonic friendship between a man and woman |
| 3 | A book you meant to read in 2025 |
| 4 | A book that starts with the letter “Z” |
| 5 | A book about women astronauts |
| 6 | A book with an overweight main character whose story isn’t about losing weight |
| 7 | A book about a granny hobby |
| 8 | A book about a sexless marriage |
| 9 | 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 (fiction or nonfiction) |
| 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 41–50
| No. | Prompt |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 46 | A sapphic comic |
| 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 makes this list different
It mixes easy checks with interpretive prompts
Some prompts are straightforward verification tasks: a title beginning with “Z,” fewer than 260 pages, fruit on a cover, or a Michigan setting. Others depend on the book’s content or your response, such as new beginnings, FOMO, comfort-zone reading, and a love story that crosses social boundaries. For interpretive prompts, write a brief note explaining the fit while the details are fresh.
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Representation is part of the selection criteria
The list asks for specific experiences and identities, including an overweight protagonist whose story is not about weight loss, women astronauts, a dad who is the primary caregiver, infertility, postpartum life, a trans or nonbinary protagonist, and Afrofuturism. Check the synopsis and content notes so the representation is central enough to meet the wording rather than incidental.
Length and format can solve scheduling problems
Prompt 16 requires fewer than 260 pages, making a short novel, novella, essay collection, or other brief book useful during a busy month. Prompt 41 is an intentional format change, so an audiobook or ebook can count if you normally read in print, or a physical book can count if digital reading is your norm.
A practical way to plan your 50 books
- Mark your non-negotiables first. Identify books already on your 2025 “meant to read” list, titles beginning with Z, Michigan connections, and books under 260 pages.
- Choose content-heavy prompts with care. For postpartum, infertility, sexless marriage, debt, teen angst, or a hidden past, confirm that the subject is meaningful to the plot.
- Reserve deliberate stretch reads. Prompt 40 is explicitly outside your comfort zone; prompts 46, 47, 48, and 50 may also push you toward a format, genre, or subculture you do not usually read.
- Plan the advanced pair separately. Prompts 43 and 44 together call for two books written by real-life partners or spouses, so select the pair before the year gets crowded.
- Leave flexible slots. Keep a few unassigned places for books that unexpectedly fit prompt 23 or another thematic category.
How to verify a prompt fit
- Plot prompts: Look for the relevant activity, relationship, setting, or life experience in the publisher description, reviews, or a spoiler-free reader guide.
- Cover and title prompts: Check the exact edition you read. Covers can differ between print, ebook, and regional releases.
- Page-count prompt: Verify the edition’s pagination; a book qualifies for prompt 16 only when that edition is below 260 pages.
- Author-origin prompt: For prompt 14, establish that the author is from Michigan if the book is not set there.
- Format prompt: Record your normal format and the format used for prompt 41 so the change is clear.
- Subjective prompts: Add one sentence describing why the book created FOMO, represented a new beginning, or stretched your comfort zone.
Tracking the challenge
A simple tracker can include the prompt number, book and author, edition or format, page count where relevant, date finished, and a one-line justification. Mark advanced prompts separately so you can see whether all ten are complete. Goodreads participant posts show readers logging books against individual prompts, but they do not establish an official participation total or an official PopSugar ranking.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common planning questions
Can one book count for more than one prompt?
Yes, if it genuinely meets each wording. Decide your counting rule in advance and note every applicable prompt in your tracker.
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Do I have to complete the advanced prompts?
The printable labels 41–50 as advanced prompts. Treat them as an optional higher-difficulty extension unless your reading group has adopted a different rule.
Does an audiobook count?
Yes. Prompt 41 explicitly includes physical, audio, and ebook formats, with the requirement that the selected format differs from your usual one.
What if a book almost fits?
Use prompt 23 for a book you hoped would fit a prompt but does not. For every other slot, choose a title whose evidence clearly meets the stated criterion.
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