Brace Yourselves, Book-Lovers: The 2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Is Here!

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Our sincerest apologies to your 2022 plans, dear readers, because you're about to be booked: the eighth annual POPSUGAR Reading Challenge has officially dropped!

Check off these 50 book prompts throughout the year to broaden your reading horizons and shake things up in 2022 by uncovering new subgenres ("A social-horror book"); authors ("A book by a Pacific Islander author"); and under-the-radar titles based on a specific topic ("A book about gender identity"), setting ("A book set in the 1980s"), or character ("A book with a character on the ace spectrum"). There are also prompts around book covers and titles ("A book with a tiger on the cover or 'tiger' in the title" is a nod to 2022 being the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac), awards ("An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner"), and scavenger hunts ("A book with a recipe in it").

If reading 50 books in a single year feels intimidating, we've divided the list into 40 standard book challenge prompts and 10 "advanced" prompts for the avid readers out there (not that 40 books is anything to scoff at!). As an ode to 2022, this year's advanced section is themed around twins, doubles, and pairs. For instance, there's "A book with a palindromic title" (reads the same backward and forward), "A book about someone leading a double life," and "Two books set in twin towns, aka 'sister cities,'" such as San Diego and Vancouver.

Whether this is your first time taking the challenge or you've been with us since the beginning, the goal for the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge is just to have fun, diversify your reading, and accomplish whatever goals you have set for yourself. There are no "rules"!

So, ready to get started?

  • Download our printable list here, checking off the books as you go, and pin the handy graphic ahead for reference.
  • Join the POPSUGAR Book Club on Facebook, a well-read community of enthusiastic POPSUGAR editors and fellow readers from around the world. Swap book picks for the challenge, reach out when you're stumped on a prompt, share bullet-journaling ideas, or just chat about the latest page-turner you're obsessed with.
  • If you're looking for an easy way to digitally track and rate the books you've read for the challenge, we suggest also joining this Goodreads group made up of readers who participate in the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge every year.
  • Follow POPSUGAR Books on Twitter and share your progress on social with the hashtag #popsugarreadingchallenge.

Now keep reading for the 2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, plus book suggestions for what to read for all the prompts!

Additional reporting by Kalyn Womack

2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

  • A book published in 2022
  • A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship
  • A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society
  • A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title
  • A sapphic book
  • A book by a Latinx author
  • A book with an onomatopoeia in its title
  • A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid
  • A book about a "found family"
  • An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner
  • A #BookTok recommendation
  • A book about the afterlife
  • A book set in the 1980s
  • A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title
  • A book by a Pacific Islander author
  • A book about witches
  • A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022
  • A romance novel by a BIPOC author
  • A book that takes place during your favorite season
  • A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read
  • A book about a band or musical group
  • A book with a character on the ace spectrum
  • A book with a recipe in it
  • A book you can read in one sitting
  • A book about a secret
  • A book with a misleading title
  • A Hugo Award winner
  • A book set during a holiday
  • A different book by an author you read in 2021
  • A book with the name of a board game in the title
  • A book featuring a man-made disaster
  • A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page
  • A social-horror book
  • A book set in Victorian times
  • A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title
  • A book you know nothing about
  • A book about gender identity
  • A book featuring a party
  • An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book
  • A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

Advanced

  • A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title
  • A book that features two languages
  • A book with a palindromic title
  • A duology (1)
  • A duology (2)
  • A book about someone leading a double life
  • A book featuring a parallel reality
  • A book with two POVs
  • Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)
  • Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)
    A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship
    bookshop.org

    A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship

    Shipped by Angie Hockman ($15, originally $16)

    A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title
    bookshop.org

    A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title

    The Dinner by Herman Koch ($15, originally $16)

    A book that takes place during your favorite season
    amazon.com

    A book that takes place during your favorite season

    The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling ($13, originally $16) — set during Halloween

    A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page
    amazon.com

    A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page

    The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta ($20, originally $27) — quote from Taylor Jenkins Reid

    A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
    bookshop.org

    A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

    Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi ($18, originally $20) — 2021, an Afrofuturist book

    Here are the previous prompts, for reference: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

    Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)
    amazon.com

    Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)

    The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea ($11, originally $17) — set in San Diego, twin town, aka "sister city" to Vancouver

    Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)
    amazon.com

    Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)

    Five Little Indians by Michelle Good ($19) — set in Vancouver, twin town, aka "sister city" to San Diego