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
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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)
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A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship
Shipped by Angie Hockman ($15, originally $16)
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A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave ($24, originally $27)
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A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title
The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga ($16, originally $17)
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A book by a Latinx author
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ($26, originally $28)
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A book with an onomatopoeia in its title
Smash It! by Francina Simone ($11, originally $19)
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A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid
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An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner
Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir by Natasha Trethewey ($26, originally $28)
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A #BookTok recommendation
The Song of Achilles: A Novel by Madeline Miller ($16, originally $17)
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A book set in the 1980s
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A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title
The Dinner by Herman Koch ($15, originally $16)
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A book by a Pacific Islander author
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn ($12, originally $17)
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A book about witches
The Once and Future Witches by Alix. E. Harrow ($26, originally $28)
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A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn ($13, originally $28)
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A romance novel by a BIPOC author
Love in Color: Mythical Tales From Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola ($24, originally $26)
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A book that takes place during your favorite season
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling ($13, originally $16) — set during Halloween
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A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read
XOXO by Axie Oh ($17, originally $18)
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A book about a band or musical group
Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid ($22, originally $27)
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A book with a character on the ace spectrum
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood ($15, originally $16)
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A book with a recipe in it
Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim ($8, originally $16)
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A book you can read in one sitting
Red at the Bone: A Novel Jacqueline Woodson ($15, originally $16)
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A book with a misleading title
The Happiest Girl in the World: A Novel by Alena Dillon ($11, originally $17)
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A Hugo Award winner
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone ($13, originally $15)
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A book set during a holiday
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens ($9, originally $16) — set during New Year's
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A different book by an author you read in 2021
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A book with the name of a board game in the title
Sorry Not Sorry by Alyssa Milano ($18, originally $28)
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A book featuring a man-made disaster
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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
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A book set in Victorian times
Bombshell: A Hell's Belles Novel by Sarah MacLean ($24, originally $28)
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A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title
Star-Crossed: A Novel by Minnie Darke ($20, originally $26)
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A book you know nothing about
To Paradise: A Novel by Hanya Yanagihara ($23, originally $33)
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A book about gender identity
Detransition, Baby: A Novel by Torrey Peters ($20, originally $27)
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An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book
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A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
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A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino ($17, originally $18)
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A book with a palindromic title
MaddAddam (The MaddAddam Trilogy) by Margaret Atwood ($12, originally $17)
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A book about someone leading a double life
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson ($16, originally $17)
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A book featuring a parallel reality
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston ($16, originally $17)
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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
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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