Popsugar Reading Challenge 2026 Prompt List

They say the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, but we know nothing better than the launch of the annual Popsugar Reading Challenge, our take on a virtual book club that brings together book lovers from around the world. That's one reason why this year we're giving readers an extra month to get started on the 50 prompts we've compiled, each designed to get your bibliophile juices flowing and your library card clean.

While it's possible that some of the books you choose to read next year won't be rosy in nature (I, for one, love dark and twisty reads), the theme of the 2026 Reading Challenge certainly is; not only pink ones, but also leafy ones, and grape ones, and all-round generative ones. The idea is that our tips will “plant” your “garden” (ahem, your personal library) with a bookstore, and that throughout the year, your hearts, brains, and bookshelves will bloom with the great reading you and all the eager readers in PS Book Club Facebook Group brought up.

Several screensavers this year reflect this garden theme, such as “a book set during harvest season” and “a book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title.” Others are taking inspiration from our favorite PS stories from 2025, such as “a book where the father is the primary caregiver” (hello daddy clubs) and “book about grandma's hobbyAnd some—like “a book set in Michigan or written by an author from Michigan,” also known as the 26th state—are tributes to the number 26, looking forward to the year ahead and the rewards that 2026 will hopefully bring. Maybe the “book that will make you want to go to Italy” will inspire you to attend the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan?

In typical Reading Challenge style, our team has also been hard at work creating some IRL extras to help you reach your 2026 reading goals, including a printable “bouquet” but instead of flowers, each stem represents a different clue. You can download a printable list of prompts for the book. Heresheet of book selections that will become your bouquet Hereand book cover tracking sheet Here. And if you haven't already, join PS Book Club on Facebook And Ultimate PS Reading Challenge on Goodreads to keep in touch with your fellow readers throughout the year.

However you decide to tackle the 2026 prompts, we hope they help make for a very fruitful year of reading.

Tips for the PS Reading 2026 competition

A book in which gardening or gardening is central to the plot

A book that talks about platonic friendship between a man and a woman.

Book you wanted to read in 2025

A book starting with the letter “Z”.

A book about women astronauts.

A book with a fat protagonist whose story is not about losing weight.

Book about grandma's hobby

A book about sexless marriage

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

A book in which the father is the primary caregiver

A book with the words “pop” or “sugar” in the title.

A book about a character with a hidden past

A book set in Michigan or written by a Michigan author.

A book about new beginnings

The book is less than 260 pages.

A book about your favorite event at the Winter Olympics.

A love story that defies social boundaries

A book about teenage angst

A book with a character doing Pilates or Lagree.

Book about a bachelorette party

Book about book club

A book that you hoped would fit the clue, but doesn't.

Book about the postpartum period

A book that explores influencer culture

A book about a character who struggles with infertility

A book with a character who has curly hair.

Book about debts

A book set during the harvest season.

The Story of Ghost Travelers

A book that makes you feel FOMO

Book about underwater civilization

Book about college

A book with a trans or non-binary protagonist

A book that makes you want to go to Italy

Book about the mafia (fiction or non-fiction)

Book about a pop star

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

Book with a character who runs a marathon

A book outside your comfort zone

Advanced Hints

A book in a format other than your usual: paper, audio, e-book.

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

Two books written by real partners or spouses (1)

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

A book told entirely through letters

A book mentioning your zodiac sign.

A book about Afrofuturism.

PS Reading Challenge 2026 Printouts

Below are printables you'll want to take with you as you tend your garden PS Reading Challenge 2026. What will your bouquet look like?

Emma Glassman-Hughes (she/her) is an Associate Editor for PS Balance. During her seven years as a reporter, her beats covered the entire lifestyle spectrum; she has covered arts and culture for The Boston Globe, sex and relationships for Cosmopolitan, and food, climate and agriculture for Ambrook Research.