Take the 2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
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
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 favourite 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
By the Book: A Meant to Be Novel by Jasmine Guillory (available 3 May 2022)
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 favourite author on the cover or Amazon page
The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta (£19) — quote from Taylor Jenkins Reid
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 fulfils your favourite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
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)
The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea (£8) — set in San Diego, twin town aka "sister city" to Vancouver
Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (£17) — set in Vancouver, twin town aka "sister city" to San Diego