The 2023 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Is Here!
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Why do you read? No matter your motivation — relaxation, distraction, entertainment — the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge is a great way for you to expand your horizons and, who knows, maybe even discover a new favorite subgenre: looking at you, "A book with mythical creatures."
For this ninth iteration of the challenge, we're subtly leaning into the nostalgia all around us. From Y2K fashion (TW: low rise jeans) to reboots and the resurgence of the film camera, it's no secret that trends of the past are now of the moment. With prompts like "A book you should have read in high school," "A book set in the decade you were born," and "A book you wish you could read for the first time again," you'll be on your way down memory lane.
Whether this is your first time taking the challenge or you've been with us since the beginning, the goal of the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge is for you to have fun and diversify your reading. There are no "rules"!
Ready to get going? We're listing helpful resources ahead — from ways to track your progress to our books community and everything in between, we're here to help you on your journey.
- Download our printable list here, so you can check off prompts as you go, and pin the graphic ahead for reference.
- Join the POPSUGAR Book Club on Facebook, a well-read community of enthusiastic POPSUGAR editors and readers from around the world. Swap book picks for the challenge, reach out when you're stumped on a prompt, or just chat about the latest page-turner you're obsessed with.
- Follow POPSUGAR Books on Twitter and share your progress on social with the hashtag #popsugarreadingchallenge.
- Need to purchase some new titles to fulfill your prompts this year? We love using BookShop to find the best independent shops near us. Check it out!
Without further ado, keep reading for the 2023 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, plus book suggestions from our team for each prompt!
2023 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
- A book you meant to read in 2022
- A book you bought from an independent bookstore
- A book about a vacation
- A book by a first-time author
- A book with mythical creatures
- A book about a forbidden romance
- A book with "Girl" in the title
- A celebrity memoir
- A book with a color in the title
- A romance with a fat lead
- A book about or set in Hollywood
- A book published in spring 2023
- A book published the year you were born
- A modern retelling of a classic
- A book with a song lyric as its title
- A book where the main character's name is in the title
- A book with a love triangle
- A book that's been banned or challenged in any state in 2022
- A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge
- A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023
- A book set in the decade you were born
- A book with a queer lead
- A book with a map
- A book with a rabbit on the cover
- A book with just text on the cover
- The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
- A #BookTok recommendation
- A book you bought secondhand
- A book your friend recommended
- A book that's on a celebrity book-club list
- A book about a family
- A book that comes out in the second half of 2023
- A book about an athlete/sport
- A historical-fiction book
- A book about divorce
- A book you think your best friend would like
- A book you should have read in high school
- A book you read more than 10 years ago
- A book you wish you could read for the first time again
- A book by an author with the same initials as you
Advanced
- A book written during NaNoWriMo
- A book based on a popular movie
- A book that takes place entirely in one day
- A book that was self-published
- A book that started out as fan fiction
- A book with a pet character
- A book about a holiday that's not Christmas
- A book that features two languages
- The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list
- A book with alliteration in the title
A book you meant to read in 2022
Fairy Tale by Stephen King ($16, originally $33)
A book you bought from an independent bookstore
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid ($20, originally $30)
A book about a vacation
The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther ($9, originally $11)
A book by a first-time author
A book with mythical creatures
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan ($17, originally $19)
A book about a forbidden romance
Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson ($13, originally $16)
A book with "Girl" in the title
Darling Girl: A Novel of Peter Pan by Liz Michalski ($18, originally $26)
A celebrity memoir
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy ($17, originally $28)
A book with a color in the title
Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis ($11, originally $17)
A romance with a fat lead
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert ($15, originally $17)
A book about or set in Hollywood
How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder ($15, originally $17)
A book published in spring 2023
If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch ($20) — out April 18.
A book published the year you were born
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon ($5, originally $10)
A modern retelling of a classic
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld ($10, originally $18)
A book with a song lyric as its title
A book where the main character’s name is in the title
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston ($10, originally $20)
A book with a love triangle
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid ($12, originally $18)
A book that’s been banned or challenged in any state in 2022
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas ($12, originally $15)
A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge
Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon ($13, originally $19)
A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave ($13, originally $27)
A book set in the decade you were born
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid ($18, originally $28)
A book with a queer lead
A book with a map
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas ($10, originally $18)
A book with a rabbit on the cover
Bunny by Mona Awad ($15, originally $17)
A book with just text on the cover
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion ($13, originally $28)
The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
A #BookTok recommendation
The Secret History by Donna Tartt ($13, originally $18)
A book you bought secondhand
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han ($9, originally $12)
A book your friend recommended
Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier ($17, originally $27)
A book that’s on a celebrity book-club list
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates ($15, originally $28)
A book about a family
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn ($15, originally $17)
A book that comes out in the second half of 2023
My Week With Him by Joya Goffney ($18) — out July 11.
A book about an athlete/sport
The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon ($9, originally $17)
A historical-fiction book
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee ($18, originally $29)
A book about divorce
A book you think your best friend would like
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren ($8, originally $17)
A book you should have read in high school
Beloved by Toni Morrison ($14)
A book you read more than 10 years ago
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ($14, originally $17)
A book you wish you could read for the first time again
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller ($10, originally $18)
A book by an author with the same initials as you
Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory ($12, originally $17)
A book written during NaNoWriMo
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell ($11, originally $19)
A book based on a popular movie
Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater ($12, originally $20)
A book that takes place entirely in one day
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon ($10, originally $13)
A book that was self-published
The Martian by Andy Weir ($26, originally $29)
A book that started out as fan fiction
After by Anna Todd ($9, originally $18)
A book with a pet character
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon ($7, originally $16)
A book about a holiday that’s not Christmas
A book that features two languages
True Biz by Sara Novic ($16, originally $28)
The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ($13, originally $18)
A book with alliteration in the title
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin ($15, originally $28)