Last year was my first year competing in the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, in which I managed to complete 22 out of the initial 40 prompts. This year, I’m aiming a little higher and hoping to get at least 25 prompts completed. Much like last year, I’m not going to try and bother with the Advanced prompts yet, wanting to get a little higher before aiming to complete those. Either way, it’s going to be fun!
For now, I’m going to assign a few titles from my shelves that I’m hoping to read for each of the main forty prompts. I’ll do a mid-year update on this challenge in June to track my progress before the final tally at the end of the year.
1. A book that’s published in 2020
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
- One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus
- Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
2. A book by a trans or nonbinary author
- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
- Clean by Juno Dawson
3. A book with a great first line
- The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
4. A book about a book club
- The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie
5. A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Beijing)
6. A bildungsroman
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
7. The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed
- Solitaire by Alice Oseman
- A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
8. A book with an upside-down image on the cover
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
9. A book with a map
- We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
10. A book recommended by your favourite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
11. An anthology
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
- Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet by Jennifer L. Armentrout
12. A book that passes the Bechdel test
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
13. A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it
- Vicious by V.E. Schwab
- Heartless by Marissa Meyer
14. A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
- The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
15. A book about or involving social media
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
- Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
16. A book that has a book on the cover
- Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
17. A medical thriller
- Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
18. A book with a made-up language
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
19. A book set in a country beginning with “C”
- Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (Czech Republic)
20. A book you picked because the title caught your attention
- My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
21. A book published the month of your birthday
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (July)
- Lost Boy by Christina Henry (July)
22. A book about or by a woman in STEM
- Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
23. A book that won an award in 2019
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
24. A book on a subject you know nothing about
- Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe by Edgar Allan Poe (19th Century Poetry)
25. A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics
- The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One by Amanda Lovelace
26. A book with a pun in the title
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
27. A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Greed)
28. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer
- Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
29. A book with a bird on the cover
- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
30. A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
31. A book with “Gold”, “Silver”, or “Bronze” in the title
- A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
32. A book by a WOC
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
33. A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads
- One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
34. A book you meant to read in 2019
- The Wicked King by Holly Black
- Killer T by Robery Muchamore
- Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
35. A book with a three-word title
- Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
- City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
36. A book with a pink cover
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
- Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
37. A Western
- Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx
- Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely
38. A book by or about a journalist
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
39. Read a banned book during Banned Books Week
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
40. Your favourite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
- McFly: Unsaid Things… Our Story by Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter (2017: No. 8: Multiple Authors)
- Ruple and Evelyn by Laurence Beveridge (2019: No. 3: A book written by a musician)
Note: These are only ideas for each prompt so are subject to change. In my Mid-Year review on them, I will update on what I’ve changed my choices to.
Is anyone else taking part in this challenge? What are some of your choices?
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