Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Hi readers! I'm Taylor Andrews, the balance editor at PS, and I'll be in charge of the 2025 PS Reading Challenge this year alongside Mirel Zaman, PS's health and fitness director. For 2025, we're doing things a little differently. To celebrate the Reading Challenge's devoted and passionate fans, we'd love to give you a chance to weigh in on this year's prompts.

What are some prompts you'd like to see on the list for 2025? We're open to all kinds of suggestions — maybe a prompt that relates to the year 2025, a prompt you've always wanted to complete, or a prompt that taps into your fantasy and escapism addiction. The wilder, the better.

Please share any prompts you'd love to see on the list by this Monday, Nov. 11, and make sure to "like" any other prompts you agree with. We'll review the submissions and pull in some of the most popular, creative, and/or thought-provoking prompts on this list. (They'll be used anonymously.) Drop your ideas in the comments! Happy brainstorming!

By submitting a suggestion below, you agree to our submission terms: https://terms-and-policies.voxmedia.c....

Related to the number 25: Written by a 25 year old, Title or Author beginning with the letter Y, Part of a 4 part series.

A coin on the cover
Involves a coronation or inauguration
Features a natural disaster.

A book nominated for the Women's prize for fiction
A book nominated for any literary prize
A book published in 2025
A book getting a movie or tv adaptation in 2025
A book with pantone color of the year on the cover
A historical fiction book
A memoir or biography
A dystopian book
A classic you've been wanting to read for years
A book set in a country you've never visited
A book featuring mythology
A book related to water
A book by an Irish author
A book in a language you speak other than English or in translation
A historical romance
A microhistory
A romantasy
A book related to snakes (Chinese zodiac)
A book with food on the cover
A book related to mermaids
A book related to mushrooms

A book with a nameless narrator
Utopian SF
A book set in a matriarchy
A book longlisted for the Otherwise (formerly Tiptree) Award
Comedy by a BIPOC author

Don't really want to see a repeat of hyper-specific categories that have already been used, like "book written for NaNoWriMo" or "book that takes place in a 24-hour period." Though I wouldn't mind a repeat of "a book that's been challenged or banned in any state" - sadly, that's becoming a very easy category to fill.

I'm so glad you posted this here!!! I know a lot of our members are not on Facebook, and they have great ideas!


I'd like to see "read a manga" for 2025, because manganese is the 25th element.

A book written by an Indian author
A book about a father-daughter relationship
A book with a strong female protagonist
A book about an immigrant experience
An epistolary book
A book from the antagonist's POV
A book that includes a recipe

Thank you for asking.
1. graphic novels
2. high adventure
3. historical one not set in the Victorian era or WWII
4. solarpunk/hopepunk
5. published in 2025 (after all some soft balls make for a breather)
6. ghost story
7. a book with a cryptid

(and I'd love to not see nanowrimo again, the year we're born or one focused on the age of the protagonist, the latter being hard to discover more often than not, thanks)

I'd like to see more open ended prompts like the original 2015: book with a blue cover, book from a specific genre, books with (thing) on cover.

* A book by or about a strong woman
* A book related to libraries or librarians
* A book related to modern media
* A book by an author from a predominantly Spanish-speaking country
* A book involving a politician or an election
* A book involving science
* A book or author that has been controversial
* A book related to "civil rights" or human rights
* A book set during a revolution, revolt, or rebellion
* A book set in an area where the predominant language is Spanish
* A book that features a moral dilemma
* A book that has won an Alex Award
* A book whose main character is a refugee
* A book by an author listed on the Dayton Literary Peace Prize website's "Winner List": https://www.daytonliterarypeaceprize....
* A book with a LGBTQ+ character
* A banned YA book
* A banned Middle Grade book
* A banned children's book
* A book by an author from a continent different than your own
* A book by an indigenous author
* A book related to the fight for women's rights

Thanks for posting this here, haven't been on facebook in a minute!

-a book told an in unconventional format: texts, interview, diary etc
-a book about a transformation
-a book translated from a language you don't speak
-a book with a book on cover/in title
-a book with your favorite animal on cover/in title
-short story/essay collection

- a book with two V in title;
- a book about a revolution;
-a book with 25 chapters.

I think it could be fun to have some prompts that put a bit of a spin on some of the prompts from the original challenge as a kind of a refresh. For example, the original challenge had "a classic romance" so maybe this one could have "a modern retelling of a classic romance."

I think this would be especially great to help avoid some of the most common prompts that tend to crop up in almost every challenge (ie. a book in translation, set in a country you'd like to visit, local book/hometown, etc.) There is nothing wrong with any of these prompts, but I think it might be fun to find a new way to approach them! I think there's been lots of feedback over the years about the kinds of prompts fans tend not to like too, and it would be great if that would be taken into account as much as possible (ie. things that are difficult for some to fulfill, are inaccessible, aversion to revealing personal info, etc.)

I also think it's important to remember that you don't necessarily need a specific prompt to pick up specific kinds of books. Over the years I've seen lots of complaints about being unable to fit in nonfiction, books in translation, etc. unless there is a prompt calling for it, but you can also slot those books into other prompts even if they don't specifically "call" for those.

I've posted some ideas on the Facebook thread so far as well, but some ideas:
- A book with a house on the cover
- A book that relates to the title of a song from a Disney or Pixar animated movie
- Dark academia
- A book by an author you've been meaning to read again
- A new-to-you author in a favourite genre
- A book by an author who has written in more than one genre or age category
- A book involving a podcast and/or social media
- A book that has been available through Book of the Month (you do not have to be a member or purchase the book from them, just pick a book that they have offered)
- A book club pick (from any book club of your choice)

I'd like to see some 25 connections:

- published in a quarter-century year (e.g. 1925, 1950, 1975, 2000, 2025)
- connected to money (quarters)
- drugs or trippy books (LSD-25)
- something silver on cover (silver wedding)
- manga for manganese
- written by a Generation Y (millennial) author

Non-25 ideas

A book with skull or bone imagery (or in the title)
A book that takes place during a holiday
A book connected to one of the phrases attributed to Shakespeare
A book related to blood, sweat, or tears
A book set in a country bordering the Caribbean Sea
A book with a lucky or unlucky symbol on the cover
A book by a Nobel Prize winner
A book with a trial

I should add what I wrote in the weekly check-in post! I want a book that brings me hope, about finding the path, finding my way out of a morass.

Perhaps phrase it as:
A book about finding the path

And that can be interpreted in a variety of ways (a SFF quest adventure, a Wizard of Oz spin-off, a book about walking, a book about labyrinths, a book about addiction recovery, a book about activism, a memoir of a politician you'd like to see in office) to suit a broad range of readers.

If we had the similar format of 40 regular prompts + 10 advanced, it could be fun to use those advanced prompts to acknowledge the 10 years of the challenge so far! I had two ideas of how that could happen:

1) The 10 advanced prompts could be a repeat of the favourite/most popular (maybe by vote?) prompt from each year's challenge so far

2) Each advanced prompt could be a "refresh" of 1 prompt from each year's challenge that puts a new spin on it

As an example:
2015 - A modern retelling of a classic romance (as a spin on the original prompt of "a classic romance"

2016 - A book involving non-government politics, such as office politics, school politics, "playground politics, etc (as a spin on the original prompt of "a political memoir)

Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm so glad you posted this here!!! I know a lot of our members are not on Facebook, and they have great ideas!


I'd like to see "read a manga" for 2025, because manganese is the 25th element."

I like this Nadine.

A few that others have mentioned that I would like to second:

- A book that includes a recipe
- Graphic novels
- A book related to "civil rights" or human rights
- A new-to-you author in a favorite genre
- A book by an author who has written in more than one genre or age category
- A book set in a country bordering the Caribbean Sea
- A book about finding the path

I also like Rachel's idea of using the 10 advanced prompts to acknowledge the 10 years of the challenge so far.


I too would HATE to see the NaNoWriMo prompt again.

Inspired by a trip thru the book aisles of Target last night...

A mashup
(There was a book that was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Stranger things.)

A retelling
(Because there are a few Disney retellings I recently discovered and want to read.)

I was thinking more literally about hope.

A book relating to "hope". It could be a book with hope (hopeful, hopefully, etc) in the title or a book that gives you hope.

A book that has won a diversity award in the 21st Century
(I have a list of such awards.)
A book involving “human rights” or “civil rights”
A simple definition is that “human rights” are the rights you have simply for being a human being. Comparatively, “civil rights” are contextual, meaning you are entitled to specific civil rights through being a citizen of a particular country, nation, or state. Civil rights are proclaimed by the government for the citizens of that country, while human rights are derived from natural law and are universally protected and applied.
There are Goodreads listopias!
A book released in a year ending with “00” or “25” or “50” or “75”
(due to “25” at the end of “2025”! A quarter-century!)
A book with a character who is non-cisgender
A book related to the 2025 Winter World University Games to be held in Turin, Italy
On January 13, 2025, the 2025 Winter World University Games will be held in Turin, Italy
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Wi...)
The 2025 FISU Winter World University Games will be the first World University Games event to feature para-athletes and para-sport events, alongside the existing able-bodied events as part of FISU’s long-term strategy of inclusiveness and social sustainability.
The 11 events historically included:
Alpine Skiing
Biathlon
Cross-Country Skiing
Curling
Figure Skating
Freestyle Skating
Ice Hockey
Short Track Speed Skating
Ski Orienteering
Ski Mountaineering
Snowboarding

This could include books about:
Any of these sports and/or people who participate in these sports
Para-athletes/para-sporting events
Snowy/cold settings
Orienteering (being lost, following directions, etc.)
Climbing mountains
Books with “snow,” “cold,” “ice,” “ski,” “skiing,” “shooting,” “climb,” or “climbing” in the title
A book related to National DNA Day—April 25, 2025
(https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...)
Any science-related book regarding DNA: it’s discovery, it’s usefulness in investigations/solving crimes, our ability to map biological relations (23 and Me, etc.)
Any book regarding genetically caused diseases/afflictions or a character dealing with one:
Cleveland Clinic--https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health...
A book with biologically related people discovering each other
Read a book with a “supernatural” element
Read a book set in the “real world”
A book set in an urban environment
A book set in “nature”
A book with a totally selfish self-absorbed character
A book with a character who helps others
A book with a character who is ultra-rich
A book with a character living in “poverty”
A book with a character who betrays another character
A book with a character who is loyal to another character
A book with a character who is “forgiven”
A book with a character who “forgives” someone else

(Any of these listing a "character" could list a "protagonist" instead!)

So many great suggestions thus far!!!

Jennifer W wrote: "I was thinking more literally about hope.

A book relating to "hope". It could be a book with hope (hopeful, hopefully, etc) in the title or a book that gives you hope."

Love this! We need it! We need ALL the hope!!! LOL

Taylor wrote: "Hi readers! I'm Taylor Andrews, the balance editor at PS, and I'll be in charge of the 2025 PS Reading Challenge this year alongside Mirel Zaman, PS's health and fitness director. For 2025, we're d..."
Thanks so much for the opportunity to do this!! And thank you for compiling the challenge prompts!!

Some great suggestions as well as comments for prompts that some readers would prefer not to be repeated HERE in our Week 45 Weekly Check-In thread!

Nadine very helpfully asked everyone for suggestions for the 2025 Challenge as her "Question of the Week"! Hope this helps!

There are lot of great suggestions here!

Someone is the linked discussion above put into words my hopes for the 2025 prompts:

"Any that would be a bit more open to fulfillment than the 2024 list."

One more place that you can get GREAT feedback from our members on prompts they loved, prompts they hated, and prompts they hope to see again: the "I Finished" post:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


(we do one of these every year, so if you need still more feedback, you can go hunting through past year's folders!)

I saw this one today in an article I was researching and was struck by it:

"Read a book with a BIPOC adoptee narrative"

A BIPOC adoptee narrative is a story about the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) adoptees.

Set in the past
A book who’s writer is NOT your gender
A book by an author you haven’t read before

Some great suggestions here.

What I DO NOT want to see is multiple prompts related to the number 25. A few prompts is fine, but the 2024 list had entirely too many prompts related to the number 24 which is one of the reasons I have no inclination to complete the 24 Popsugar challenge, while on track to complete the other 3 challenges I am doing this year.

I noticed Taylor closed the post on FB yesterday, so they must be done taking ideas, and I'll close this post too.