At the end of every year, POPSUGAR posts a reading challenge for the upcoming year. It usually contains about 50 reading prompts. Since 2016, I participate with a couple of friends. We have our own spreadsheet to track the books we’ve read and we also tweak some of the prompts to better fit our diverse reading tastes. Here’s the list of the books I’ve read over the years. So far, my best has been 38 of 52 books in 2017. Let’s see whether I’ll ever top that!

[tr_tabs][ir_item id=”1″ title=”2022″]

[/ir_item] [ir_item id=”2″ title=”2021″]

	Prompt	Cover	Title
1	A book that published in 2021		Gefangen im Wind der Zeit (PaNia, #3) Sabine Giebken
2	An Afrofuturist book
3	A book that has a heart, diamond, club or spade on the cover		Gebrauchte Zauber sind gefährlich (Magic Kleinanzeigen,#1) Esther Kuhn
4	A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign		The Sword of Shannara (The Shannara Trilogy, #1) Terry Brooks
5	A dark academia book
6	A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title
7	A book where the main character works at your current or dream job		Confessions of a Bookseller (The Diary of a Bookseller, #2) Shaun Bythell [close enough – I would love to one day own a book shop when I’m done with working in publishing]
8	A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction
9	A book with a family tree
10	A bestseller from the 1990s
11	A book about forgetting		The Falling in Love Montage Ciara Smyth [dementia]
12	A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf		Winter’s Orbit Everina Maxwell
13	A locked-room mystery
14	A book set in a restaurant
15	A book with a black-and-white cover
16	A book by an indigenous author
17	A book that has the same title as a song		The Vow (Monstress, #6) Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda [song by RuthAnne]
18	A book about a suject you are passionate about		K-pop Confidential (K-pop Confidential, #1) Stephan Lee
19	A book that discusses body positivity
20	A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list
21	A genre hybrid		The Hidden Girl and Other Stories Ken Liu
22	A book set mostly or entirely outdoors		A Bad King is a Sad Thing (Rabbit & Bear, #5) Julian Gough
23	A book with something broken on the cover
24	A book by a Muslim American/British author		Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Samira Ahmed
25	A book that was published anonymously
26	A book with an oxymoron in the title		Lovely War Julie Berry
27	A book about do-overs or fresh starts
28	A magical realism book
29	A book set in multiple countries		Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, #2) Ally Carter
30	A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021		Clanlands Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish [Scotland]
31	A book by a blogger, vlogger, YouTube video creator, or other online personality
32	A book whose title starts with Q, X, or Z		XOXO Axie Oh
33	A book featuring three generations (grandparent, parent, child)		If I Tell You the Truth Jasmin Kaur
34	A book about a social justice issue		Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home Adi Alsaid (Ed.) [race, religion]
35	A book in a different format than what you normally read		Mooncakes Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker [graphic novel]
36	A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads		The Puffin Keeper Michael Morpurgo
37	A book you think your best friend would like		Heartstopper Vol. 1 Alice Oseman
38	A book about art or an artist
39	A book everyone seems to have read but you		Die unendliche Geschichte Michael Ende
40	Your favourite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge		Waldmädchensommer Theresa Czerny [A book that made you cry]
41	The longest book on your TBR
42	The shortest book on your TBR
43	The book with the prettiest cover on your TBR
44	The book with the ugliest cover on your TBR
45	The book that’s been on your TBR the longest
46	A book from your TBR you meant to read last year but didn’t
47	A book from your TBR you associate with a favourite person, place, or thing		Rebel Seoul (Rebel Seoul, #1) Axie Oh [gift from Saskia]
48	A book from your TBR chosen at random		The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid
49	A DNF book from your TBR		Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1) Robin LaFevers
50	A gifted or borrowed book from your TBR		Jumping #1 Asahi Tsutsui [birthday present]

[/ir_item][ir_item id=”3″ title=”2020″]

	Prompt	Cover	Title
1	A book published in 2020		Eulennacht: In den Gärten von Redmoor Ruth Rahlff
2	A book by a trans or non-binary person
3	A book with a great first line
4	A book about a book club
5	A book that is set in a city that hosted the Olympics		Schattenblick (Midnight Chronicles, #1) Bianca Iosivoni & Laura Kneidl
6	A bildungsroman
7	The first book you touch on your shelf with your eyes closed
8	A book with an upside-down image on the cover		This Is How You Lose the Time War Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
9	A book with a map		Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1) Emily A. Duncan
10	A book that was recommended by your favourite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club
11	An anthology		Because You Love to Hate Me Ameriie (Ed.)
12	A book that passes the Bechdel Test		The Truth About Twinkie Pie Kat Yeh
13	A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it		The Falconer (The Falconer, #1) Elizabeth May
14	A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name		Entwined Heather Dixon
15	A book about or involving social media
16	A book that has a book on the cover		The Diary of a Bookseller Shaun Bythell
17	A medical thriller
18	A book with a made-up language		The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield [twin speech]
19	A book set in a country beginning with C
20	A book you picked because the title caught your attention		The Women’s Atlas Joni Seager
21	A book published in the month of your birthday		The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1) Melissa Albert
22	A book about or by a woman in STEM
23	A book that won an award in 2019		The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut, #1) Mary Robinette Kowal
24	A book on a subject you know nothing about		Über uns das Meer Sabine Giebken [apnoea diving]
25	A book with only words on the cover, no graphics or images		Craic Baby: Dispatches from a Rising Language (Motherfoclóir, #2) Darach Ó’Séaghdha
26	A book with a pun in the title		Luftschlösser sind schwer zu knacken Antje Leser
27	A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins		Fire and Blood (A Targaryen History, #1) George R.R. Martin [basically all of them]
28	A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character		The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) Becky Chambers
29	A book with a bird on the cover		Winter Rose (Winter Rose, #1) Patricia A. McKillip
30	A fiction or non-fiction book about a world leader		The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0) Suzanne Collins
31	A book with gold, silver or bronze in the title
32	A book by a WOC		The Best Lies Sarah Lyu
33	A book with at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads		The Librarian of Auschwitz Antonio Iturbe
34	A book you meant to read in 2019		All the Crooked Saints Maggie Stiefvater
35	A book with a three-word title		I Was Here Gayle Forman
36	A book with a pink cover		The Boob Book Kristina Micotti
37	A Western
38	A book by or about a journalist		Meine Suche nach dem Nichts Lena Schnabl [pilgrimage in Japan]
39	Read a banned book during Banned Book Week (Sept 20-26)
40	A prompt from a past Pop Sugar Reading Challenge		The Red Ribbon Lucy Adlington [a book that made you cry]
41	A book written by an author in their 20s		Jetzt, Baby Julia Engelmann
42	A book with 20 or twenty in the title
43	A book with a character that has a vision impairment or enhancement		Die Fließende Königin (Merle, #1) Kai Meyer
44	A book set in Japan
45	A book set in the 1920s
46	A book by an author who has written more than 20 books		Das Steinerne Licht (Merle, #2) Kai Meyer
47	A book with more than 20 letters in its title		Ein Schimmern am Horizont (Wolkenherz, #4) Sabine Giebken
48	A book published in the 20th century		Sauron Defeated (The History of The Lord of the Rings, #4) Christopher Tolkien [1992]
49	A book from a series with more than 20 books
50	A book with a main character in their 20s

[/ir_item] [ir_item id=”4″ title=”2019″]

	Prompt	Cover	Title
1	A book becoming a movie in 2019		The Stand-In Steve Bloom [The Perfect Date]
2	A book that makes you nostalgic		The Immortalists Chloe Benjamin
3	A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)		Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You Lin-Manuel Miranda
4	A book you think should be turned into a movie		The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen, #1) Alison Goodman
5	A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads		The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) Rick Riordan
6	A book with a plant in the title or on the cover		Tyler Johnson Was Here Jay Coles
7	A reread of a favorite book		Wechselnde Pfade (Pferdeheimat im Hochland, #4) Ursula Isbel
8	A book about a hobby		Bodenarbeit mit dem Leitseil Andrea und Markus Eschbach
9	A book you meant to read in 2018		Das Fleisch der Vielen Kai Meyer & Jurek Malottke
10	A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title
11	A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover		Mein ganz normaler Wahnsinn (Lil April, #4) Stephanie Gessner
12	A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore		Tangleweed and Brine Deirdre Sullivan [fairytales]
13	A book published posthumously		Beren and Lúthien J.R.R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien
14	A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
15	A retelling of a classic		First & Then Emma Mills [Pride & Prejudice]
16	A book with a question in the title
17	A book set on college or university campus
18	A book about someone with a superpower		Renegades (Renegades, #1) Marissa Meyer
19	A book told from multiple POVs		The Crown’s Game (The Crown’s Game, #1) Evelyn Skye
20	A book set in space		Leia: Princess of Alderaan Claudia Gray
21	A book by two female authors		Watch Us Rise Renée Watson & Ellen Hagan
22	A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title
23	A book set in Scandinavia		Emil und die Prinzessin aus dem Nachbarhaus Marianne Kaurin
24	A book that takes place in a single day
25	A debut novel		Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1) Rae Carson
26	A book that’s published in 2019		Eine Kiste voller Wünsche (Wunschbüro Edda, #1) Suza Kolb
27	A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature		Der kleine Dunkelfresser Ilka Volz [cute little plushy ball creature that feeds on darkness turning it into light]
28	A book recommended by a celebrity you admire		The Buried Giant Kazuo Ishiguro [Neil Gaiman]
29	A book with LOVE in the title		Love & Gelato Jenna Evans Welch
30	A book featuring an amateur detective		Sherlock Chronicles Steve Tribe
31	A book about a family		We Were Liars E. Lockhart
32	A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America
33	A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title
34	A book that includes a wedding		How to Be Irish David Slattery
35	A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter		Rocky, der Bankraub und ich oder wie mich ein stinkender Turnschuh reich machte (Rocky, #2) Fritz Fassbinder
36	A ghost story		Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse (Goth Girl, #1) Chris Riddell
37	A book with a two-word title		Wild Bird Wendelin van Draanen
38	A novel based on a true story		Firebird Elizabeth Wein [Female Soviet fighter pilots in WWII]
39	A book revolving around a puzzle or game		Armada Ernest Cline
40	Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge		Maus mit Mission (Extrem gefährlich!, #1) Mario Fesler [A book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy, 2016]
41	A “cli-fi” (climate fiction) book		All the Birds in the Sky Charlie Jane Anders
42	A “choose-your-own-adventure” book
43	An “own voices” book
44	Read a book during the season it is set in		Orcasommer Sabine Giebken [summer]
45	A LitRPG book
46	A book with no chapters/unusual chapter headings/unconventionally numbered chapters		100 Hugs Chris Riddell
47	Two books that share the same title (1)
48	Two books that share the same title (2)
49	A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom		So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (The Hitchhiker’s Guide, #4) Douglas Adams [42 is mentioned, so I’d say it counts]
50	A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent

[/ir_item] [ir_item id=”5″ title=”2018″]

	Prompt	Cover	Title
1	A book made into a movie you’ve already seen		Persuasion Jane Austen
2	True crime
3	The next book in a series you started		Das Chaos kommt selten allein (Lil April, #3) Stephanie Gessner
4	A book involving a heist		Fett Kohle Dorit Linke
5	Nordic noir
6	A novel based on a real person		Am Ende des Regenwaldes Marion Archard
7	A book set in a country that fascinates you		Deception’s Princess (Deception’s Princess, #1) Esther Friesner [Ireland]
8	A book with a time of day in the title
9	A book about a villain or antihero		All Our Yesterdays Cristin Terrill
10	A book about death or grief		Revolution Jennifer Donnelly
11	A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym
12	A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist		Far from You Tess Sharpe
13	A book that is also a stage play or musical
14	A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you		The Way to Bea Kat Yeh
15	A book about feminism		The Female of the Species Mindy McGinnis
16	A book about mental health		(Don’t) Call Me Crazy Kelly Jensen (Ed.)
17	A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift		The Circle Dave Eggers
18	A book by two authors		Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1) Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
19	A book about or involving a sport		Mähnen im Wind (Die Pferde von Eldenau, #1) Theresa Czerny
20	A book by a local author		Heldenhaft Andreas Thamm
21	A book with your favorite color in the title
22	A book with alliteration in the title		The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #3) Lemony Snicket
23	A book about time travel		Time Was Ian McDonald
24	A book with a weather element in the title
25	A book set at sea		The Ship Beyond Time (The Girl from Everywhere, #2) Heidi Heilig
26	A book with an animal in the title		Immer dieser Kater! (Kater Aristoteles, #2) Annette Herzog
27	A book set on a different planet		Obsidio (The Illuminae Files, #3) Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
28	A book with song lyrics in the title		Space Opera Catherynne M. Valente
29	A book about or set on Halloween
30	A book with characters who are twins		Ein Zwilling macht noch keine Schwester Stephanie Gessner
31	A book mentioned in another book		Northanger Abbey Jane Austen
32	A book from a celebrity book club		The Twelve Day’s of Dash & Lily (Dash & Lily, #2) Rachel Cohn & David Levithan [Zoella]
33	A childhood classic you’ve never read		Momo Michael Ende
34	A book that’s published in 2018		Gone Rogue (Wires and Nerve, #2) Marissa Meyer/Stephen Gilpin
35	A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner		The Hate U Give Angie Thomas
36	A book set in the decade you were born
37	A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to		Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View
38	A book with an ugly cover		Life, the Universe and Everything (Hitchhiker’s Guide, #3) Douglas Adams
39	A book that involves a bookstore or library		Out of the Easy Ruta Sepetys
40	Your favorite prompt from the 2015/2016/2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges		Far from the Tree Robin Benway [A book that made you cry]
41	A bestseller from the year you graduated high school
42	A cyberpunk book
43	A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
44	A book tied to your ancestry		Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod #4-6 Bastian Sick
45	A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title/mentioned in the book		Die Wunderpeperoni (Flora Botterblom, #1) Astrid Göpfrich
46	An allegory		The Atrocities Jeremy C. Shipp
47	A book by an author with the same first or last name as you
48	A microhistory
49	A book about a problem facing society today		The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood
50	A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge		The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1) Mackenzi Lee

[/ir_item] [ir_item id=”6″ title=”2017″]

	Prompt	Cover	Title
1	A book recommended by an industry professional
2	A book that’s been on your TBR list for way too long		The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (The Hitchhiker’s Guide, #2) Douglas Adams
3	A book of letters
4	An audiobook		Heilung aus der Wildnis Anita Daher
5	A book by a person of color
6	A book with one of the four seasons in the title		Sommer voller Schatten Eleanor Jones
7	A book that is a story within a story		Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone Kat Rosenfield
8	A book with multiple authors		Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2) Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
9	A thriller
10	A book with an animal on the cover		Immer den Nüstern nach! (Die Haferhorde, #3) Suza Kolb
11	A book by an author who uses a pseudonym		Schmetterlinge im Ponybauch (Die Haferhorde, #4) Suza Kolb
12	A book from a genre you don’t normally read		Der Igel Nepomuk Rusalka Reh [read aloud story book]
13	A book by or about a person who has a disability
14	A book involving travel		Stallpiraten ahoi! (Die Haferhorde, #5) Suza Kolb
15	A book with a subtitle/catchphrase		An Abundance of Katherines John Green
16	A book that’s published in 2017		Volle Pferdestärke voraus! (Der Esel Pferdinand, #3) Suza Kolb
17	A book involving a mythical creature		The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere, #1) Heidi Heilig
18	A book you’ve read before that never fails to make you smile		The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker’s Guide, #1) Douglas Adams
19	A book about food
20	A book with career advice/an alternate career (fiction/non-f)		The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1) Genevieve Cogman
21	A book from a nonhuman perspective		Volle Mähne! (Die Haferhorde, #2) Suza Kolb
22	A steampunk novel
23	A book with a red spine		The Princess Diarist Carrie Fisher
24	A book set in the wilderness		The Fox and the Star Coralie Bickford-Smith
25	A book you loved as a child
26	A book by an author from a country you’ve never visited		Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1) Garth Nix
27	A book with a title that’s a character’s name		Coraline Neil Gaiman
28	A novel set during wartime		Brilliance of the Moon (Tales of the Otori, #3) Lian Hearn
29	A book with an unreliable narrator		Zweilicht Nina Blazon
30	A book with pictures		Wer fragt schon einen Kater? (Kater Aristoteles, #1) Annette Herzog
31	A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you		The Paper Menagerie Ken Liu
32	A book about an interesting woman		Monstress Vol. 2: The Blood Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
33	A book set in two different time periods
34	A book with a month or day of the week in the title
35	A book set in a hotel		Wanderlost Jen Malone
36	A book written by someone you admire		The Near Witch Victoria Schwab
37	A book that’s becoming a movie in 2017		Wonder R.J. Palacio
38	A book set around a holiday other than Christmas
39	The first book in a series you haven’t read before		The Winner’s Curse (The Winner’s Trilogy, #1) Marie Rutkoski
40	A book you bought on a trip		Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1) Richelle Mead
41	A book recommended by an author you love		The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller [rec by Victoria Schwab]
42	A bestseller from 2016
43	A book with a family-member term in the title		The Other F-Word Natasha Friend
44	A book that has flashbacks		The Vanishing Season Jodi Lynn Anderson
45	A book about an immigrant or refugee		Salt to the Sea Ruta Sepetys
46	A book from a genre/subgenre you’ve never heard of
47	A book with an eccentric character		Ready Player One Ernest Cline
48	A book that’s more than 800 pages
49	A book you got from a used book sale		The Dark Horse Jenny Hughes
50	A book that’s been mentioned in another book		The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
51	A book about a difficult topic		Schwere Zeiten für Julia Margot Berger [Stalking]
52	A book based on mythology		The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1) Roshani Chokshi

[/ir_item] [ir_item id=”7″ title=”2016″]

	Prompt	Cover	Title
1	A book based on a fairy tale		The Starlit Wood Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe
2	A National Book Award Winner
3	A YA bestseller		Shadow & Bone (The Grisha, #1) Leigh Bardugo
4	A book you haven’t read since high school
5	A book set in your home country		Wahrheit schmeckt wie Mokkatorte Christina Michels
6	A book translated to English
7	A romance set in the future		Light & Darkness Laura Kneidl
8	A book set in Europe		Der Fluch des Bonawentura Andreas Collin [Germany – Poland]
9	A book that’s under 150 pages		Mit ZORRO durch die Nacht Andrea Hensgen
10	A New York Times bestseller		Ruin & Rising (The Grisha, #3) Leigh Bardugo
11	A book that’s becoming a movie this year
12	A book recommended to you		The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love Sarvenaz Tash
13	A book with a character who undergoes drastic changes		A Week of Mondays Jessica Brody
14	A book you can finish in a day		A Brush with Danger (Fox Investigates, #1) Adam Frost
15	A book written about a famous/notorious character		Hamilton: The Revolution Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jeremy McCarter
16	A book set in a world of political upheaval		Truthwitch (The Wirchlands, #1) Susan Dennard
17	A book published 15 to 25 years before or after you were born		A Drop of Night Stefan Bachmann
18	A book that’s more than 600 pages
19	A book recommended by an author
20	A science-fiction novel
21	A book recommended by a family member
22	A graphic novel		Monstress I: Awakening Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
23	A book that is published in 2016		Mein Leben und andere Missgeschicke (Lil April, #1) Stephanie Gessner
24	A book with a disabled protagonist (physically/mentally)		Dead Ends Erin Jade Lange
25	A book that takes place during summer		Summer Days & Summer Nights Stephanie Perkins
26	A book and its prequel
27	A murder mystery
28	A humorous book
29	A dystopian novel
30	A book with a blue cover		Emmy & Oliver Robin Benway
31	A book with an MC of color
32	The first book you see in a bookstore
33	A classic from the 20th century
34	A book from the library		Siege & Storm (The Grisha, #2) Leigh Bardugo
35	A book by an author of color
36	A book about a road trip
37	A book about a culture you’re unfamiliar with
38	A satirical book
39	A book that takes place on an island
40	A book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy		Stars Above (Lunar Chronicles Collection) Marissa Meyer
41	A book that takes place in the future
42	The last book of a series		Blutbuch (Die Seiten der Welt, #3) Kai Meyer
43	Reread a book		Jellicoe Road Melina Marchetta
44	A book set in a matriarchy
45	A self-published or indie book
46	A fiction book without romance		Papageienparty (Antonia rettet die Welt, #1) Katrin Zipse
47	A book with a bi/multiracial character
48	A duology		The Wrath & the Dawn & The Rose & the Dagger Renée Ahdieh
49	A book about siblings
50	A book written by someone 25 or younger

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