The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

43. A book “everyone” has read

This prompt is for the books that you’re missing out on! This is for a book that you’ve seen everyone reading – but you haven’t got to yet. This prompt is purely subjective, but some examples may include: popular reads, books on the New York Times Bestsellers lists, books that you see pop up frequently in our Facebook group, etc.

It also doesn’t have to be a book with widespread popularity. You might interpret this prompt as a book that all of your family or friends have read, or a book by a local author that your town can’t stop talking about, etc.

Your definition of something “everyone has read” will also differ from others based on your preferred genres etc, and that’s part of what makes this challenge so fun!


Click here for our Goodreads List of suggestions

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

Lord of the Rings

This will probably be The Vanishing Half for me. It’s been on my shelf for over a year

Verity, I’m Glad My Mom Died, Where the Crawdads Sing

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman

Fairy Tale

The Maid by Nita Prose

Where the Crawdads Sing
I have never seen this book return to my library for more than 3 days before being checked out. We have several copies and they are constantly being checked out. Seems everybody but me has read it until now.

Lessons in chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Suggestion from the “everyone” in the spiritual/personal growth community… The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

It’s one I read frequently & it always has new insight & meaning for me. Let me know if you read! INjoy 😉

At last, I'm about to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

Mia wrote: "Lessons in chemistry by Bonnie Garmus"

Sooooo good!

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

Eragon

The Complete Maus, by Art Spiegelman

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Definitely read by everyone this year: Spare by Prince Harry

I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 3 Stars

I finished The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry It was a bit more dark than I realized. Everyone knows this story. Enjoy

I had Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for this prompt, but since it was something I'd technically already read, and fit one of the other prompts better, I'm going to have to put something else in. I have tons of things on my tbr that are popular reads, so I'll fill this in when I get it done!

I read Anne of Green Gables for my WW Classic Book club. I think I was the only one in the world that hadn’t read it. 5 stars

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce

I chose Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner for this prompt! 4.5 stars!!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides was the rare book that everyone in my book club read. Usually there's at least one person who hasn't.

“The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell” by Robert Dugoni. Read by a large number of my friends.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Finished March 22

With over 82,000 ratings on Goodreads, this book seems to fit the bill for a book "everyone" has read. A hokey, fabricated ending reduced my rating from 4 to 3-1/2 stars, though it was generally an engaging read. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn.

Recursion by Blake Crouch.

Angela wrote: "The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle"

Thank you for this suggestion. I just finished it and loved it.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Loved it.

I read The Twits

I read Verity and that was a waste of several hours of my life i will not get back. Also the Housemaid.

Update: I used the Housemaid for this prompt and Verity for #50 "murder"

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid... I personally know so many people that have read this, and there's also a huge number of reviews on goodreads, so I definitely felt it fit the prompt. Side note: it was a fantastic book!

The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

I read Little House on the Prairie. I made it through because it was short and easy. Didn't really love it.

I read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read Lessons in Chemostry by Bonnie Garmus.

My book “everyone has read” - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah 5 stars