Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

We don't know anything about the 2026 Challenge ... yet. But soon we will!! PS has teased us with the hint of a garden theme, and the promise of some early reveals this October.

Here's the place to speculate about what you think is coming, and to chat about how you feel about it once it arrives.

With a gardening theme (which I potentially really like!), I expect:

Plants on the cover
Author/character name that is also a flower (Rose, Lily, Iris, etc)
Romance to "bloom" (cynic in me says UGH! lol)

I like those guesses Jennifer.

I would say something about the color of the cover (green).

Fruit or vegetable in the title.

We can safely say that there will be something about horses, for the Chinese astrology prompt.

Possibly a book or author's name starting with Z.

26th in a series is my guess

I hope there is something about iron or marathons for the number 26.

As You Wish wrote: "26th in a series is my guess"

I hope not! Trying to figure out an author's 24th book had people tearing their hair out last year.

I'm thinking plants or flowers on the cover, something historical fictiony that involves gardens, and a microhistory of a vegetable.

It's been nine days now since the first tease, I wish they would come back and tell us SOMETHING already!

As You Wish wrote: "26th in a series is my guess"



That would be difficult!!!

I could see another book in one sitting prompt come up, especially when paired with a note from them about reading outside in a garden or park.

However, I'm going all in on betting on a nonfiction book about nature/the natural world prompt

Getting a teaser about teasers is almost worse than hearing nothing at all! Lol It does seem like a garden theme, maybe a cozy mystery about gardening or flowers on the cover. A book about growth or starting over (i.e. blooming). A book set in Spring.

I'm not personally a fan of gardening (I have a brown thumb), but I do love a good theme and it seems like the past few years have had one.

Charlotte wrote: "Getting a teaser about teasers is almost worse than hearing nothing at all! Lol It does seem like a garden theme, maybe a cozy mystery about gardening or flowers on the cover. A book about growth o..."



FOR REAL!!

I think she got ahead of herself when she promised teasers all October, and then realized "oops we aren't ready"

I wonder how much workshopping goes into the precise wording of the list?

Lol, we are only halfway through the month! :)

I was also thinking there might be an Italy prompt for the winter Olympics.

I assume there will be something about sports, and another prompt about music.

A gardening theme... Well I have a black thumb and managed one zucchini this year.
Houseplants and Their Fucked-Up Thoughts: P.S., They Hate You is the closest book I've read in years to a gardening book.

Jennifer W wrote: "Lol, we are only halfway through the month! :)
"



well yeah, but on Oct 1st she posted: "Some of the best blooms come from early seeds, so we're giving you a head start for 2026. But gardens need tending, so watch this space this month as we sow even more exciting announcements coming soon ..." which made it sound like there'd be announcements throughout the month of October. 17 days into the month and nothing yet. She certainly succeeded in increasing the number of hits her FB group gets each day - I'm sure I'm not the only one who keeps checking!!!

Sometimes they give us "paired" books, like a duology, 2 with the same title, or 2 set in sister cities. So maybe a fiction & nonfiction by the same author, or 2 set in the same city, or a classic and a modern retelling of it?

I'm starting to think they didn't have the list ready and just wanted people to speculate so they could use those ideas!

I think there might be something with iron in the title, maybe 26th book of an author (O.O), author with the name starting with Z (again, O.O), horse and fire(Chinese year of Fire Horse) on the cover/in the title, characters aged 26/62, book published in the year --26, 26 years before/after you were born. Also, 26 is supposed to be a number related to balance, so maybe something related to spirituality? For a challenge there could be books set 26 time zones apart, as it's the maximum difference.

Ellie wrote: "I'm starting to think they didn't have the list ready and just wanted people to speculate so they could use those ideas!"




LOL that would be nefariously clever!!!!

Ellie wrote: "I'm starting to think they didn't have the list ready and just wanted people to speculate so they could use those ideas!"

That would not surprise me at all. If that is the case, hopefully they'll take people's frustrations with some of the past prompts into consideration when creating the list.

Personally, I think we're going to get the following prompts:
~a book with a gardener as a main character
~a book that takes place in a garden
~a book with a plant on the front cover
~a book published in 2026
~a book set in winter (for the Winter Olympics)
~a book about a winter sport

In addition to iron being element 26 and Z being letter 26
-there are 26 miles in a marathon
-there are 26 bones in the human foot
-there are 26 red cards and 26 black cards in a deck of cards
-asteroid 26 was named Proserpina (Roman version of Persephone)
-NGC 26 is a spiral galaxy in the Pegasus constellation
-the 26th British PM was Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
-the 26th American president was Teddy Roosevelt

If one of the categories is "26 year old" - the protagonist of Daddy Issues is described as being 26.

26 fortnights in a year.

The prompt list is dropping November 1st -- this weekend! They just announced it on the Facebook group! Not much longer to speculate...

Also if they have "main character is 26" as a prompt I will throw a book at the wall.

Kenya wrote: "The prompt list is dropping November 1st -- this weekend! They just announced it on the Facebook group! Not much longer to speculate..."



I JUST saw that!! I better start creating blank posts so we are ready to go on Saturday!!!!!!



I was really hoping for a few sneaks first! This Whole List All at Once thing is exhausting!!!

Kenya wrote: "Also if they have "main character is 26" as a prompt I will throw a book at the wall."


and I support you in that. :-P

They did not say a time, so my speculation on that will be noon Eastern time on Saturday.

I’m excited for the new list but I’m not ready. I have two prompts on this year’s list left. Last year I finished right before the new list dropped, but we had an extra month.

Yay! I've given up on this year so I'm ready for the new list.

Kenya wrote: "The prompt list is dropping November 1st -- this weekend! They just announced it on the Facebook group! Not much longer to speculate..."

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Erica wrote: "I’m excited for the new list but I’m not ready. I have two prompts on this year’s list left. Last year I finished right before the new list dropped, but we had an extra month."

I'm not ready either!! I think I have 5 left.... All planned, but not finished yet.

Brandon wrote: "They did not say a time, so my speculation on that will be noon Eastern time on Saturday."



Exactly, it would be nice to know the time!! They are on the west coast and in past years they posted at 9am PST (noon EST). But this year the first two teaser posts on FB showed up at (precisely!) 9am EST, and the final one announcing the list was posted at 1pm EST. So ... who knows???!! Any time is possible! LOL

Kenya wrote: "Also if they have "main character is 26" as a prompt I will throw a book at the wall."

Nah, it'll be "26 and a half." 26 years and 26 weeks.

And I'd throw at least 26 books over that.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Also if they have "main character is 26" as a prompt I will throw a book at the wall."


and I support you in that. :-P"

SAME!

Laura Ruth wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Also if they have "main character is 26" as a prompt I will throw a book at the wall."

Nah, it'll be "26 and a half." 26 years and 26 weeks.

And I'd throw at least 26 books over that."

Don't give them any ideas! It's not too late for them to change a prompt!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Kenya wrote: "The prompt list is dropping November 1st -- this weekend! They just announced it on the Facebook group! Not much longer to speculate..."



I JUST saw that!! I better start creating b..."

Just wanted to say, thank you to you and Lynn for taking time to do this.

Dubhease wrote: "I hope there is something about iron or marathons for the number 26."
Oh, iron is a good one! Fingers crossed

I'm hoping we get a banned books prompt! Yes, we've done it before, but I'm all for reading more banned books.

And they're still trying to ban, ban, ban

"Read the books they don't want you to read. That's where the good stuff is." Levar Burton

And please, please, please, no more sports prompts! I am DONE!

As You Wish wrote: "26th in a series is my guess"
A pair of prompts for "2" and "6" would be much more doable!

Dea wrote: "I'm hoping we get a banned books prompt! Yes, we've done it before, but I'm all for reading more banned books.

And they're still trying to ban, ban, ban

"Read the books they don't want you to re..."

Excellent point, and that topic is very timely.

I don't know what to expect now that my reading goals have shifted.

While I usually set myself for 80% nonfiction books a year, for 2026 I decided not to be so strict and already have some fiction on my list.

So now I'm going to end up being pretty flexible.

Dea wrote: "I'm hoping we get a banned books prompt! Yes, we've done it before, but I'm all for reading more banned books.

And they're still trying to ban, ban, ban

"Read the books they don't want you to re..."

I'm always up for banned books! And banned books' lists are a good place to look if there's a tough prompt that you don't have other ideas for, even sports! ;)

Yeah banned books prompts are always fun. The fact that we even have that is sad to begin with, but it really gets you thinking and going because, I don't know how it is for the rest of you, but banned books are usually so out of my comfort zone so that makes things interesting.

Maybe I'll set it as a goal next year to use more books I already own that are on my TBR...going through this year's list 12 are books I own (13 if I ever get to my "avoided reading" book--The Silmarillion).

Anyone got a banned book that fits a gardening theme?

Erica wrote: "Anyone got a banned book that fits a gardening theme?"

They'd probably ban it in Florida if it mentioned worm reproduction.

Erica wrote: "Anyone got a banned book that fits a gardening theme?"


Not ABOUT gardening, but ... there are a lot of banned books with titles that include flora.
A Clockwork Orange
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Into the Garden
My Sister, Daisy


And some have flowers on the cover
All Boys Aren’t Blue

Kenya wrote: "Also if they have "main character is 26" as a prompt I will throw a book at the wall."

You know they are going to do that. And we will all be here screaming why and trying to find one that we like