As the name suggests, the 2026 Read Harder Challenge is no easy feat. There are 24 tasks, and there are guaranteed to be some that push you out of your comfort zone. And yet, many of you are adding other reading challenges on top of that!
One in the mix is the Popsugar Reading Challenge, which is a whopping 40 tasks long—plus 10 more “advanced” tasks. Some of them are broad, like “A book you meant to read in 2025,” while others are extremely specific, like “A book with a character who does Pilates or Lagree.”
For those of you taking on both reading challenges at once, I have recommendations that feed two birds with one scone: these books complete Popsugar and Read Harder tasks at the same time.
Some of these prompts line up perfectly, like Popsugar’s “A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist” and Read Harder’s ” novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns,” while others are only coincidentally completed by the same book. Of course, there are also prompts I would have trouble aligning to a Read Harder task, but luckily I’m not trying to match them all!
Ready to refresh your shelves? We have a giveaway that can help! Enter to win a 1-year subscription to Book of the Month!
A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist & A novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns
Awakened by A.E. Osworth
When I heard that Awakened was about a coven of trans witches that fight an evil AI, it immediately rose to the top of my TBR. I’m happy to say it lived up to those expectations, from its dedication—”For everyone who feels betrayed by J.K. Rowling”—to its final page. The whimsical narrator makes for a fun contrast to the cynical main character, who is reluctantly adjusting to their new powers. Each member of this coven is complex and multifaceted, making their slow progression into a chosen family feel satisfying and realistic. Yes, this is a fantastic read for ex-Harry Potter fans, but it’s so much more than that.
A book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title & A book by a librarian
Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
Makiia Lucier is a former librarian who grew up in Guam and weaves connections and references to the mythology she grew up with into this romantic fantasy. Main character Hanalei is the much-cherished daughter of an old island family. When she becomes deathly ill, her father steals an egg from the royal family to cure his daughter and undo his life’s greatest pain. He also unwittingly condemns her to a life of exile. This book follows her as Hanalei studies her beloved seadragons and eventually crosses paths with the last remaining prince of Tamarind, a matriarchal society in which the prince hopes to cure his own mother of illness. —Summer Loomis
All Access members, read on for four more books that complete tasks in the PopSugar Reading Challenge and the Read Harder Challenge.
A book about your favorite event in the Winter Olympics & A sports book by a woman, trans, or nonbinary writer
Finding the Edge: My Life On The Ice by Karen Chen and Kristi Yamaguchi
The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Karen began to figure skate at just five years old. Ten years and many grueling training sessions later, she broke out at the 2015 US Championships with a bronze medal. This was after sustaining a nearly career-ending ankle fracture a year earlier. —Emma Allman
A sapphic comic & Read a YA book by a Latine author
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
Lady Camembert has no interest in marrying—at least not a man—so when her father dies and the law of the land insists a woman cannot inherit, she disguises herself and moves to the capital as Count Camembert. There, she meets the activist-minded princess, Brie, who makes laying low in her new disguise seem almost impossible. Will Princess Brie like Camembert for who she truly is? Only time will tell. —Rachel Brittain
(Fun fact: this Popsugar task is linked to an interview with me!)
A book that explores influencer culture & A nonfiction book about AI or social media
Swipe Up for More!: Inside the Unfiltered Lives of Influencers by Stephanie McNeal
Reading nonfiction about social media or AI can be… distressing. Let’s face it, these are fraught topics. If you’re looking for something a little less harrowing to read to complete that task, Swipe Up for More! promises to be an “unfiltered, colorful romp through the IRL world of influencers,” following three women who are full-time influencers in different niches. It’s a “juicy, voyeuristic” look behind the curtain.
A book about Afrofuturism & A book set in space
Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden
On a biological ship, there are the elite and there are the beast workers. Seske Kaleigh was born to be the next matriarch, and as such, is expected to marry men and women that will secure important connections for her family line. But her friendship with — and feelings for — heart worker Idalla threaten her position. Especially when Idalla is cast out among the bone workers. Life on a spacefaring beast is never easy, but as Seske and Idalla begin to see the signs of impending exodus as the beast grows weaker and weaker, they must face the reality that the life they know has been built on lies. And there may be another future out there among the stars if only they’re willing to risk it. —Rachel Brittain
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