POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2025: Book Recommendations

Looking for help with what to read for the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge in 2025? Here, you’ll get book recommendations for each of the fifty prompts from a full-time book blogger. I’ll help you crush your reading goals with the best books that meet the free reading challenge. Let’s get literary!

2. A book you want to read based on the last sentence: In my humble opinion, the best last sentence of a book comes from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. There is no competition! Read it again or because everyone should read this Great American novel at least once.

3. A book about space tourism: The Martian by Andy Weir is an extremely popular pick on this topic. Pair it with the movie!

4. A book with two or more books on the cover or “book” in the title: The popular book The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is an excellent choice here. It blends themes of books and World War II in a unique writing style and unforgettable plot.

5. A book with a snake on the cover or in the title, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, is an easy pick here if you haven’t read it yet or want to indulge in a different edition.

6. A book that fills your favorite prompt from the 2015 PS reading challenge: I chose a book published in 2015 and one of the most popular ones that year was the psychological thriller The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It’s widely considered an unputdownable book because it has an unreliable narrator and lots of suspense. It’s just one of those thrillers everyone needs to read!

7. A book about a cult: Cultish by Amanda Montell was an interesting deep dive into this topic. The author explores everything from Scientology to Peleton!

8. A book under 250 pages: Each year in my Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge, we read a short book mentioned on Gilmore Girls, so I’ve read many short books. Here, I’ll recommend the audio version of the play Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhrv, narrated by Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones. It’s immersive and heartwarming and always popular in our book club!

9. A book that features a character going through menopause: While I wasn’t a fan of the book Sandwich by Catherine Newman personally, it immediately comes to mind. People seem to either absolutely love it or hate it. It explores middle-aged feelings in a raw way that can connect or disconnect. Check out some reviews to decide if it’s for you.

10. A book you got for free: The first book I ever got from a Free Little Library was Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, so I’ll recommend that. I loved both the book and the Netflix show (which is different). (Related Posts: Firefly Lane Series | Kristin Hannah’s Best Books)

11. A book mentioned in another book: Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower mentions several books. One of my favorites that you may not have read yet is A Separate Peace by John Knowles.

12. A book about a road trip: The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley is a fun book about a young caretaker and her odd elderly client who insists they leave town. Read it for a light escape!

13. A book rated less than three stars on Goodreads: I was surprised to see The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold rated under three stars. I love her books, so I am interested to see what this general rating is all about!

14. A book about a non-traditional education: There is only one correct book to read for this prompt: Educated by Tara Westover. This bestselling, award-winning memoir about a girl raised as a survivalist who then attends Harvard blew my mind. You can’t miss it! (Related Post: Educated Summary)

15. A book that an AI chatbot recommends based on your favorite book: I asked ChatGPT about My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, and it suggested I read The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, which is on my TBR list!

16. A book set in or around a body of water: The first book that comes to mind is Oprah’s Book Club pick, The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. The theme of water runs deep in it (no pun intended). It’s long but exceptional. (Related Post: The Covenant of Water Review)

17. A book about a running club: This is an unfamiliar topic to me, but What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami has a ton of reviews.

18. A book containing magical creatures that aren’t dragons: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, immediately comes to mind. It’s a beloved book that feels like a warm hug, starring Shrek-like creatures in a found family plot.

19. A highly anticipated read of 2025: Onyx Storm, the third book in the massively bestselling Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarros is, without a doubt, the most anticipated book of the year.

20. A book that fills a 2024 prompt you’d like to do over (or try out): I reviewed my 2024 list and still haven’t read an autobiography by a woman in rock ‘n roll.  Just Kids by Patti Smith was my pick. It’s the winner of the National Book Award detailing the rocker’s relationship with her photographer and a book Taylor Swift referenced in 2024’s The Tortured Poets Society.

21. A book where the main character is a politician: I highly recommend Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza. It’s so smart and compulsively readable.

22. A book about soccer: Britt-Marie Was Here has all the hallmarks readers love in Fredrick Backman’s books, from depth of characters and plot to emotional pulls.

23. A book that is considered healing fiction: An insanely popular book and movie, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is one of the ultimate healing narratives, a true story of a woman who travels after a difficult divorce in an attempt to cope and start over.

24. A book with a happily single woman protagonist: I think back to a classic here — Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was happily single as she embraced her creative side. Quite controversial at the time! (Related Post: Little Women Book Review)

27. A book set at a luxury resort: Read With Jenna Book Club pick The Wedding People by Alison Espach was one of my favorite books of 2024. Set at a Rhode Island luxury hotel, it follows the interactions between a bride getting married that weekend there and a depressed woman who seeks to end her life. It’s not as dark as it sounds! Rather, it’s really intriguing.

28. A book that features an unlikely friendship: GMA Book Club pick Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a popular and universally beloved book about a friendship between a woman and an octopus.

29. A book about a food truck: This is a really tough prompt. I haven’t read it, but I found through research Death by Food Truck: 4 Cozy Culinary Mysteries by Joi Copeland, Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baten Johnson, and Teresa Ives Lilly. It could be fun!

30. A book that reminds you of your childhood: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume raised me and so many other young women for generations of time. Pair it with the recent movie adaptation, which was very good!

31. A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline: I read Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid twice and watched the TV show, so it immediately comes to mind. This Reese’s Book Club pick is uniquely told in documentary format and even has song lyrics!

32. A book about an overlooked woman in history: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly is women’s historical fiction that blew my mind. It centers on a relatively unknown American woman who helped abused women in a concentration camp during World War II. It felt so important to hear their harrowing stories.

33. A book featuring an activity on your bucket list: Near the top of my bucket list is visiting the “Anne Frank house” in Amsterdam. The Diary of Anne Frank is a must-read.

34. A book written by an author who is neurodivergent: Helen Huang’s spicy romance reads are a great pick here! Try The Kiss Quotient, a fake dating spicy romance about a data nerd who hires an escort.

35. A book centering LGBTQ+ characters that isn’t about coming out: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara remarkably (and heartbreakingly) weaves LGBTQ+ themes into its emotional plot while glossing over “coming out” events. It can be a triggering book, but it’s an exceptional read. (Related Post: A Little Life Review)

36. A book with silver on the cover or in the title: Since I read the ACOTAR series in 2024, and since it was so massively popular worldwide, I recommend A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas. But read the books in order!

37. Two books with the same title: I found a pairing that works well, given who authors them. First is Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winner, The Road, a post-apocalyptic novel.

38. Two books with the same title: Second is Jack London’s The Road, a collection of short stories by the famous writer about his life “as a hobo.” It would be interesting to pair these two authors who write similarly.

39. A classic you’ve never read: I’m determined to finish all of Jane Austen’s books this year. Since many have read Pride and Prejudice, I recommend Sense and Sensibility. I enjoyed both the book and the movie adaptation starring Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson.

40. A book about chosen family: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd fits this prompt perfectly and is one of the most popular books each year in my Rory Gilmore Book Club.

Advanced Prompts

41. A book by the oldest author in your TBR pile: I have a lot of books. I’m guessing the oldest is The Inferno by Dante, written in the early 1300s.

42. A book with the title that starts with the letter Y: Reese’s Book Club pick Yellowface by R.F. Kuang was GoodReads Best Fiction book of the year. It’s a juicy modern suspense novel about a struggling author “stealing” the work of her successful author friend after her death. It’s very captivating!

43. A book that includes a nonverbal character: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller offers a quick and interesting perspective from this famous, historically significant woman.

44. A book you have always avoided reading: A lot of people avoid Anna Karenina because it’s long and somewhat dense, but it’s well worth the read. The romance plot is juicy, and you can more easily understand the Russian history in it with a chapter guide online. The Oprah’s Book Club edition is an award-winning translation. (Related Post: Anna Karenina Review)

45. A book with a left-handed character: This was a tough prompt, but I found a popular character and a fun, easy read: Coraline by Neil Gaiman!

46. A book where nature is the antagonist: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a classic (and short) man vs. nature read– quintessential Hemingway and highly thematic on this topic.

47. A book of interconnected short stories: Pulitzer Prize Winner Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout shares slices of the life of the main character through language both simple and incredibly deep at the same time. Olive is a New England curmudgeon who learns life lessons that take your breath away.

48. A book that features a married couple who don’t live together: One of my favorite books, Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Marie Semple loosely fits this prompt. Struggling as a stay-at-home mother and wife who gave up her career, Bernadette escapes to Antarctica for some time alone.

49. A dystopian book with a happy ending: I don’t want to give too much away, but the classic book-banning book Fahrenheit 451 is a quick must-read that ends with hope. (Related Post: Fahrenheit 451 Summary)

50. A book that features a character with chronic pain: This theme runs throughout Fallon Book Club pick Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, one of my favorite books in recent years about “friendship and video games” over decades. (Related Post: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Review)