Info
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!
 Awakened by A.E. OsworthWhen 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. |
 Dragonfruit by Makiia LucierMakiia 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.
This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. 🏷️ Books_feed