Make 2026 the year of reading with our reading challenge!

It’s that time of year again. Sign up for our fifth annual reading challenge! The Cup of Tea’s Reading Challenge 2026 is a challenge that aims for readers to read out of TBR pile. Just like previous years, the challenges are created on The StoryGraph website, where you can view the challenge prompts and add books that will help you complete the challenge! But if you are going analog in 2026 and prefer pen and paper, I provided a PDF version of the prompts, free to download!

There are two reading challenges you can be part of: the general reading challenge and a Classics Reading Challenge, for those who want to try and read more classic books in 2026. Both of these challenges are available to join on The StoryGraph.

Don’t know what The StoryGraph is? Find out about this wonderful new alternative to Goodreads by reading more about it in my blogpost!

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2026 Reading Challenge Prompts

1. Read a mystery based/inspired by a real crime
2. A fiction book based on a real historical figure
3. A book you meant to read in 2025
4. A nonfiction comic/graphic novel
5. A book by an autistic author
6. A book being adapted into a TV show/movie in 2026
7. A book you discovered by browsing a library or independent bookstore
8. A nonfiction book about a time period
9. A classic from the Harlem Renaissance (Read through the Britannica to discover books written during the Harlem Renaissance.)
10. A novella
11. A book about AI or social media
12. A domestic fiction
13. A book in the 800s of the Dewey Decimal System (800 of the Decimal System are classed as literature. You can see more how the category is broken down here or you can always ask a librarian to help you!)
14. A book that is set in a small town/village
15. A genre blend
16. A book with a cover you would want as a poster in your house
17. A book that includes illustration that is not a comic or a picture book
18. A debut novel
19. A book longer than 400 pages
20. A dark academia
21. Best Book To Look Out For in 2026 (A book from annual The Best Book To Look Out For… list. Post coming soon but you can see some recommended titles at my storefront on Bookshop.org)
22. An epistolary/mixed media novel
23. A collection of historical writings
24. Literary criticism
25. A book about female friendship
26. A book that is set outside the US, the UK and Canada
27. A picture book
28. A middle grade book
29. A book set in an alternate world
30. A book about resistance
31. A book part of your favorite series
32. Reread a favorite
33. A gothic novel written by a contemporary author
34. A book with a cat on the cover
35. A translated book
36. A book that an author recommended
37. A book featured on the Fake Book Club Podcast
38. A book about incel/manosphere culture
39. A holiday mystery or romance
40. A book that reflects the power of reading

Bonus Prompts:

• A book that doesn’t cost anything to you to read (This is for if you received a free book through a giveaway, received an ARC from a publisher, or a book you got from the library. Try not to use it for books you read illegally online.)
• An underrated holiday classic (A book that takes place during Christmas time but it is not well known. So no The Christmas Carol or How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Really search for that hidden gem!)

2026 Classic Reading Challenge Prompts

1.  Read a classic from Jane Austen’s Bookshelf (Choose a book by an author that is mentioned in the book, Jane Austen’s Bookshelf:  A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney)
2. A gothic novel
3. Reread a classic that you read in high school or college.
4. A classic that is being made into a movie/TV show
5. A biography or a memoir
6. A classic that is published under a pseudonym
7. A classic written by underappreciated author
8. A feminist classic: either a novel or a collection of essays and writings
9. A classic that revolves around a family
10. A classic with a name as a title
11. A play written by a woman
12. A controversial or banned classic
13. A classic about resistance and human rights
14. A classic that originated from a country other than the US, the UK or Canada.
15. A novel by an author that is brand new to you
16. A classic you wish would get adapted to a movie/TV show
17. A novel that features an unlikeable protagonist
18. Poetry/short story collection
19. A classic locked room mystery
20. A translated classic

Bonus Prompts

• A classic you wanted to read due to the book cover

Download The PDF Checklist Below!

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Join in on the Challenge and Sign up Today!

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