Conquering the 2026 PopSugar Reading Challenge: The Book Tracker Method

The 2026 PopSugar Reading Challenge list is officially out! With 50 unique and creative prompts, from “A book about women astronauts” to “A book with a shadow daddy”, turning that massive list into 50 completed reads requires serious organization.

Stop relying on confusing spreadsheets or external notes. We’ll show you how to use Book Tracker’s dedicated features to map every single prompt, track your progress automatically, and successfully conquer the PopSugar Reading Challenge this year.

Step 1: Mapping the 50 Prompts with the Tag & Notes System (The Clean Method)

Instead of overwhelming your library with 50 specific tags, we’ll use one single Tag and leverage Book Tracker’s flexible Notes field to record the specific prompt. This strategy keeps your library clean and manageable.

How to Set Up Your 50 Prompts in Minutes:

1. Create the Universal Tag: Create one central Tag named #PS2026. This allows you to immediately filter your entire library for challenge books.
2. Record the Prompt in Notes: When you choose a book (e.g., The Martian), go to the book’s page in Book Tracker and add the following information into the dedicated Notes field:
   • PS2026 Prompt: A book about women astronauts
3. Assign Titles: Assign the #PS2026 Tag and save the note for the selected book.

This system allows you to use Book Tracker’s powerful search function to quickly identify which prompts you’ve assigned and which you still need to fill.

Pro Tip: For the 10 Advanced prompts, add [ADV] to your note, e.g.: PS2026 Prompt [ADV]: A book told entirely through letters.

Step 2: Tracking Progress with Smart Lists (Your Real-Time Checklist)

Now that your books are tagged, we’ll use Smart Lists to monitor your progress in real-time. This dynamic system acts as your automatically updating challenge checklist.

Create two simple Smart Lists to track your status:

• Smart List 1: PS2026 - To Be Read
  • Criteria: Tags contain "#PS2026" AND Reading status is "Not read"
  • Goal: Shows you exactly which challenge books you still need to start.
• Smart List 2: PS2026 - Finished Prompts
  • Criteria: Tags contain "#PS2026" AND Status is "Read"
  • Goal: Shows you which prompts you have completed. The total book count in this list is your current score (e.g., 32/50).

These lists update automatically when you change a book’s status, providing a clean, clear overview of your PopSugar Challenge progress.

Step 3: Motivation and Stats with the Reading Timer

To maintain momentum through all 50 books, consistent motivation is key.

• Integrated Reading Timer: Use the Reading Timer App for every session. This ensures that every minute spent on a PopSugar book contributes to your overall reading statistics.
• Daily Progress: Check your annual book count goals in the Stats section, leveraging the data for daily motivation needed to tackle the toughest prompts like “A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist.”
• Year In Review Proof: All your tracked data feeds into your personalized Year In Review. This will be the ultimate evidence of your success and your unique literary discoveries.

Step 4: Sharing Your Success (Your PopSugar “Wrapped”)

Once you’ve conquered the challenge, Book Tracker makes it simple to share your achievement:

Filter your entire library by the #PS2026 Tag to get a clean, curated list of all 50 books you read. Share a screenshot of this list, combined with your favorite Year In Review stats (like the longest book you read or your top-rated pick), across social media.

Conclusion: Make 2026 Your Most Organized Reading Year

The 2026 PopSugar Reading Challenge is an exciting commitment. Book Tracker is designed to transform that commitment from a logistical headache into pure reading joy.

By using the efficient Tag & Notes system and Smart Lists for tracking, you can focus less on managing the list and more on enjoying the incredible books you’ll discover.

Ready to get organized? Download Book Tracker and set up your #PS2026 Tag today!