To celebrate being halfway through 2026, I sent out a survey to see how you’re all doing in the Read Harder Challenge so far. I already shared some of the results about how many books you’ve all read on average, how many tasks you’ve finished, and which tasks you found the most difficult and the easiest. Now, I’m here to let you know about the new favorite books you’ve all read so far this year that check off tasks!
Almost all the titles you shared were unique, but there were five books mentioned by multiple people. Here are the most popular responses, organized by most mentioned to least. I also added a couple of honorable mentions for books that were only named once, but I think would be particularly useful for you to know about.
Interestingly, when I did this survey last year, True Biz by Sara Nović appeared on that list as well, for another task! It’s a Read Harder Challenger favorite. I also wanted to mention that Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is on this list because it was mentioned several times for task #9: Read a romantasy book with a queer and/or BIPOC main character. Personally, I wouldn’t categorize it as romantasy: the romance is very much a subplot and not a focus of the story. I love that novel, but I want to set expectations if you’re expecting a romantasy novel!
Now, onto your favorite books you discovered through the 2026 Read Harder Challenge.
 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir#10: Read a book recently adapted for film, TV, or musical The story: Ryland Grace is a teacher-turned-astronaut on a last-chance mission to save Earth. When he wakes from cryostasis with no memory, he discovers he is the only survivor left on board. He must puzzle out who he is and what they were doing on this ship in order to save his home planet. The latest: Hollywood sent Matt Damon to space in the adaptation of The Martian by Weir, and now Ryan Gosling has blast off for Project Hail Mary, with Phil Lord and Chris Miller directing. —Liberty Hardy |
 True Biz by Sara Nović#11: Read a book by a d/Deaf author Set in a boarding school for Deaf students, this novel’s characters include Charlie, a new student, and February, an alumna and headmistress trying to save the school. It also contains lots of background on Deaf culture and illustrations of American Sign Language. Some of the students, like Austin, come from Deaf, signing families, while Charlie comes from a hearing family. Growing up without access to sign language was socially isolating for Charlie. Her story also shows that many Deaf people don’t want cochlear implants. In Charlie’s case, her implants are dangerous. She crews for a school production of Peter Pan and joins a diverse, rebellious group of friends. —Grace Lapointe |
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