The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2026

The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2026 is back for the 6th year! For the oldtimers, welcome back! For the newcomers, I hope you’ll have a lot of fun this year trying to fill out these music-based reading prompts, as I had a lot of fun (and pain, so much pain) coming up with them.

As with previous years, I tried to pick songs that would allow readers to include a wide selection of books regardless of genre, leave plenty of space for different interpretations, and not feature two songs by the same artist/band. On the whole, I’m super happy with this year’s results (although when I’m not? I’ve got excellent taste in music, thank you very much), and I can’t wait to share them with you all.

The rules are pretty simple: only books read in 2026 count, and you can join the challenge any time, so if you only discover it, say, in August, that’s fine, you can still play! Ideally, you can only use 1 book/prompt, but if you are less of an avid reader, then you can use 1 book for 2 prompts.

My aim with this challenge is just purely to have fun. As I didn’t pressure myself previously to fill it, I won’t do that this year either. I’ll read what I’ll read, then I will try to wiggle them into the prompts. I will also attempt to review as many of the books as I can, but…well. I’ll keep an update thread running on BlueSky (given that I won’t fail miserably. Again.), will update this post regularly (quarterly, as it were).

In 2024 I started a monthly newsletter, which is still going, so if you’d like to stay in the loop, I’d love it if you’d consider signing up HERE!

If you are on The StoryGraph, then there is a The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2026 event for you to check your progress! JOIN HERE.

Please feel free to reach out if you need some ideas! I’m always happy to brainstorm.

Once again, everyone is welcome to join the fun. Feel free to shoot me a message so I can send you one of the cards below. We have two versions this year too. One is the usual list of prompts for those who’d like to add covers as they go, the other I’ll use for updates, so I can add the book titles and authors under the prompts for better visibility.

All that being said, look at my glorious The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge cards that got a bit of a facelift for 2026:

Let’s get a closer look at them, shall we? I will have to let you know that I narrowed down a list of about a 100 songs to the final 25. And yes, I still made changes until the end, but I’m happy with the results.

NOTE: The interpretations for the prompts are my own. You are absolutely welcome to interpret the prompts however you wish! This should be fun, and no one will come at you if you cheat a bit here and there 😉 Hell, even I’m bending them when needed.

All of the prompts are song titles, so I made a Spotify playlist which I’ll link below for extra fun 🙂 Make sure to check them out, as I have a few personal favorites among them!

Too Much Blood

Background: Funnily, Too Much Blood wasn’t on my original list of possible prompts (no idea why, this is perfect, clearly I had an oversight somewhere), but then this had become my song of 2026, and naturally, it had to make it. Duh. I have a long history with The Gaslight Anthem, I featured a couple of their songs before, and so far, all of them came from my favorite album, Handwritten. Too Much Blood isn’t the exception to that rule, but come on, that album IS amazing. Go and listen, I dare you!

What the prompt is about: Fine, I admit this one doesn’t leave too much room for interpretation, so let’s start with the obvious: a book that either has blood in the title or features violence in some form. Genre-wise, horror, (grimdark) fantasy, thriller, or even murder mystery could be good choices. If we dig a little bit deeper into the song lyrics, then a book that features a character who opens up about themselves in a way that makes them vulnerable.

The book I picked:

Why:

Look Mom I Can Fly

Background: Ever since I discovered Livingston sometime toward the end of 2024, I think, I’ve been obsessed. I have several of his songs I played repeatedly over 2025, so it’s not a surprise they made my 2025 playlist as well. And that I picked one of them as a prompt, in turn, should surprise absolutely no one. I have no regrets. Look Mom I Can Fly was first released as a single in 2024, and it’s on Livingston’s 2025 album – which I also recommend listening to.

What the prompt is about: Flying! It can be a book with a cover that has something flying on it (object or animal), or a book that features in some form of flying or levitation. But we can broaden the horizons a bit (pun intended) and include any supernatural powers, it doesn’t have to be flying specifically.

The book I picked:

Why:

Wild Things

Background: I only discovered Lø Spirit in 2025, but it quickly became a favorite on my playlist. Wild Things is one of his singles from 2023. He only puts out a handful of singles each year, which is honestly such a shame, as I would love to listen to more. Oh well.

What the prompt is about: Go wild, my friends! Anything goes here that can be associated with nature, be it flora or fauna. Fictional or real.

The book I picked:

Why:

Mess I Make

Background: This is one prompt I’ve been debating whether to include or not, trying to figure out if I’m only picking it because I LOVE this song, which is a collab between one of my favorite bands, Fivefold, and KG Lillian whom I don’t know, but her voice works really well on this single. Released in 2025! I mean, this is my reading challenge, and 99% of the prompts are based on songs I like/love, so it’s not like I can be any more biased. Still, I’m always trying to focus on the prompt aspect rather than my feelings towards the music. And so, in the end, I decided to include it, with the knowledge that it might prove to be a lot trickier to fulfill. Who doesn’t like a bit of a challenge, amiright?

What the prompt is about: Pick a book in which a character (doesn’t have to be the MC necessarily) makes a huge mess of some kind. Can be literal or kicking off events that then snowball into a shitload of trouble. We all know that happens rather often in our books…

The book I picked:

Why:

All the Things That I Am

Background: I honestly have no recollection of this song, but I apparently liked it as I put it on my playlist back in October. Greczula is a Swedish singer/performer, and this song is on his 2025 album – which I really should give a listen to, now that I’m actually paying attention…

What the prompt is about: So, for this prompt, I’d like you to pick a book that speaks to you on a personal level. Be it the themes or any of the characters you can identify with. Or maybe a book that makes you realise something about yourself.

The book I picked:

Why:

Second Chance

Background: We can’t have a reading challenge named after a Shinedown song without a Shinedown song-based prompt, now can we? Actually, we can, because it happened before (2021), which makes Shinedown the second most used band for this challenge. I’ll tell you who is the most used later. But if you know me, you can probably guess. Anyway. I have a lot of fond memories regarding Shinedown and their music, including one of their Budapest concerts. And Second Chance is definitely one of my top 5 songs from them! In recent years, I haven’t listened to their newer stuff that much, they just don’t quite hit the same for some reason, or maybe I just need to be better at paying attention. Oh well. Let’s focus on the prompt.

What the prompt is about: Do I need to spell this one out? Fine, fine, I will. Read a book in which a character gets a second chance. It can be about anything. You can also read a book by an author whose previous work you didn’t like as much. Or a book you put aside for some reason. Give them a second chance! You might be surprised.

The book I picked:

Why:

Utánad (Follow You)

Background: Esti Kornél is a Hungarian band that I don’t really know much about. And then one day Utánad (Follow You) popped up in one of the playlists, and I was blown. It just spoke to me and listened to it for days on repeat, because I just couldn’t stop. And the funny thing is, this song was released in 2022. WHERE THE FUCK HAS IT BEEN FOR SO LONG?! *ahem* Let us proceed.

What the prompt is about: Pick a book in which a character follows something or someone. Be it their heart, their fate, their desire, a loved one, or a leader. It can be literal following or taking over, as in following in someone’s footsteps, or, if you are into mysteries, then it can be an investigation as well.

The book I picked:

Why:

River

Background: River from Bishop Briggs is a fairly new discovery on my part, even though it was released on her 2018 album, Church of Scars. So much so that it made my 2025 playlist!

What the prompt is about: Another quite specific prompt, which I don’t think I need to spell out, but anyway. A book with river in the title, or water on the cover, or water featured in any way in the book. Or a book that makes you cry a river, ha! See, I can be creative!

The book I picked:

Why:

Beautiful Colors

Background: OneRepublic is one of the bands that I like to feature for Sound of Madness, which proves that not only do they have good music, but also great titles! And yet, my spreadsheet tells me the last time they appeared was in 2022! THE INJUSTICE! So it was probably time for me to have them on board again. Beautiful Colors was released in 2025, and apparently it was featured on an anime called Kaiju No. 8. You comic/manga types probably are more familiar with it than me…

What the prompt is about: Pick a book with a colorful (at least two!) cover. If you want to go a bit further, one could associate colors with the rainbow and thus the LGBTQIA+ community, soooo raise your flags, and pick a book that celebrates diversity in any form.

The book I picked:

Why:

Real Good Feeling

Background: Oh The Larceny has been on my radar for a couple of years now, and even though one of their songs was always on the list of possibilities, they never made the cut. 2026 is their year! So here we are, because who doesn’t need some Real Good Feeling?! Plus, they just released a new album, you know. Although this particular song is from a 2019 EP, Blood is Rebel.

What the prompt is about: Read a book that makes you feel good. It can be a comfort read, something cozy, or you know, whatever that flies your boat, as they say. Whatever you pick, make sure it gets 5 stars from you, that’s my only requirement here. Since this year we don’t have a specifically family-themed prompt, this could also work for books with found family and friendship themes as well.

The book I picked:

Why:

Safe

Background: I’ve known New Medicine for a few years now, but they firmly put themselves on my radar this year. Not least thanks to Safe, which is from their 2025 album, Die Trying, that includes most of the singles they released in the past 5 years. Definitely highly recommended!

What the prompt is about: Make a safe bet! Read a book from your favorite author you haven’t read yet, or the next book in a series that’s been sitting on your TBR. If you want to go a bit literal, then pick a book in which a character finds their safe space/people.

The book I picked:

Why:

Nothing Breaks Like a Heart

Background: So I know this is originally a Miley Cyrus song, but I first heard the Damiano David version, and that’s what I’m including on the linked playlist. While I prefer the Maneskin version of Damiano, I can’t deny that the guy has a voice for sure. I’m not really into this new direction he is taking as a solo artist, but hey, I respect that he wants to do something different away from Maneskin.

What the prompt is about: Every year, I try to include a love-related prompt, and so this year is what you are getting. Because there is no love without a bit of heartbreak. If you are not a romance reader type, then pick a book that breaks YOUR heart in some way. Preferably in a good way, though…

The book I picked:

Why:

Freefall

Background: Nothing More is also one of those bands that keep making an appearance on these prompt lists. This year, they are joining forces with Chris Daughtry, and man, that was a collab I didn’t know I needed! Freefall was released on Nothing More‘s 2024 album, Carnal.

What the prompt is about: This is our mandatory Joker prompt. Anything goes here, you can’t fit anywhere else! Knock yourselves out.

The book I picked:

Why:

False Confidence

Background: I admit I have no recollection of this one sneaking onto my playlist (it was very recently, according to Spotify), but hey, since it’s there, why not use it? The name Noah Kahan also doesn’t say anything to me, which is apparently another hindsight on my part, as he was nominated twice for a Grammy. I definitely will have to dig deeper into his discography.

What the prompt is about: One of the harder prompts for sure, but I have trust in you (and myself). So for this one, I’m thinking a book featuring a character who has that swagger/bravado we all know is fake as hell. A character that has hidden depths and vulnerabilities. Alternatively, you can pick a book you think you will love, but ends up being a disappointment. We all have that false confidence every once in a while.

The book I picked:

Why:

Where You Go

Background: Poe the Passenger is a band I haven’t known for too long, but they sure dominated my listening in 2025. Where You Go is probably my favorite song from them, I can’t even say how many times I listened… I’m certainly happy to infect you with this one as well.

What the prompt is about: It’s traveling time, baby! Read a book in which a character travels (or dies, I mean, that’s kind of traveling too, from a certain point of view), or a traveling book (fictional or otherwise). If you are not as much of a fan of the traveling trope (like yours truly), then you can also pick up a book set in a country not your own! Or written by an author who has a different nationality from you.

The book I picked:

Why:

A Kedves Vezető (The Dear Leader)

Background: I generally try not to inflict more than one Hungarian song on you, but this year I’m making an exception. Partly because I was sort of one royalty (adjacent) themed prompt, and partly because Kozmosz does deserve a shout-out from me at last. They are one of my favorite Hungarian bands, and not just because I know two of the members personally. We have a 20+ years history, although we don’t keep in touch outside of seeing each other at their Budapest concerts about once or twice a year. Still. They have heavily political lyrics and themes, criticising all sides of politics, but mostly our dearly beloved leader and his goons. This is also true for A Kedves Vezető, which was released in 2015 on their second EP. The crowd definitely loves it at shows.

What the prompt is about: This year, we don’t have a royalty-specific prompt, which is a first. But fear not, they can be included with this one! But the leader in question doesn’t have to be royalty, anything goes. Hell, if you love biographies, you can even read something from a real-life leader of some sort, be it political, sports, or whatever.

The book I picked:

Why:

Calypso

Background: Sail North is another band/artist I got obsessed with in 2025. As they say, they play Celtic shanty pop, whatever that might mean. Their songs are catchy as hell, so I’m all here for it. I originally planned to pick a different song for the myth prompt, but in the last minute, I changed my mind. I then also agonised over whether this would be too niche, but then told myself that even if this will be my downfall, at least I’ll have a banger of a playlist to show for my efforts, so who cares. Calypso is one of their 2025 singles, and I hope you’ll check it out!

What the prompt is about: So I mainly intended this prompt for anything involving myths, gods, etc., as Calypso is a well-known sea nymph herself. But I don’t want to restrict you to only watery beings (especially since we already have a water-related prompt), so feel free to pick anything that’s myth-based in any way. But if you want to go for pirates, that’s also great, as the song itself is about pirates after all! Or a book that’s related to Calypso herself.

The book I picked:

Why:

Moonlight Shadow

Background: Moonlight Shadow is one of those songs I remember from my childhood. I *loved* it as a kid, and I remember watching the video clip on TV – it’s probably mostly memorable to me because they shot that one in Budapest. But I still have so much nostalgia for it. Does anyone even remember Groove Coverage? It’s a song from 2002, so probably saying teen years is more accurate, lol. Anyway, it’s 20+ years old, and please don’t ask me how old I am.

What the prompt is about: I think this year, this is the prompt everyone will hate me for (myself included), lol. There isn’t a lot of wriggling room with this one. You can pick a book with shadow or moon in the title/on the cover. Or a book in which something important happens at night time – preferably with the moon playing some part in it. Witches also come to mind for this one, if that’s your jam.

The book I picked:

Why:

Torn in Two

Background: If we can’t have Sound of Madness without Shinedown, then we definitely can’t have a board without a Breaking Benjamin song. Remember when I said there was one band I featured more than Shinedown? It’s Breaking Benjamin. Hands up if you are surprised. Apparently, I even picked TWO Breaking Benjamin songs in 2021, which is something I try to avoid usually. But I’ve always been a bit of a rebel. 2026 will be a big year, as Breaking Benjamin comes to town and I. Can’t. Wait. Torn in Two was released in 2018, on their Ember album, which, as far as I’m concerned, is their last one to date. I don’t count Aurora, which is basically a greatest hits album dressed up differently. Whatever. They have a new one coming, though!

What the prompt is about: Look, I’ve been torn in two more than once while I finalised this list of prompts, so it’s time everyone else suffers with me. Pick a book in which a character has to make a hard decision, choosing between two things important to them. Or you can add a book you’ve been torn about – either when you tried to decide whether to pick it up, or because it left you with conflicted feelings. If you want to be creative, you can pick a book with two POVs, or a cover that shows duality in some way. There are so many good options here!

The book I picked:

Why:

Sex on Fire

Background: I think we probably all know this song, although I need to admit that I first heard a cover and later found out it was, in fact, a cover. This is pretty much the only Kings of Leon song I know, and it was released in 2008 on the Only By The Night album. That’s basically all I can say. I literally picked this song based on the title alone.

What the prompt is about: Let’s spice things up! You can read a sexy book for this one, we won’t judge. If you are even less into sexy things in books than romance, then I might advise you to pick up a book from one of our lovely queer community members. I’m specifically thinking transgender, non-binary and agender authors for this one, but again, I won’t police you.

The book I picked:

Why:

Devil in My Head

Background: Smash Into Pieces is one of those bands whose songs somehow always pop up on my playlists, but I never really pay attention to them, unless I like a song. Like Devil in My Head, which was released in 2025 as a single and also on their new album, Armaheaven.

What the prompt is about: For this prompt, pick up a book with a mental health rep. Or, you know, a book that features the devil in some form. Or a book that has a voice in their heads.

The book I picked:

Why:

Endless Summer

Background: Last year, I included a Scooter song for some fun, and even though we don’t have what I would call a particularly fun prompt this year, I decided to stick with Scooter anyway. Mostly because I needed something seasonal. Scooter is not a band I actively listen to anymore, but apparently, I was into their 2002/2003 albums, 24 Carat Gold and The Stadium Techno Experience, respectively. Techno is definitely not my go-to genre, but I usually don’t mind when one of their older songs I know and like pops up.

What the prompt is about: Pick up a seasonal book! You can also pick a book you’ve read over the summer. Or a book with over, say, 500 pages representing those warm, endless nights.

The book I picked:

Why:

Uncomfortable

Background: Lzzy Hale is one of my favorite female singers, along with P!nk. If I grow up, I want to be like her. And you know, I’m fairly upset that I’m not really into Halestorm’s latest albums, and I’m not sure why. But that doesn’t stop me from picking one of their songs, still. Uncomfortable is from their 2018 album, Vicious.

What the prompt is about: Time to step out of your comfort zone! Read something you normally wouldn’t do. Or, a book that makes you uncomfortable for some reason.

The book I picked:

Why:

Dance All Over Me

Background: Dear old timer friends, you certainly didn’t think we wouldn’t have at least one music-related prompt, did you? Of course you didn’t. I can’t say I’m a George Ezra fan, mostly because I barely know anything about him, but he has a couple of songs on my playlist, Shotgun being one of them, and Dance All Over Me is another. The latter was released on his 2022 album, Gold Rush Kid.

What the prompt is about: Read a book that features dancing or music in any way. It can only be a scene, or more prominent. It’s all up to you!

The book I picked:

Why:

Scumbag

Background: JFC, every year I’m preparing this post, I realise how little I know about some of these songs/artists, and always promise myself I’ll dig deeper, and then I never really do. I really need to do better. Goody Grace is also one of those artists, I’m afraid to say. Scumbag is a song that features blink-182, a band I actually know from my teen years. Hell, they were one of the first bands that started to get me into rock and roll. I’ve never been a huge fan of them, but I still know a few of their songs. Anyway, Scumbag was released in 2021 on Goody Grace‘s album, Don’t Forget Where You Came From.

What the prompt is about: Who doesn’t love hating a good villain? Pick a book with a real scumbag, doesn’t have to be the MC, but you get extra cookie points if you read a book written from a villain’s POV.

The book I picked:

Why:

And that concludes our list of prompts! It ended up as nicely eclectic as my tastes are. I admit I’m super proud of how it turned out. But again, when I’m not?

I hope you’ll join me for a book and music-filled year and will have just as much fun as I had while coming up with it all! Let me know if you’d like to join and which of these prompts are your favorites!

And here you’ll see my quarterly updates with covers and links and all 🙂