Lists

A Calendar of Book Holidays To Celebrate Reading All Year Long

Kelly Jensen

Editor

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

One of the ways you can easily up your nerd cred is to be able to celebrate every book-themed holiday throughout the year. Of course, it can be tough to do just that when you don’t know when things like Book Lovers Day or Coloring Book Day might fall. Find here your guide to all of the book holidays your heart can desire, allowing you the opportunity to celebrate fully and appropriately all year long.

Not included on this calendar are author and book specific dates. You can find many of those on the Flavorwire Literary Calendar, which has some sort of event for each and every day of the year. This calendar instead focuses on those events you see passing by on social media each year and wishing you’d known about it sooner. Note that “National,” unless otherwise noted, means United States. Of course, no one says that those outside the U.S. can’t celebrate them, too.

Note that some dates shift year-to-year.

A calendar of book holidays for literary celebrations all year long. calendars | book holidays | book celebrations | book parties | bookish events

 

Book Holidays Calendar For Literary Event Planning

 

January

Beginning Second Sunday of January: Universal Letter Writing Week

2: National Science Fiction Day

18: National Thesaurus Day

Fourth Wednesday in January: Library Shelfie Day

 

February

National Library Lovers Month

First week of February: Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week

14: Library Lovers Day

Second week of February: Freelance Writers Appreciation Week

 

March

First Full Week of March: Read an Ebook Week

First Full Week of March: Return Borrowed Books Week

1: Read Across America Day

2: World Book Day

4: National Grammar Day

14: National Write Your Story Day

16: National Freedom of Information Day

21: World Poetry Day

25: National Tolkien Reading Day

 

April

National Poetry Month

2: Children’s Book Day

4: National School Librarian Day

5: National Read A Roadmap Day

Second Week of April: National Library Week

Tuesday of National Library Week: National Library Workers Day

10: Encourage a Young Writer Day

Wednesday of National Library Week: National Bookmobile Day

12: D.E.A.R. Drop Everything And Read Day (Runs all April)

13: National Scrabble day

16: National Librarian Day

17: National Haiku Poetry Day

18: National Columnists’ Day

23: National Talk Like Shakespeare Day

23: World Book and Copyright Day

25: National Poem In Your Pocket Day (this date shifts slightly every year)

27: National Tell A Story Day

Last Saturday in April: Independent Bookstore Day

28: National Great Poetry Reading Day

 

May

National Get Caught Reading Month

Free Comic Book Day: First Saturday

5: National Cartoonists’ Day

12: National Limerick Day

Second Week of May: Reading Is Fun Week

31: National Speak in Sentences Day

 

June

Audiobook Appreciation Month

10: National Ball Point Pen Day

19: National Garfield The Cat Day

 

July

Read an Almanac Month

30: Paperback Book Day

 

August

Romance Awareness Month

2: National Coloring Book Day

9: National Book Lovers Day

18: Bad Poetry Day

 

September

National Library Card Signup Month

Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month

6: National Read A Book Day

8: International Literacy Day

8: National Ampersand Day

22: Dear Diary Day

22: Hobbit Day

24: National Punctuation Day

25: National Comic Book Day

 

October

Children’s Magazine Month

Church Library Month

National Book Month

National Cookbook Month

Medical Librarian Month

National Reading Group Month

First Full Week of October: Mystery Series Week

6: National Poetry Day (UK and Ireland)

6: Mad Hatter Day

Second Week of October: National Newspaper Week

16: Dictionary Day

Third Week of October: Teen Read Week

Third Week of October: Friends of Libraries Week

Last Friday of the month: National Frankenstein Day

 

November

National Novel Writing Month

National Life Writing Month

National Family Literacy Month

Picture Book Month

First Saturday of November: Book Lovers Day

1: National Authors Day

1: National Family Literacy Day

6: National Nonfiction Day

12: National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day

Third Full Week: National Young Readers Week

Third Full Week: National Book Award Week

18: High Five a Librarian Day

Week Varies During November: World Nursery Rhyme Week

 

December

Read a New Book Month

7: Letter Writing Day

10: Dewey Decimal System Day

21: Crossword Puzzle Day

24: Jolabokaflod, also known as the Christmas Book Flood (Iceland)

25: A’phabet Day or No L Day (Pun Day)

 

 

 

Eager to celebrate any or all of these book holidays? You might also like these literary quotes for every month of the year—perfect for sharing while you celebrate a life well read.