A Calendar of Book Holidays To Celebrate Reading All Year Long
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.
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.
