Hello, fellow book dragons!
I’ve compiled a list of book-themed holidays for readers, writers, grammar-lovers, and bilbliophiles so you can make sure your favorites are marked on your calendar. This list is updated for the 2022 calendar year.
JANUARY
National Book Blitz Month
Jan 1: New Year’s Dishonor List Day | International Public Domain Day | Copyright Law Day
Jan 2: National Science Fiction Day
Jan 3: J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Jan 9: National Word Nerd Day
Jan 9-15: Universal Letter Writing Week (Second full week of January)
Jan 11: Poetry at Work Day (Second Tuesday of January)
Jan 16: Book Publishers Day
Jan 18: National Thesaurus Day | Winnie the Pooh Day (author A. A. Milne‘s birthday)
Jan 23: National Handwriting Day
Jan 25: Burns Supper (poet Robert Burns‘s birthday)
Jan 26: Library Shelfie Day (fourth Wednesday of January)
FEBRUARY
National Library Lovers Month
Feb 1: Robinson Crusoe Day
Feb 1-5: Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week (First week of February)
Feb 2: World Read Aloud Day
Feb 5: Take Your Child to the Library Day
Feb 6-12: Freelance Writers Appreciation Week (Second week of February)
Feb 9: Read in the Bathtub Day
Feb 14: International Book-Giving Day | Library Lovers Day | Read to Your Child Day
Feb 20: Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
Feb 26: Tell a Fairy Tale Day
MARCH
Small Press Month
Mar 2: National Read Across America Day
Mar 4: National Grammar Day
Mar 6-12: Read an Ebook Week | Return Borrowed Books Week
Mar 14: National Write Your Story Day
Mar 16: National Freedom of Information Day
Mar 20: World Storytelling Day
Mar 21: World Poetry Day
Mar 25: Tolkien Reading Day
Mar 30: National Pencil Day
APRIL
National Poetry Month
School Library Month
Apr 1: Edible Book Day | Reading is Funny Day
Apr 2: Children’s Picture Book Day
Apr 3-9: National Library Week (Second week of April)
Apr 4: National School Librarian Day
Apr 5: National Library Workers Day (Tuesday of National Library Week)
Apr 6: National Bookmobile Day (Wednesday of National Library Week)
Apr 10: National Encourage a Young Writer Day
Apr 12: D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Day
Apr 13: National Scrabble Day
Apr 15: World Art Day | Rubber Eraser Day
Apr 16: National Librarian Day
Apr 17: International Haiku Poetry Day
Apr 18: National Columnist Day
Apr 23: Shakespeare Day | Talk Like Shakespeare Day | World Book and Copyright Day
Apr 27: National Tell a Story Day
Apr 28: Great Poetry Reading Day | National Poem in Your Pocket Day (Date varies annually)
Apr 30: Independent Bookstore Day (Last Saturday of April)
MAY
Short Story Month
Get Caught Reading Month
Latino Books Month
May 1: Mother Goose Day
May 2: International Harry Potter Day (Anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts)
May 3: World Press Freedom Day
May 3-8: Children’s Book Week
May 5: National Cartoonists Day
May 7: National Scrapbook Day | Free Comic Book Day (First Saturday of May)
May 9: Peter Pan Day
May 12: National Limerick Day
May 16: National Biographer’s Day
May 22: Sherlock Holmes Day
May 25: Towel Day (in honor of author Douglas Adams)
May 31: National Speak in Complete Sentences Day
JUNE
Audiobook Appreciation Month
GLBT Book Month
Jun 10: National Ball Point Pen Day
Jun 16: Bloomsday (in honor of writer James Joyce)
Jun 19: National Garfield the Cat Day
Jun 23: National Typewriter Day
JULY
Read an Almanac Month
Jul 4: Alice in Wonderland Day
Jul 30: Paperback Book Day
AUGUST
Aug 2: National Coloring Book Day
Aug 9: National Book Lovers Day
Aug 18: Bad Poetry Day
Aug 21: Poet’s Day
Aug 30: Frankenstein Day (author Mary Shelley‘s birthday)
Aug 31: We Love Memoirs Day
SEPTEMBER
Read a New Book Month (also December)
Library Card Signup Month
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
Sept 6: National Read a Book Day
Sept 7: Buy a Book Day
Sept 8: International Literacy Day | National Ampersand Day
Sept 11: Libraries Remember Day
Sept 13: Roald Dahl Day
Sept 18: Read an Ebook Day
Sept 18-24: National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week
Sept 22: Hobbit Day | Dear Diary Day
Sept 24: National Punctuation Day
Sept 25: National Comic Book Day
Sept 25-30: Banned Books Week (Last week of September)
OCTOBER
National Book Month
National Cookbook Month
National Medical Librarians Month
Children’s Magazine Month
National Reading Group Month
Church Library Month
Oct 1: National Poetry Day
Oct 2-8: National Newspaper Week (Starts on the first Sunday of October)
Oct 2-8: Mystery Series Week (First full week of October)
Oct 6: Mad Hatter Day
Oct 11: Myths and Legends Day
Oct 16: Dictionary Day
Oct 16-22: Friends of Libraries Week (Third week of October)
Oct 17: Black Poetry Day
Oct 20: National Day on Writing
Oct 28: Frankenstein Friday (Last Friday in October)
Oct 31: Books for Treats Day
NOVEMBER
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
National Family Literacy Month
National Life Writing Month
Picture Book Month
Nov 1: National Authors Day | National Family Literacy Day
Nov 3: National Nonfiction Day (First Thursday of November)
Nov 6-12: International Games Week | Children’s Book Week
Nov 8: Young Readers Day (Second Tuesday of November)
Nov 12: National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day
Nov 14-18: National Young Readers Week | World Nursery Rhyme Week | National Book Awards Week (Third week in November)
Nov 15: I Love to Write Day
Nov 18: High Five a Librarian Day
Nov 20-26: National Bible Week
Nov 21-27: Book Week Scotland
DECEMBER
Read a New Book Month (also September)
Spiritual Literacy Month
Dec 7: Letter Writing Day
Dec 10: Dewey Decimal System Day
Dec 21: Crossword Puzzle Day | National Short Story Day | Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day (from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne)
Dec 24: Jolabokaflod, also known as the Christmas or Yule Book Flood (Iceland)
Dec 25: A’phabet Day or No L Day (Pun Day — “No L” = Noel… get it?)
Did I miss any book-related holidays? Please let me know in the comments and I will consider adding them to the list!
Love fantasy worldbuilding, strong character bonds, and page-turning adventures? Check out my award-winning Chronicles of Avilésor: War of the Realms series.
Sources:
https://nationaltoday.com/books/
https://buildyourlibrary.com/calendar-book-related-holidays/
https://bookriot.com/book-holidays/
https://buildbookbuzz.com/2022-literary-calendar/
