This massive list of bookish holidays updated for 2025 offers unique ways to celebrate your bookish lifestyle this year. As a full-time book blogger, I rely on this data, and I figured I’d share the fruits of my labor so you, too, can easily access special days, weeks, months, author birthdays, and more in the literary world.
You’ll be able to quickly and easily plan your content and activities for the entire year in one spot, whether you’re a Bookstagrammer, teacher, librarian, or book lover. So, read, save, download, print, and share this helpful guide!
Most Popular Bookish Holidays
Banned Books Week: October 5-11, 2025
Banned Books Week is an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read and raises awareness about the challenges of book censorship. It highlights books that have been banned or challenged in libraries and schools. The week encourages people to explore these books and reflect on the importance of intellectual freedom.
Related Posts: Why Books Shouldn’t Be Banned | Quotes on Banned Books
International Literacy Day: September 8, 2025
International Literacy Day raises awareness about the importance of literacy. It highlights global efforts to improve reading and writing skills, especially in underserved areas. The day emphasizes literacy as a key factor in achieving sustainable development.
National Book Lovers Day: August 9, 2025
National Book Lovers Day honors the joy of reading and the love for books. It encourages book enthusiasts to indulge in their favorite stories and share their passion for literature.
National Book Month: October 2025
National Book Month promotes the love of reading and encourages people to explore new books. It highlights the importance of books in education, personal growth, and entertainment.
National Read Across America Day: March 2, 2025
National Read Across America Day encourages children and adults to read together. It promotes the importance of reading in education and celebrates Dr. Seuss’s birthday.
National Read a Book Day: September 6, 2025
National Read a Book Day encourages people to take time to enjoy reading. It highlights the joy and benefits of reading for personal growth and relaxation.
World Book Day: April 23, 2025
World Book Day promotes reading and celebrates the joy of books worldwide. It encourages people of all ages to explore new stories and authors.
World Poetry Day: March 21, 2025
World Poetry Day honors the art of poetry and its role in culture. It encourages people to read, write, and share poems, appreciating their emotional and intellectual impact.
Ultimate List of Literary Holidays By Month and Date
January
- National Book Blitz Month
- National Braille Literacy Month
- 1: Public Domain Day
- 1: J.D. Salinger’s birthday
- 2: National Science Fiction Day
- 3: J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday
- 4: World Braille Day
- 7: Zora Neale Hurston’s birthday
- 8: Stephen Hawking’s birthday
- 9: National Word Nerd Day
- 12: Jack London’s birthday
- 14: Poetry at Work Day
- 16: Book Publishers Day
- 18: A.A. Milne’s birthday
- 18: Thesaurus Day
- 19: Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday
- 22: Library Shelfie Day
- 24: Edith Wharton’s birthday
- 25: Virginia Woolf’s birthday
- 27: Lewis Carroll’s birthday
- 27: J.D. Salinger’s birthday
- 28: Pride & Prejudice was published in 1813
- 29: Oprah Winfrey’s birthday
February
- Library Lovers Month
- 1: National Storytelling Week
- 1: Robinson Crusoe Day
- 1: Take Your Child to the Library Day
- 2: Ayn Rand’s birthday
- 2: James Joyce’s birthday
- 5: World Read Aloud Day
- 7: Charles Dickens’s birthday
- 9: Read in the Bathtub Day
- 12: Judy Blume’s birthday
- 14: International Book Giving Day
- 14: Library Lovers Day
- 14: Read to Your Child Day
- 18: Toni Morrison’s birthday
- 20: Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
- 26: Victor Hugo’s birthday
- 27: John Steinbeck’s birthday
March
- Gardening, Nature, and Ecology Books Month
- National March into Literacy Month
- National Reading Month
- Read an E-Book Month
- 1: National Ghostwriters Week
- 2: Dr. Seuss’s birthday
- 2: Read Across America Day/Week
- 2: Children’s Picture Book Day
- 2: Jewish Book Week
- 3: Read an eBook Week
- 3: Returned Borrowed Books Week
- 4: Grammar Day
- 6: Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s birthday
- 6: National Library Week
- 8: National Proofreading Day
- 14: National Write Your Story Day
- 16: World Folktales and Fables Week
- 19: International Read To Me Day
- 20: Bibliomania Day
- 20: World Storytelling Day
- 21: World Poetry Day
- 24: Shakespeare Week
- 25: Tolkien Reading Day
- 26: Robert Frost’s birthday
April
- National Literature Month
- National Poetry Month
- School Library Month
- 1: Library Snap Shot Day
- 1: Reading is Funny Day
- 2: International Children’s Book Day
- 4: Maya Angelou’s birthday
- 4: 1984 Day (the protagonist started writing the book on 4/4/1984)
- 4: School Librarian Day
- 6: National Library Week
- 8: National Library Workers Day
- 10: The Great Gatsby was published in 1925
- 10: Encourage a Young Writer Day
- 12: Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R. Day)
- 13: National Scrabble Day
- 14: National Donate a Book Day
- 16: National Librarian Day
- 17: National Haiku Day
- 17: Celebrate Teen Literature Day
- 21: Thank You for Libraries Day
- 22: Charlotte Bronte’s birthday
- 23: William Shakespeare’s birthday
- 23: Talk Like Shakespeare Day
- 23: World Book Day
- 23: World Copyright Day
- 24: The Library of Congress created in 1800
- 26: Independent Bookstore Day
- 27: National Tell a Story Day
- 28: Harper Lee’s birthday
- 28: Great Poetry Reading Day
May
- National Get Caught Reading Month
- Latino Books Month
- National Share a Story Month
- 1: Mother Goose Day
- 2: Harry Potter Day
- 4: Star Wars Day
- 5: Children’s Book Week
- 8: Make a Book Day
- 16: National Biographer’s Day
- 22: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday
- 22: Sherlock Holmes Day
- 26: World Dracula Day
- 28: Ian Fleming’s birthday
- 31: Walt Whitman’s birthday
June
- Rainbow Book Month
- Audiobook Appreciation Month
- 12: Anne Frank’s birthday
- 25: Anthony Bourdain’s birthday
- 25: George Orwell’s birthday
- 27: Helen Keller’s birthday
July
- 4: Alice in Wonderland Day
- 4: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthday
- 11: To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960
- 15: The day One Day occurs each year
- 21: Ernest Hemingway’s birthday
- 27: Beatrix Potter’s birthday
- 30: Paperback Book Day
- 30: Emily Bronte’s birthday
- 31: J.K. Rowling’s birthday
- 31: Harry Potter’s birthday
August
- Romance Awareness Month
- Women in Translation Month
- 1: Herman Melville’s birthday
- 2: National Coloring Book Day
- 9: Book Lovers Day
- 14: Love Your Bookshop Day
- 18: Bad Poetry Day
- 20: Poet’s Day
- 22: Ray Bradbury’s birthday
- 28: Leo Tolstoy’s birthday
- 30: Frankenstein Day
- 31: We Love Memoirs Day
September
- Library Card Sign-Up Month
- National Literacy Month
- 6: National Read a Book Day
- 7: Buy a Book Day
- 8: International Literacy Day
- 11: Libraries Remember Day
- 13: National Twilighters Day
- 13: Roald Dahl’s birthday
- 15: Agatha Christie’s birthday
- 18: Read an eBook Day
- 19: Hermione Granger’s birthday
- 21: Stephen King’s birthday
- 22: Hobbit Day
- 24: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday
- 25: William Faulkner’s birthday
- 25: National Comic Book Day
- 26: T.S. Eliot’s birthday
- 30: Truman Capote’s birthday
- 30: Little Women was published in 1868
October
- Black Speculative Fiction Month
- National Book Month
- National Cookbook Month
- National Family Literacy Month
- National Reading Group Month
- Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia Awareness Month
- 2: Random Acts of Poetry Day
- 3: National Poetry Day
- 4: Anne Rice’s birthday
- 4: Bookshop Day
- 5: Banned Books Week
- 5: Mystery Series Week
- 6: Mad Hatter Day
- 8: R.L. Stine’s birthday
- 12: Teen Reading Week
- 15: I Love to Write Day
- 16: Oscar Wilde’s birthday
- 16: Dictionary Day
- 17: Arthur Miller’s birthday
- 17: Black Poetry Day
- 20: National Day on Writing
- 27: Sylvia Plath’s birthday
- 31: Frankenstein Friday
- 31: Books for Treats Day
November
- Library and Information Services Month
- National Family Literacy Month
- National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
- Philippine Book Development Month
- National Life Writing Month
- Picture Book Month
- 1: National Author’s Day
- 1: National Family Literacy Day
- 7: National Book Award Week
- 10: National Young Readers Week
- 11: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s birthday
- 11: Fyodor Dostoevsky’s birthday
- 11: (Unofficial) November 9 by Colleen Hoover Day
- 13: Robert Louis Stevenson’s birthday
- 20: World Philosophy Day
- 22: (Unofficial) 11/22/63 by Stephen King Day
- 24: National Book Week
- 29: Louisa May Alcott’s birthday
- 29: C.S. Lewis’s birthday
- 30: Mark Twain’s birthday
- 30: L.M. Montgomery’s birthday
December
- 5: Joan Didion’s birthday
- 10: Emily Dickinson’s birthday
- 10: Dewey Decimal System Day
- 11: Colleen Hoover‘s birthday
- 16: Jane Austen’s birthday
- 21: National Short Story Day
- 24: Jolabokaflod
- 30: Rudyard Kipling’s birthday
Related Post: Celebrate further with these birthday quotes from books.
Free Printable PDF of the List
Assuming many readers will want to take this list away with them to plan their calendars, I created a free printable PDF for you to download below:
How I Compiled These Book-Related Holidays
METHODOLOGY
I started this list of bookish holidays in 2020 and have updated it annually since some dates change each year. My favorite resources for searching and double-checking literary holidays include Wikipedia, the National Day Calendar, National Today, and Days of the Year.
OMG totally pinning this post! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! This is a phenomenal resource. I so appreciate all of the work you’ve done and your willingness to share (hashtag guide has been a lifesaver!). Thank you. 🙂
Great post and amazing list of ideas, thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
Oh I totally printed this! Thanks so much!
Yay! I love hearing that!!
Thank you for putting all this together, its amazing and will definitely be using!
This is SO amazing! Thanks so much for sharing- definitely bookmarking this!