How To Celebrate National Book Lovers Day on August 9th

Book lovers rejoice! We have our own day dedicated to us and our love of all things books. Whether you have been a book lover for years, or have just found your new favorite hobby, you can celebrate National Book Lovers Day on August 9.

There are many ways to celebrate this fun holiday, besides the obvious, reading a book of course! I’m sharing some ideas that I think would be a perfect National Book Lovers Day well spent. 

12 Ways To Celebrate National Book Lovers Day on August 9th

1. Go On/Plan A Bookish Retreat

I think this is such a fun idea, and something that I hope to do one day. This is basically a day/weekend to get together with other people that love reading just as much as you do. Can you guess what you’ll be doing on this retreat? If you said reading you’d be correct. There are a lot of other activities you can do too during this time. To celebrate National Book Lovers Day I would try to set up the retreat for that day, or spend that day planning your retreat. 

2. Go Bookstore Hopping

If you are lucky enough to live in or near a town/city that has a good amount of unique book stores, this is for you. Grab a group of bookish friends, or make it a solo date, and travel around to the different local bookstores. When you are done, reflect on which one(s) was your favorite.

3. Do A Bookish Craft

This one is for all the creatives reading this post. Making bookish crafts could be an activity perfect for you on National Book Lovers Day. You can make things like bookmarks, bookshelf decor, prints based on your favorite books, and more. The sky’s the limit, and for even more fun get together with friends and have a craft party.

4. Rearrange Your Bookshelf

While this isn’t the most fun activity on the list, if ever there was a day to do it, National Book Lover’s Day would be it. Think about how you want to rearrange your bookshelf. Do you want to go alphabetically by author name, by color, by genre, or some other way? If you’re like me through this process you’ll realize you either need to sell some books or get a bigger bookshelf. 

5. Start A Bookstagram/Booktok

6. Create Book Playlists

This is one of my favorite things to do when I finish a book. It would also make a great activity to do on National Book Lover’s Day. To create the perfect playlist, think about how the characters are feeling in certain situations throughout the book, pay attention to the setting of the book, and of course if there are any songs that are directly mentioned in the book you have to include those. To see playlists that I have created check out my Spotify profile.

7. Gift Bookish Items To Your Book Loving Friends

Let’s turn this holiday into a gift-giving holiday. From bookmarks to bookish stickers, and physical books, you’ve got a lot of options when it comes to what to give someone who loves books as much as you.

8. Do The 24 Hour Reading Challenge

I’ve seen this challenge going around on social media. Basically you and a friend, or you can do it solo too, gather everything you need for a day full of reading.

A lot of people bring books, snacks, coffee, energy drinks, etc.. You set a start time to see how much reading you can get done within 24 hours. In case you are wondering, yes you need to/should sleep during the 24 hours too. I think this would be a fun way to spend this special day.

9. Go To Book Club (Or Organize One)

Book clubs are a great way to step outside your reading comfort zone, meet some new friends, and spend time talking about books. If you’re not already in a book club, National Book Lovers Day is a great day to create a book club within your local, or online, community.

10. Play Bookish Games, Like This Scavenger Hunt

11. Go To An Author Event (Or Plan To Go To One)

While I’ve never been to an author event that wasn’t hosted at my school when I was a student, it is on my list. They seem like fun, and a great way to get the author’s perspective on what they have written. If there are no author events going on during National Book Lover’s Day, look up one that you want to go to and make a plan to go.

12. Have A Theme Day Based On Your Favorite Book

This last idea may take some planning and creativity if you do it, but it has the makings to be a fun day. Think about your favorite book, series, or even author.

Are there elements in the books that you can pull from to make a theme day? For example, does it take place on the beach? Make the dress code beach themed and get some music that gives off that vibe. Is there a particular type of food or recipe mentioned in the book? Try your hand at recreating it. Think of things like that to pull off a book theme day. 

How Will You Celebrate National Book Lovers Day on August 9th?

It’s clear that this day is more than just an excuse to cozy up with a good read—it’s a tribute to the stories that shape our lives.

Whether you’re diving into a new novel, revisiting an old favorite, or sharing your passion with fellow bookworms, today is all about celebrating the magic of books. So, keep your to-be-read pile high, your bookmarks handy, and your imagination wide open. Happy reading, book lovers! 📚✨

Which of these activities will you be doing on National Book Lovers Day?

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