August 9th is National Book Lovers Day, and here at Once Upon a Book Club, we are taking our celebrations very seriously. Well, as seriously as you can take a day involving overflowing bookshelves, fictional crushes, delicious snacks, and a much-needed trip to the bookstore.

You could simply choose a book and spend the day reading, which sounds pretty wonderful to us. However, National Book Lovers Day is also an opportunity to celebrate everything that comes with being a reader: the rituals, friendships, favorite reading places, passionate recommendations, and bookish habits that make this community so special.

Wear your reader personality proudly, gather your favorite bookworms, prepare some literary treats, and create a few traditions you will want to repeat next year!

Reading Rituals and Traditions

Every reader has a few little rituals that make opening a book feel special. I like to fan out my book (it's books-ercise!) and make sure I have drinks and snacks on hand. I have been known to find myself halfway through the first chapter only to realize I forgot to put on the kettle. It happens.

I thought that for National Book Lovers Day, it would be a great idea to start some new bookish reading rituals. I originally thought of dedicating the first half hour of each Sunday morning to updating my reading journal, but on reflection I think I am also going to keep up with the reading memory journal and Sunday mornings will be perfect for both!

I decided we need a National Book Lovers Day tradition like buying a special edition book every August 9th. I love those limited editions with their exclusively designed dust jackets, stenciled edges, beautiful foiling, and custom endpapers. I am one of those readers who needs sets to match, which is why I am so thrilled we have the entire Four Winds series by Alexandria Warwick!

 

Dress Like the Book Lover You Are

If you’ve seen our latest apparel, you know we love wearing our reading personality, and we can’t think of a better day than National Book Lovers Day to go all out!

Planning a bookstore trip? Our green Bookstore Walks Tank Top features a bookshelf illustration and the completely relatable words, “I like long walks down the bookstore aisle.” It’s perfect for those bookstore outings! 

For readers who always feel slightly lost when they’re away from the shelves, the lilac Return to the Bookstore Embroidered Tee reads, “If found, please return to the bookstore,” with a small embroidered book on the sleeve. Yes, you should always provide very clear instructions in case you wander away from your natural habitat.

Then there is the Book Lover Special Tee, which may be the most accurate description of reader life we have ever seen. Its guest-check design includes late-night reading, crying over fictional characters, a never-ending TBR, running out of shelf space, and accidentally buying another book. Essentially, it is less of a shirt and more of a complete reader biography.

Choose the one that feels most like you and wear your book-lover status proudly. You could always buy one for each of your BFFs and arrange a coffee-and-cake date!

 

Make the Bookstore Your Celebration Destination

We love bookstore adventure walks. It’s our alternative to a pub crawl, and we love spending the time exploring independent bookshops, browsing a used bookstore, or visiting our local library. It’s time to rediscover the thrill of leaving with more books than you planned.

As you know, we also love a challenge, and it is bound to make your outing a touch more interesting. Choose a book because you love the cover, ask the salesperson to recommend something new, or select a novel from a genre you’ve never tried before.

Another fun idea is to take your bookish bestie and choose books for each other. Set a budget, separate for half an hour, and return with the story you believe the other person needs to read. This can be wonderfully thoughtful or mildly chaotic, depending on the friend. Coffee and cake are obligatory afterward!

Remember to take your time. Read the staff recommendations, admire the special editions, and enjoy that very particular happiness that comes from walking between shelves filled with possibilities.

Gather Your Favorite Readers

Reading may be a quiet activity, but being a book lover can be wonderfully social; just ask any book club member or our Facebook Community. Invite your book-loving tribe to join your celebration, whether that means your regular book club, a bookish best friend, or someone you have been trying to convince to read your latest obsession.

We love a bring-your-own-book get-together. Ask everyone to bring their current read, a favorite snack, and one book they are willing to lend, exchange, or passionately recommend. This is a great way to let everyone read whatever they like while still enjoying the company of other book lovers.

 

Host a Book Lovers Picnic

August weather makes National Book Lovers Day perfect for an outdoor gathering. All you need is a shady spot in the backyard, a visit to a local park, or meet beside the pool for a book lovers picnic.

Everyone can bring their favorite cushions, blankets, and a book. Create a shared pile of books in the middle, and everyone can get comfortable, relax, and read! You could, of course, combine the bring-your-own-book get-together with your picnic!

Our Book Lovers Beach Towel is a great addition to any picnic. We love the colorful books, floral details, and cheerful yellow tassels, and it is lightweight enough to carry to the beach, park, or pool. It’s the perfect size for stretching out with your book and snacks.

Don’t forget the only picnic rule: nobody is required to make conversation while they are in the middle of a very good chapter.

Create a Reader-Friendly Menu

A bookish celebration deserves delicious food that can be enjoyed without placing your book in danger. We recommend simple snacks that require minimal preparation and are unlikely to drip across an exclusive dust jacket. We’re thinking of sandwiches, fruit, cheeses, crackers, pastries, and small desserts! 

You can even ask every guest to bring a food inspired by a book. One person may arrive with beautifully decorated cupcakes as they reread Bridgerton, and high tea has them going. At the same time, someone else may bring the wine because their current protagonist drinks it frequently. Both contributions will definitely be appreciated!

 

Organize a Book Swap

We all have books we are ready to pass along, and besides, we always need to make space for that new special edition! A National Book Lovers Day gathering is the perfect opportunity for a book swap.

Ask your guests to bring one or two they’re ready to part with. You can arrange them on a table with blank recommendation cards, then everyone can write a short note explaining why you should read this book. Another fun twist and surprise factor is asking everyone to wrap their books in plain paper and write a few clues on the outside like the genre, mood, trope, or a dramatically vague description.

“A tavern queen, a legendary pirate, and an empire willing to turn an old love into a death sentence.” Are you intrigued? 

 

Bring Your Book Everywhere

A true reader knows that no outing is complete without a book, even when there is very little chance to open it. We bring books to appointments, restaurants, family gatherings, and errands because you simply never know when you may just be able to slot in ten minutes of reading time.

The terracotta Don’t Need Me Book Sleeve makes it easy to bring your current read along while keeping it protected. It reads, “If you need me, I’ll be reading. Please don’t need me,” which feels like a perfectly reasonable National Book Lovers Day boundary. It also has a lined interior large enough for oversized books, an elastic closure, a pen holder, and a zippered pocket.

Use it to carry your book to the picnic, bookstore, or gathering without worrying about bent pages, spilled drinks, or mysterious handbag crumbs.

Celebrate Your Reader Story

There is no right or wrong way to celebrate National Book Lovers Day. You can visit a bookstore, host a picnic, exchange books, wear your favorite reader tee, gather your best book friends for an afternoon reading, or simply lounge on the couch all day with your TBR pile!

August 9th belongs to book lovers, and we plan to enjoy every page of it. Happy reading from all of us at Once Upon a Book Club!

Keep reading

Keep the bookish celebrations going by creating something special with our guide to How to Build a Bookish End-of-Summer Memory Journal. It’s a lovely way to record the books, moments, and memories that made your summer reading feel unforgettable.

For a quieter and more relaxed celebration, explore How to Spend National Book Lovers Day: A Reader’s Plan. This morning-to-night guide is just what you need to enjoy your favorite pastime!