If you've been meaning to get around to actually reading the epic tomes that are the books of author J.R.R. Tolkien, then today's the day—literally. March 25 is the 11th annual Tolkien Reading Day, dedicated to the man behind Farmer Giles of Ham, Mr. Bliss and the oft-overlooked Smith of Wootton Major (oh, alright: The Lord of the Rings and the The Hobbit are probably worth a mention as well).
Officially, Tolkien Reading Day is the creation of the Tolkien Society, with the date chosen to coincide with one of the main events from Lord of the Rings, the downfall of Sauron. (The reasons behind that date in particular can be found here, but the short version is "There wasn’t much else happening in March.")
The cause for the unofficial holiday is simple: In 2002, a journalist named Sean Kirst asked the Society whether or not Tolkien had his own version of Bloomsday, the annual celebration of the work of James Joyce. Instead of going with the simple answer "no," the Society realized that there was no reason why that wasn't the case, and decided to create a day for Tolkien the following year.
Despite the name, Tolkien Reading Day means more than fans simply re-reading the English author's work. Instead, it's intended to promote the use of Tolkien in educational settings and library groups, as well as offer a quiet prompt for those who've always been curious about the books that inspired Peter Jackson's hit movies to take the plunge and read them for themselves. If the idea still seems daunting, don’t worry. You can always turn to the internet for a little help when you need it.
