31 Things of October: From Adopt a Shelter Dog Month to Chili Week

October Awareness and Celebration Month Themes

The goals in choosing which National Days and holidays to promote here at ThriftBooks usually include reading, humor, learning, awareness, and/or having fun, with an undertone of acceptance and diversity, because books are for everyone. But with thousands of themes to select from in any given year, as much as we'd love to include everything for everyone, it's simply not possible, at least until quantum physics advances a bit more. For October, we had 114 possible monthly themes, 60 weekly ones, and 147 "National Day" and other daily observances to pick from; some (obviously) silly, and some not.

Below are 31 monthly observances we would have given more love to in an alternate universe with unlimited calendar space (30 plus the one we actually picked), along with eight weekly ones, so if you're a sarcastic vegetarian chili-lover who wants to start a reading group, learn about squirrels, and adopt a shelter dog this month, we have you covered!

On a more serious note, October awareness topics also include breast cancer, Down syndrome, domestic violence, and tackling hunger, so we have reads on those in stock too.

1. Adopt A Shelter Dog Month
2. AIDS Awareness Month
3. Bat Appreciation Month
4. Breast Cancer Awareness Month
5. Down Syndrome Awareness Month
6. Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month
7. Halloween Safety Month
8. Italian-American Heritage Month
9. LGBT History Month
10. National Apple Month
11. National Book Month
12. National Bullying Prevention Month
13. National Chili Month
14. National Cyber Security Awareness Month
15. National Disability Employment Awareness Month
16. National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
17. National Dropout Prevention Month
18. National Ergonomics Month
19. National Pizza Month
20. National Reading Group Month
21. National Sarcastic Awareness Month
22. National Seafood Month
23. National Sensory Awareness Month
24. National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month
25. National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
26. Photographer Appreciation Month
27. Positive Attitude Month
28. Squirrel Awareness Month
29. Tackling Hunger Month
30. Vegetarian Month
31. World Menopause Month

October Weekly Themes

Week One:

Week Two:

Week Three:

Week Four:

Read more by Beth Clark