2026 Tolkien Reading Schedule

which book from the legendarium are we reading next?

Hi, I’m Breanne. I take walks with my dog and hang out in my office with my cat and talk Tolkien. Many Meetings is the place I’ve created to explore the works of J.R.R. Tolkien together as a community. If you love deep-dives and intentional reading of Tolkien’s works, this is the place for you.

Whether you’re a subscriber or just visiting, I’m so glad you’re here.

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It’s a new year which means new adventures through the works of J.R.R. Tolkien for members of the Many Meetings community!

In today’s post, I’m sharing our official 2026 reading schedule so you can plan ahead, gather your fellowship and pack all the ‘taters you’ll need for the road ahead.

2025 was a big year for Many Meetings. We read The Silmarillion last spring and followed it up with reading The Lord of the Rings last fall. Thousands of people read these books for the first time—or for the first time in a long time—as we came together as a community to explore these beautiful stories. We currently have subscribers here from all 50 states and 110 countries!

Here’s what paid subscribers said they loved about our recent read-through of The Lord of the Rings:

The more I read Tolkien, the more I’m thankful that we have these stories for such a time as this. I’m deeply grateful for your presence here so we can continue to have a dedicated space to discuss and deep-dive into these tales.

The question now is, which books are we diving into this year?

Here’s what we’re reading in 2026!

» The Hobbit: March 25th-April 20th

» The Silmarillion: May 17th-June 28th

» The Lord of the Rings: September 22nd-December 15th

(I’ll also be sprinkling in deep dives on some of Tolkien’s most famous letters, so keep an eye out for that!)

And don’t worry, there will be more details and information shared here about each of these read-throughs in the coming months so you’ll have plenty of time to get everything in order before we start.

The main thing I wanted to share in this post is that we’ll be picking up The Hobbit on March 25th, 2026 as our first read-through of the year. Yes, I intentionally picked Tolkien Reading Day for our start date. It just felt right.

It’s been a couple years since I read The Hobbit all the way through. I can’t wait to experience this delightful book in a fresh way when I read it again with you.

Our 2026 read-through of The Hobbit is starting on March 25th!

If you have any questions about how the 2026 read-throughs are going to work, please leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer. Meanwhile, here are some frequently asked questions I get:

Read-through FAQs

“How can I join the 2026 Tolkien read-throughs?”

While I will continue to share free content for all subscribers to this substack this year, my Tolkien read-throughs are for paid subscribers only. You’re welcome to join my read-throughs anytime by upgrading to a paid subscription!

Once you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll get full access to every read-through post this year sent straight to your inbox.

”How much is a paid subscription to Many Meetings?”

$5 a month or $50 for the entire year. Cancel anytime.

“Are these read-throughs for first time readers or people who are already familiar with Tolkien’s works?”

Both! I welcome first time and long time readers to my read-throughs. The beauty of doing these events with a broad spectrum of readers is you get so many different perspectives on the texts that bring them to life in whole new ways!

“I’ve already done a read-through with you before, why should I re-read Tolkien’s books again?”

I like to think about it this way: I’m not just re-reading a book, I’m establishing a ritual—one that both grounds me and reveals fresh things about a comfortingly familiar story because I’m a different person each time I return to it.

Reading The Hobbit in the spring, The Silmarillion in the summer and The Lord of the Rings in the fall is a practice I love implementing into my yearly rhythm. It gives me a way to anchor and slow down my year. And with many of you returning year after year to read these books with me, I hope it does the same for you.

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The Road Goes Ever On

And the read-throughs aren’t the only things I have planned this year! Keep an eye on this space for interviews from some of your favorite Tolkien creators, free deep dives on Tolkien topics and continued celebration of these stories that mean so much to you. We’re just getting started and I can’t wait.

A Note of Gratitude

Thank you for the support you give this substack. I don’t mention it often, but I’m running these events and this substack/my social channels completely by myself. I don’t have an assistant or a social media manager. I don’t use generative AI to plan or write anything I put out—that’s right, all the typos you find are 100% homegrown and human made! I live with a chronic illness, my husband works full time and we have zero childcare.

I don’t say any of this to complain or brag. I’m telling you because I hope you understand how deeply grateful I am when you like, share and comment on my posts here. I do not take it for granted.

From me, Billie and Juniper: thank you.

Here’s to 2026, there’s no telling where we might get swept off to!