Happy Tolkien Reading Day! Meet the Most Beloved Bookworms

Originally published March 25, 2024. This article covers the the biggest bookworms and readers in pop culture.

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The road to Mordor was a perilous one for Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins. In Osgiliath, Sam tries to instill hope in Frodo when he tells him, “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered.” Many readers and lovers of stories would also agree that stories and the characters within them can be powerful sources of inspiration — especially today, when we celebrate Tolkien Reading Day!

Whether it’s fantasy, science fiction, or comic books, many pop culture fans would describe themselves as readers as well and enjoy seeing this aspect of themselves represented in stories they love. With that in mind, here are five of our favorite beloved bookworms in pop culture.

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Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Belle is often one of the first bookworm characters who children meet. Belle is introduced in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as she makes her way to return a book she had borrowed from the bookshop. When the proprietor notes the speed at which Belle finished her book, she explains that she couldn’t put it down.

Throughout the opening sequence, the village sings about how odd she is as she passes, noting that her nose is “always stuck in a book.” Belle talks about the stories that include “far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise” as she explains why she wants to reread a book she has already read twice. Despite her love of reading, Belle also craves the kind of adventure that she reads about.

Belle ultimately finds this when she takes her father’s stead as a prisoner at the Beast’s castle. As she and Beast grow closer, Beast wants to do something kind for her. Remembering her love of reading, he gifts her every bookworm’s dream: a library with more books than one could ever hope to read in a lifetime. With a roaring fireplace, bookshelves that go from the floor to the high ceiling above and great vaulted windows, any bookworm would consider themselves lucky to visit the library, let alone call it their own.

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Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Born into a world of violence and cruelty where only the strongest triumph, Tyrion Lannister recognized from a young age that he would need to have a different kind of strength. While his brother Jaime became renowned as an expert swordsman, the second son of the Lord of Casterly Rock decided to hone his mind.

Despite having a reputation as a man who would rather be found in a local tavern than a library, Tyrion is perhaps one of the smartest men in all of Westeros. Jon Snow asks why Tyrion reads so much as the two travel together. Tyrion explains, “My brother has his sword, and I have my mind. And a mind needs book likes a sword needs a whetstone. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow.”

Tyrion’s bookishness goes beyond a love of stories; it is key to his survival. With his natural intelligence and the knowledge he gains from all he reads, Tyrion manages to survive devastating events and seemingly insurmountable odds. His father was powerful, his sister was cunning, and his brother was strong, and despite this, it is the wise, bookish Tyrion who survives the Game of Thrones.

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Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings)

Bilbo Baggins was one of the most respected Hobbits in all the Shire. Inhabiting his sprawling home known as Bag End, he enjoyed the comforts of good food and leisurely activities like gardening and reading his books. Following his recruitment by Gandalf the Grey into Thorin’s Company, Bilbo finds himself having an adventure of his own.

Although Bilbo rises to the occasion and comes to value his time as a burglar trying to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug, Bilbo misses his home during much of his journey. Even though he is commitment to his Dwarven fellowship, he admits that he often thinks of his home. He tells them, “I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden,” listing his books above all else.

When Bilbo returns home from his journey, he writes the story of his own adventures and life in Hobbiton. Rumors swirl that Bag End is filled with hoards of treasures from Erebor. In reality, Bilbo’s home is filled with stacks of books and maps as well as Bilbo’s own written works. His greatest treasure, his story “There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale,” is at first left to Frodo. Frodo then fills most of its remaining pages with his tale, “The Lord of the Rings,” and leaves this book to Sam before the two Bagginses depart into the West.

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Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Hermione Grangers’ intelligence and penchant for reading are apparent from the moment that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley first meet her on the Hogwarts Express. The young witch helps Harry fix his glasses and corrects Ron’s lackluster spell work. She discusses what she learned from Hogwarts: A History as she enters the Great Hall for the first time.

Hermione excels in her classes and does not let being called an insufferable know-it-all deter her from her love of learning. In fact, Hermione is so eager to learn that in her third year she is entrusted with a Time Turner. When in the wrong hands it can be a dangerous magical object. Hermione uses it, however, to take more classes and have more time for schoolwork. Her reverence for reading even rubs off on her friends. Ron, quoting Hermione, tells Harry, “When in doubt, go to the library.”

Hermione’s love of books earns her more than just good grades. In almost every year that she attends Hogwarts, her love of learning saves the lives of her friends. From learning about Devil’s Snare to basilisks to the properties of goblin-made swords, Hermione’s knowledge is a boon to Hogwarts and the Wizarding World at large.

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Wanda Maximoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Although Wanda is not a bookworm in the sense that she loves reading as a relaxing and meaningful pastime, Wanda’s fixation on a specific book earned her a spot on this list. Wanda Maximoff embraces her destiny to become the Scarlet Witch and defeats the wicked and self-serving Agatha Harkness. With Agatha overthrown, Wanda claims the magical book known as the Darkhold for her own.

As WandaVision draws to a close, Wanda is shown in a secluded cabin, levitating and reading the tome while she wields her magic. Unfortunately for Wanda, this is one of the few times that reading in pop culture has not been a helpful or harmless pastime. Wanda’s obsession with the book warps her senses and her magic.

Doctor Strange warned her that the Darkhold “corrupts everything and everyone that it touches.” In her grief and desperation to find her sons, Wanda wields the knowledge from the Darkhold to devastating effect, wreaking havoc throughout the Multiverse. Eventually, Wanda realizes what she has done and what the book has led her to do. She breaks free from its thrall and uses her formidable powers to destroy the evil book once and for all.

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Whether they are reading for leisure, for the honor and salvation of their family, or to save the world, bookworms have plentiful representation in popular movies and television shows. For many characters, books are their safe place to return to and a solid foundation they can fall back on in times of trouble. Reading can figuratively and literally be a form of liberation from the difficult circumstances we find themselves in.

Who are your favorite readers? Join the conversation with other pop culture fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!