Fall is the perfect time to do two of our very favorite things: curl up with a book, and re-watch Gilmore Girls. And we’re not alone! There’s a straight line between avid readers and a love for the cozy, fast-talking mother-daughter duo, and it makes total sense. The show celebrated a love of reading in almost every episode, and there are tons of Gilmore Girls book lists out there rounding up books characters read in the show!
So as a few of our team members discussed our annual re-watch (“There she goes…there she goes again!”), we found ourselves wondering…what would these characters be reading now? What books would be on their nightstands in 2024? So here we are, with the Gilmore Girls book picks you didn’t know you needed!
(Please note that these Gilmore Girls book picks are all conjecture and silliness pulled together by a brain which, much like Lorelai’s, is a “wild jungle full of scary gibberish.” Our Gilmore Girls book choices are entirely un-based in fact, and instead on the opinions of your friendly neighborhood Copy and Social teams. Happy reading!)
Gilmore Girls Book Picks from Our Three Favorite Gilmores…
Lorelai Gilmore
"I'm fine. I'm just being dramatic. It's what I do."
Likes: coffee, her daughter Rory, diner owners who make her coffee, her inn, her home, her dog Paul Anka (don’t come at us with realism, he is immortal), copious amounts of junk food, snow…did we mention coffee?
Reading style: Eclectic! Major mood reader who’s constantly putting books down without finishing them and genre-hopping.
Books on her nightstand right now:
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison - this one just makes sense (plus Sookie recommended it)
Bunny by Mona Awad - bought it for the cover and was not at all prepared for what was in store
Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz - she was in at the word cult…the fascination is real.
Rory Gilmore
"My books look sad. Can books look sad?”
Likes: books, making questionable romantic decisions, writing, coffee, more books, stationery and pens, her Spotify playlists, stress tap dancing
Reading style: Voracious! Loves reading what’s up and coming, but has discovered a love of comfort-reading old favorites, too. Has developed a habit of collecting special edition books that is reaching questionable heights (of book stacks).
Books on her nightstand right now:
Nonfiction by Julie Myerson - because she’s always drawn to books that examine the mother/daughter relationship
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - it’s a comfort read she already owns multiple copies of, but she couldn’t help herself…it’s just so pretty!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - after much prodding from Lane, she finally picked it up to see what the hype is about, and so far she doesn’t get it…but she also has no clue why everyone’s so anti-Tamlin. He seems great!
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Emily Gilmore
"Hold on, I'm looking up 'aneurysm' in our medical dictionary to see if I just had one."
Likes: things her way, having her family in her life, Cape Cod, her portrait of Richard, a good scotch or martini
Reading style: Mostly women’s fiction, but will try anything Rory or Lorelai suggests, and sometimes finds herself paging through Richard’s old favorites even though they’re not her style
Books on her nightstand right now:
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville - book club read with her old DAR friends (the ones she still likes)
The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden - Lorelai recommended it as a joke about her sordid past with maids, but Emily completely missed the sarcasm, bought book one, is now on book three, and she’s obsessed
A well-loved but somehow still pristine copy of Shakespeare’s Richard III from her late husband’s library, his bookmark still inside
Gilmore Girls Book Picks from Lorelai’s Favorite People…
Luke Danes
"This thing we're doing here—me, you—I just want you to know I'm in. I am all in."
Likes: his Gilmore girls, helping while being grumpy about it, ranting about things that tick him off, pissing off Taylor, cooking, peppermint tea, his life the way it is
Reading style: some weird mix of special interest books, biographies, books Lorelai has coerced him into reading, anything Jess publishes, and the occasional self-help book
Books on his nightstand right now:
Jess’s most recent novel - a blurb of which he has printed alongside Rory’s book release announcement in the back of the Luke’s Diner menu
The Princess Bride by William Goldman - picked it up because Rory and Lorelai annoyed him until he did, and then secretly loved it. He’s on his third read.
Wired for Love: How Understanding Your Partner's Brain and Attachment Style Can Help You Defuse Conflict and Build a Secure Relationship by Stan Tatkin PsyD. - He’s never forgotten the benefit of a little self-help in a relationship. Despite this stalwart belief, this book is currently hidden under a dust jacket of The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides (which he read previously and thoroughly enjoyed).
Sookie St. James
"I want to chime in and be supportive, but I don't know what you're talking about."
Likes: cooking and baking, Jackson, sustainable farming, a good pun, her “favorite girls,” more cooking and baking, romance
Reading style: She walks down the romance aisle and picks the books with the cutest covers, which has recently led her down a smutty rabbit hole that she has no desire to climb back out of!
Books on her nightstand right now:
How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn - because holiday reads should start as soon as the clock strikes twelve on November 1st, of course
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey - despite having absolutely no interest in sports, a good sports romance is always on her list
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - she saw a picture of Sam Heughan, the actor who plays Jamie Fraser, in a kilt in the show and immediately ordered book 1
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Michel Gerard
"If I'm to fetch you like a dog, I'd like a cookie and a raise."
Likes: being “snarkastic,” feeling needed, Celine Dion, his job at the inn, Sookie and Lorelai, his husband Fredrick, acting put-upon, drama, the ballet, his mother, the finer things in life
Reading style: In our minds, Frederick (Michel’s husband) is a bookstagrammer who lines their home with super aesthetic bookshelves filled with special edition books and has pulled Michel into the wide world of romance books
Books on his nightstand right now:
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston - romance on a European food and wine tour? Say less.
Reckless by Elsie Silver - he’s nose-deep in cowboy romance and not a bit upset about it
The Wind at My Back: Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor, Raven Wilkinson by Misty Copeland - because, at heart, he still wonders if he should have been a dancer
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Gilmore Girls Book Picks from Rory’s Besties…
Lane Van Gerbig
“Eternal damnation is what I’m risking for my rock and roll!”
Likes: music of all kinds (but especially rock), playing the drums, her boys, church (but only at Christmas), hiding snacks under floorboards from her husband and sons, being a badass mom, living life her own way
Reading style: We’re not sure how to explain how we’re certain that Lane went from picking up her first SJM book to a journey into romantasy and dark romance in the past few years, we just are. Also, alllll the books on music, of course.
Books on her nightstand right now:
How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music edited by Alison Fensterstock - because the love of music has never faded
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal - She is always drawn to books with a strong female lead making her way in the world.
The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole - next up on her list of pure escapism!
Psst...Lane loves our We Hunt the Flame Special Edition Box Set, and we think you will, too! Check out all the magic HERE!
Paris Gellar
"I can scare the stupid out of you, but the lazy runs deep."
Likes: being in charge, copious amounts of Chinese food, arts and crafts, being the best, Rory (and pretty much no one else), planning, leading with a well-honed brand of snark and sarcasm
Reading style: pretty sure Paris is reading loads of business and psychology books by day, and devouring fantasy romance books Lane recommended last time she visited Stars Hollow by night—but only the ones with badass women in the lead.
Books on her nightstand right now:
The Art of War by Sun Tzu - as it has been since the fourth grade
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez - she reads a bit every night while muttering, “Yep,” repeatedly under her breath
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas - her current obsession for when the real world gets overwhelming
Gilmore Girls Book Picks from Rory’s Romantic Past…
Dean Forester
“Are you seriously trying to act tough? You’re wearing a tie for God’s sake.”
Likes: his happy family, working with his hands, a calm life, not looking like the bad guy all the time, his work, hockey and baseball
Reading style: 90% certain Dean tends toward reading a mix of the books his favorite shows and movies were based on
Books on his nightstand right now:
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King - this one has been on his radar for a while, but the new show coming out moved it to the top of his list
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - after watching them over and over, he figured he should probably at least try to read them
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine - currently reading it to his kids before bed (c’mon…you knew he was going to be a great dad!)
Logan Huntzberger
"It's your choice, Ace. People can live a hundred years without really living for a minute. You climb up here with me, it's one less minute you haven't lived."
Likes: his job (which never ceases to amaze him), reunions of the Life & Death Brigade, surprising Rory, pushing back against his father’s expectations, making generally poor decisions, and getting away with them on sheer charm
Reading style: a super random mix of bestsellers to stay in the know, classics, and humor
Books on his nightstand right now:
I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max - we just have a feeling about this one…#IYKYK
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - it’ll make sense if you think about it
A copy of The New Yorker with Rory’s book announcement in it is tucked into the bottom drawer
Jess Mariano
“I’m sorry about that. You want to push me in the lake? It’s cathartic I hear.”
Likes: books, rock music, writing, doing things his own way, being beholden to no one, Stars Hollow (super secretly), his Uncle Luke, getting the last word, city life
Reading style: likes everything from thought-provoking new works by unknown authors, to old classic favorites full of scribbles in the margins, to big-name books by the greatest names of our time
Books on his nightstand right now:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - a tattered old copy with the margins so full of scribbles it’s unreadable by anyone but him
His current manuscript, marked up with notes and tabs of changes he needs to make, plus some of the top contenders from his publishing house’s slush pile
Ghostroots: Stories by 'Pemi Aguda - a debut collection of haunting stories he just picked up after hearing great things
Bonus: His latest copy of The New Yorker, this one with Rory’s new book excerpt, sits right at the top of his book stack.
So how’d we do picking Gilmore Girls book recs? Have a different opinion on what your favorite characters would be reading? Which Gilmore Girls book picks would you love to read? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
We hope you've enjoyed our completely made up Gilmore Girls book picks, and that you loved revisiting these beloved characters as much as we did. Happy reading (and re-watching)!
*As a reminder, we at LitJoy care about your emotional well-being, and highly recommend checking for trigger warnings when starting any new book! We hope you'll do so for our Gilmore Girls book picks all of our book recommendation roundups. Your mental health comes first!
