Gilmore Girls might be a show about mother-daughter relationships and the nuances of family dynamics, but it’s also a show about literature. Both the show’s fast talking, highly caffeinated protagonists are quick to toss out literary references at the drop of a hat — even Lorelai, who ostensibly dropped out of high school to have Rory, makes a Jack Kerouac reference within the first five minutes of the show and alludes to having read at least the first volume of the Marcel Proust’s colossus that is In Search of Lost Time later in the first season.
However, it’s Rory Gilmore’s love of literature that is the second beating heart of the show. Throughout the seven season run of Gilmore Girls, the characters read and reference hundreds of books, with the younger Gilmore seen reading almost as many as that on screen. Over the course of the show, Rory’s reading choices complement and parallel her current stage of life. Whether it’s the way Madame Bovary in the first episode of the first season reflects Rory’s desire to branch out of her small town life in Stars Hollow (hello, Chiltern!) or how novels like In Search of Lost Time and Atonement in the third and fourth seasons allude to a time of introspection, growth, and soul searching.
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While there’s no shortage of reading challenges out there, we’d wager that the unofficial Rory Gilmore reading list makes for a pretty good one. Whether you’re gearing up for a southern hemisphere summer on the beach or preparing to hunker down and cosy up indoors, a solid reading list is a boon for the holiday season. Although you likely won’t be able to read every book Rory has been spotted with, this reading list makes for a pretty good start. Whether you’re looking to channel the wholesome good girl energy of early Gilmore Girls Rory or in your steal-a-boat-and-live-in-your-grandparents’-poolhouse era, our Rory Gilmore reading list has a book for everyone.
Herewith, all the Rory Gilmore-approved books worth reading (note: these are the books Rory was actually seen reading or explicitly mentioned having read, not every book referenced in the series).
Season 1
Having ventured out of the comforts of small town life for the first time, season one Rory was all about coming into her own in a new environment and experiencing romantic love for the first time. The books she reads this season are both forms of escapism and literary parallels to the events she experiences.
1. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Dean Forester, Rory Gilmore’s first love interest, first notices her reading Madame Bovary. Rory is so engrossed in Flaubert’s tale of a woman trying to break free of mundanity that she fails to notice an accident happening right in front of her.
2. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
After a couple of weeks of watching Rory reading—”not in a creepy way,” he inists!—Dean finally approaches her and asks her how she’s liking Moby-Dick.
3. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
Published almost a century ago, Virginia Woolf’s essays on women’s access to education and the necessities of financial freedom to create literature remain essential reading to this day.
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Rory lends Jane Austen’s classic to Dean — and he actually enjoys it!
5. The Group by Mary McCarthy
Set in the 1930s, The Group focuses on the post-college lives of eight upper middle class young women, exploring how they navigate various social issues and interpersonal relationships during a time when female independence is limited. Rory is seen reading The Group while standing in line for tickets to the winter formal where her classmate Tristan (played by default y2k heartthrob Chad Michael Murray) teases her by saying “how novel.”
6. The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
A collection of American poet and writer Dorothy Parker’s short stories and poems, this is the ideal book to keep on hand for commutes.
7. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath
If you’re going to read Sylvia Plath’s journals, make sure it’s the unabridged version. I.e. the ones not authorised (read: heavily edited) by Plath’s husband Ted Hughes.
8. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Rory reads this in the episode that Dean first tells her he loves her.
9. Ulysses by James Joyce
James Joyce’s defining work of modernist literature accompanies Rory as she fights with her feelings (and with Lorelai).
Season 2
Rory’s burgeoning flirtation with Jess and increasing dissatisfaction with her relationship with Dean are key themes of the second season, informing choices like Mrs. Dalloway and Othello (although the latter is also a school book for Jess). Meanwhile, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter is a fun tongue-in-cheek reference to both the mother-daughter relationships between Rory and Lorelai as well as Lorelai and Emily.
10. Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
Judith Thurman’s biography of the sexy and scandalous novelist and stage performer Colette is one of the books held hostage by Tristan in an effort to convince Rory to accompany him to a concert.
11. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Clarissa Dalloway’s stream of consciousness accompanies Rory on a road trip to Harvard.
12. Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Rory lends Jess Mariano, Luke’s nephew, Allen Ginsberg’s anthology, which he either defiles or improves—depending on your take on annotation—before returning.
13. Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
A beautiful book by French philosophist and writer Simone de Beauvoir, Rory is seen reading Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter when Lorelai returns from a fashion show with her own mother, Emily.
14. Summer of Fear by T Jefferson Parker
Journalist T Jefferson Parker’s serial killer novel is one of the books seen on Rory’s bookshelf when she gives her grandfather Richard a tour of her room.
15. The Scarecrow of Oz by L Frank Baum
Same with this children’s book about the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.
16. Contact by Carl Sagan
And this science fiction novel where contact with an alien civilisation provides the protagonist with the opportunity to reconnect with her memories of her dead father.
17. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Fountainhead is a novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand and centres on Howard Roark, an architect who battles against convention and refuses to yeild to an establishment that refutes innovation. Rand wrote Roark (who may or may not be based on architect Frank Lloyd-Wright) as the embodiment of her ideal man, with the novel reflecting her view that individualism is better than collectivism. Rory recommends The Fountainhead to Jess, who’s surprised by her liking a book full of “political nuts,” but Rory says she enjoys it from a literary perspective.
18. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Rory already owns this meditative anthology in hardback, but debates buying it in paperback too…
19. Othello by William Shakespeare
Rory and Jess study Othello together. The passion and jealousy in William Shakespeare’s play foreshadow the dynamics between Rory, Jess, and Dean.
Season 3
A time of transition for Rory, season three focused on her short-lived relationship with Jess, as well as her coming to the end of her time in high school.
20. Europe Through the Back Door by Rick Steves
In his first self-published travel guide to Europe, travel writer Rick Steves advocates independent travel and recommends readers ignore touristy locations. Rory and Lorelai later ignore his advice in their tour of the continent.
21. The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton
Jess might not have been right for Rory until the sixth season, but a highlight of their early relationship is how the two share and discuss books — a quality lacking in Rory’s relationship with Dean. Rory recommends this non-fiction book about the Beat Generation to Jess: “The Holy Barbarians. I mean, what a title. And it’s by a Venice Beach beatnik about Venice Beach beatniks, and to top it off, the beatnik who wrote it is the father of the guy that does those Actor’s Studio interviews on TV.” The book somewhat foreshadows Jess’ move and career path.
22. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Rory was seen reading In Search of Lost Time towards the end of the season (and thus, the end of her time at Chiltern), with its privileged narrator’s exploration of his place in the world drawing parallels to Rory’s life. Both Rory and Lorelai reference Proust several times throughout the course of the show.
Season 4
Early college Rory is one of our favourite Rorys, with Yale providing the perfect environment for bookworms to thrive. “I can’t believe we get to sit around talk about books and get graded!”
23. Atonement by Ian McEwan
Rory reads this coming of age novel during her first week at Yale.
24. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Rory first mentions Austen’s gothic satire Northanger Abbey in season one when she’s recommending it to Dean. She rereads it in the episode where Dean marries Lindsay.
25. The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories by Ernest Hemingway
The Snows of Kilimanjaro was first published in Esquire in 1936. Here’s it’s presented with nine other short stories by Hemingway.
26. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tender is the Night is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s final novel, and somewhat mirrors his own life with his wife Zelda Fitzgerald. One of Rory’s professors at Yale recommends this novel.
Season 5
Ah, the start of rebellious Rory! Season five introduces Logan Huntzberger and sees Rory take on an internship at Mitchum Huntzberger’s company. Oh, and she steals a yacht.
27. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
This mystery novel is narrated in first person by Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old mathematician who is alluded to having autism.
28. A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary
This memoir follows children’s author Beverly Cleary from her childhood in Oregon through to adulthood.
29. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Rory reads Dave Eggers’ witty and emotional memoir about losing both his parents to cancer and becoming responsible for raising his younger brother during a turning point in her relationship with Logan.
30. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Richard gifts Rory a 100-year-old copy of Leaves of Grass after returning from his second honeymoon with Emily.
Season 6
Need book recommendations for when you too drop out of Yale to live in your grandparents’ poolhouse? We’ve got you covered.
31. Subsect by Jess Mariano
Of course Jess’ debut novel would be essential reading for Rory. Subsect tells the story of a boy who moves from New York to a small town (sound familiar?).
32. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Joan Didion’s reflections on marriage, grief, and death prove an ideal accompaniment to a frazzled Valentine’s weekend where Luke and Lorelai join Logan and Rory at the Huntzberger’s house in Martha’s Vineyard.
Season 7
The seventh season of Gilmore Girls was a bit of a mess. However, Sexus: The Rosy Crucifixion is worth the read.
33. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
At the beginning of season seven, Rory arrives home to find Lorelai in midst of the Gilmore’s signature post-breakup ritual; packing up Luke’s belongings along with anything that reminds her of him. “In Cold Blood, he would have loved that,” Rory comments. In Cold Blood sees Truman Capote reconstruct the 1959 murder and investigation of the Clutter family, who were ostensibly killed without motive in an act that shook the small town of Holcomb, Kansas.
34. Sexus: The Rosy Crucifixion by Henry Miller
Sexus is the first volume in Henry Miller’s fictionalised account of his life, detailing how after the breakdown of the writer’s first (respectable! but boring!) marriage, he leaves America and moves to Paris to begin a new life defined by sexual liberation.
Words by Esmé Duggan
