Friday Mood Recs: It's Gilmore Girls Season

Books on Rory's reading list that are actually worth your time

When I was in grad school, I lived by myself and spent a lot of time alone in my apartment. Classes and fellowship didn’t take up that much on campus time, but I did have a lot of classwork to keep me busy. While I always enjoyed camping out at the library, my apartment offered something unavailable in a public study environment: Gilmore Girls.

I loved the show in high school, but hadn’t revisited it until a grad school bestie told me she had it on near-constant rerun as a means of comfort. Inspired by her, rewatching Gilmore Girls became my go-to break from reading, writing, and studying. This show—about a fast-talking, pop culture loving mother-daughter duo—has become one of my deepest parasocial relationships, and like many women my age I strongly associate it with the changing seasons.

This year, after taking a few years off from what was once a near-constant rotation of Gilmore Girls streaming, I decided I was once again in the mood to revisit Stars Hollow. (For those unfamiliar, the real charm of the show lies in this small, quirky New England town that exudes coziness and seems to have a festival for every holiday and change in season.) This will be my first revisit as a mom (and now I’m older than Lorelai is for nearly half of the series!) so I’m expecting it to hit a little different, but I can’t help but be comforted by the small town vibes, the family bonds, and the New England autumn.

Today, I’m sharing some recommendations for other Gilmore fans—in particular I’m weighing in on which of the many classic novels our bookish Rory shleps around on the show are actually worth your time. And course I have some recs for cozy reading and oversized sweaters too.