Fall isn’t just the time when the temperature drops and midterm season begins. For many people, it’s also the time for an annual “Gilmore Girls” rewatch. But this year, as we watch Rory, Lane, Lorelie and Luke navigate their lives in Stars Hollow, why not enhance the experience with something Rory loved most — a good book? Read on to find out which book you should read based on your favorite character from “Gilmore Girls.”
Rory Gilmore
First, of course, is Rory Gilmore– the main character of “Gilmore Girls.” If your favorite character is Rory, chances are you have a few traits in common with her. You’re likely ambitious, a bit shy and of course, you love to read! The book that I would recommend to Rory Gilmore lovers is “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck. An American classic, “East of Eden” follows two families in Salinas Valley, California. It’s a sprawling epic, often considered Steinbeck’s best work and an absolute must read for all people interested in literature. At roughly 600 pages, this book may seem intimidating, but is absolutely worth the time.
Lorelei Gilmore
Lorelei Gilmore is known for her outgoing personality, spunky sense of style and refusal to change herself for the comfort of others. My recommendation for you if she is your favorite character is “Slow Days, Fast Company” by Eve Babitz. It is said that Babitz is able to get any guy she wants, but when this proves untrue, Babitz decides to write a book to her elusive love interest -– that’s the reason “Slow Days, Fast Company” was originally written! In this collection of anecdotes, Babitz writes with humor and intrigue about her time living in Los Angeles. I think anyone who loves Lorelei Gilmore would also greatly appreciate Babtiz’s witty and highly entertaining writing style.
Lane Kim
Lane Kim, Rory’s best friend throughout the show, is one of the most loveable characters in the “Gilmore Girls” universe. We root for her when she’s in high school trying to work around the many rules of her strict mother and we watch as she tries to develop her passion for music. If you love Lane Kim, it’s very possible that you share this passion, which is why my recommendation is the book “Just Kids” by Patti Smith. “Just Kids” is Smith’s memoir, focused on her experience being a young artist in New York. Smith, like Lane, is a musician, so this book is perfect for you if Lane is your favorite!
Paris Geller
Paris Geller is probably one of the characters that UC Berkeley students relate to most. She is extremely driven, and seems to be constantly obsessed with being at the top. My recommendation for all of those who love Paris is “Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Last Interview: And Other Conversations”. This book is a compilation of several interviews with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the former Supreme Court Justice who was famously known as “The Notorious RBG.” Like Paris, Ginsburg is incredibly hard-working, and if you’re inspired by Paris, reading about RBG should be at the top of your to-do list.
Sookie St. James
Sookie St. James, Lorelei’s hilarious best friend, is a professional chef, so of course this book recommendation will have to feature food! If your favorite character is Sookie, you should read “All Over Creation” by Ruth Ozeki. This novel follows Yuki Fulmer, who ran away from her hometown in Idaho (coincidentally going to UC Berkeley for college) but must come back in order to care for her sick parents. There, she meets a group called the Seed of Resistance, who passionately protest against bioengineered food. Anyone who loves Sookie’s quirky sense of humor would enjoy this book’s unique cast of characters, and I’m sure you would also find the food-centered subplot interesting. Maybe Sookie can even recommend it to her husband Jackson, a professional produce-man!
Luke Danes
Luke Danes makes one thing perfectly clear: He does not like change. He shares this trait — as well as his strange fixation on wearing a hat — with Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s, “The Catcher in the Rye”. Chances are, if you like Luke Danes’ dry sense of humor, you would love Salinger’s prose that “The Catcher in the Rye” is so famous for. Holden Caulfield can’t stand the fact that children grow up, just like Luke Danes can’t admit that things change. Holden erasing graffiti from an elementary school seems strangely parallel to Luke Danes’ insistence that no new decorations will be featured in his coffee shop. I think Holden and Luke would understand each other pretty well, so if your favorite character is Luke Danes, you should definitely read this American classic!
Jess Mariano
Jess Mariano, Rory’s (objectively) best boyfriend in the show, was a bookworm just like Rory. Jess though, unlike Rory, is less precocious in school– although he eventually writes a book, in his teenage years, Jess was constantly skipping school and failing classes. Nonetheless, Jess had a passion for literature, something that he bonds with Rory over. My book recommendation for anyone who is team Jess is “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut. Despite being heavily literary, Vonnegut’s writing is also deeply satirical and humorous. I don’t just think Jess would like this book– I know it! In the episode “Teach me Tonight,” Jess walks into class late on the day of a test. Rather than hurriedly beginning the test when he arrives, he pulls out his copy of “Slaughterhouse Five” and begins annotating it.
Michel Girard
The perpetually pessimistic concierge, Michel Girard seems to always be remembered by one trait in particular — he’s French. That’s why I would recommend the book “A Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway. “A Moveable Feast” is Hemingway’s memoir about living in Paris during the 1920’s, something I think Michel fans would love to read about! In it, Hemingway describes Paris as “a moveable feast,” and due to Michel’s strict diet, I think this may be the only feast he’d be willing to try. Michel would likely love Hemingway’s terse writing style. He is similarly straight to the point. Both the subject and style align perfectly to make this book exactly the type of book Michel would love to read.
Dave Rygalski
Dave Rygalski, one of Lane’s boyfriends during season three, deserved so much better! Sadly, when Dave goes off to college, he never returns to Stars Hollow and his character is never featured on the show again. It is briefly mentioned that he goes to college in California though… Here’s hoping he went to Berkeley! My recommendation if Dave is your favorite character is “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chobsky. Dave is definitely a wallflower — he doesn’t stick out, and many of the show’s less devoted viewers may have even forgotten about him. But, he’s one of the kindest and most well-intentioned characters, bearing a resemblance to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”’s main character, Charlie.
Doyle McMaster
Doyle McMaster is first Rory’s editor, and later Paris’s long-term boyfriend. Doyle is, of course, a meticulous journalist, which is why I would recommend “An Editor’s Burial: Journals and Journalism from the New Yorker and Other Magazines”. This collection, which was put together to explain the inspiration of Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch”, is largely about the art of journalism itself. It also focuses on one figure in particular: Harold Ross, the first editor of The New Yorker. If you love Doyle McMaster, who in his first season featured as the editor of The Yale Daily News, I think you’d love getting to read about other prolific editors and writers, making “An Editor’s Burial” the perfect book for you.