7 Book Recommendations From the Gilmore Girls Themselves

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life only intensified our love for the original series. Here's a list of seven of the 339 Gilmore-approved reads from our friends at Off the Shelf, a daily blog that connects great books with great readers.

With the Gilmore Girls reboot currently out on Netflix, we've been reminded what a serious book fan Rory is. To celebrate the return of bookworms Lorelai, Rory, Luke, and all the rest, here's a list of some of the best books mentioned in the first seven seasons.

01
The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan
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The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan

As a budding journalist with a definite book obsession, it's no wonder Rory once read this memoir of a young writer. Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, uses her talent and humor to share insights into her own life as the daughter of immigrants and her journey to becoming an acclaimed author in The Opposite of Fate.

02
He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
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He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

With the number of complicated relationships the Gilmore girls fall into throughout seven seasons, there's the ever-present question of who each will be with at the start of A Year in the Life. We can only hope that by now they've read He's Just Not That Into You.

03
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
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Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

It's clear that Rory is a fan of all things memoir, particularly those involving strong women. In Girl, Interrupted, after one session with a psychiatrist, Susanna Kaysen is sent to McLean Hospital, where she spends most of the next two years in a psychiatric facility known for its famous clientele — Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles.

04
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
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The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Considering Rory appears to have read almost all the classics throughout her years at Chilton and Yale, it's no surprise that she also picked up this Booker Prize-winning novel. The God of Small Things begins with an affluent Indian family forever changed by an event that leads to an illicit liaison and tragedies in a country drifting toward unrest.

05
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

In the space of five weeks when he was a college senior, Dave Eggers lost both of his parents to cancer and became responsible for his 8-year-old brother. Perhaps his moving memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, made Rory feel that her time at Yale wasn't so difficult after all.

06
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

While Gilmore Girls takes place in New England, it has much in common with the classic piece of Southern women's fiction Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Both beautifully explore the bonds of female friendship; the rocky, ever-evolving relationship between mothers and daughters; and the healing power of humor and love.

07
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
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The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

As the premiere approaches, none of us can forget the ever-present sadness over the passing of Edward Herrmann, and consequently, Richard Gilmore. The mesmerizing memoir The Year of Magical Thinking chronicles Joan Didion's grief following the death of her husband while her daughter lay unconscious in a nearby hospital. Maybe Didion's portrait of grief will help Rory, Lorelai, and Emily handle their own.

Here are more great book recommendations from our friends at Off the Shelf: