Friday Night Readers: Book Club That Reads Like Gilmore Girls

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit fridaynightreaders.substack.comWelcome to Friday Night Readers, a virtual book club inspired by Gilmore Girls, hosted by Julianne Buonocore, who has run a Rory Gilmore reading challenge since 2021 and wrote the Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls. Fueled by coffee, we help you read, live, and write like Rory.Listen to the podcast on: Substack | Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeRead the full transcript/blog post and subscribe to our Substack community: Books from Season 2 of Gilmore GirlsTimestamps:03:46 Featured Book of the Month: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley06:25 Audible deal for Prime members: For only $0.99/mo for the first 4 months and a $20 credit, you can pick any audiobook title from their unparalleled collection. It auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 4 months, but you can cancel anytime, including before the auto-renewal, meaning you get a handful of audiobooks for practically nothing. The offer ends October 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT, so click here now to see if this insanely cheap book deal applies to your account.08:02 Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom09:36 Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson11:23 Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg12:51 Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens13:26 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare14:24 The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. by Washington Irving15:48 The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand16:56 Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger18:13 “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow19:07 Othello by William ShakespeareAdvertise: Sponsor Friday Night ReadersFollow: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, GoodReads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Reddit, LinkedInDisclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These show notes contain affiliate links through which I earn commissions at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to Friday Night Readers, a virtual book club inspired by Gilmore Girls, hosted by Julianne Buonocore, who has run a Rory Gilmore reading challenge since 2021 and wrote the Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls. Fueled by coffee, we help you read, live, and write like Rory.Gilmore Girls is best known for feeling light, but it actually shares many storylines with dark academia books. It all started when Rory was “Puffed” at Chilton, and it continued when she “jumped, Jack” with The Life and Death Brigade at Yale. Rory’s schoolgirl style has that traditional collegiate look, and even Richard’s Connecticut study looks straight out of the Ivy League.So, as we take our Rory Gilmore reading challenge to read the books on Gilmore Girls, let’s explore the dark academia these characters referenced, along with a few more of my personal favorite fall books with this moody aesthetic.Light a fall candle, throw on a Rory Gilmore sweater, and turn these pages this autumn as you rewatch the fall episodes of Gilmore Girls.Listen to the podcast on: Substack | Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeRead the full transcript and subscribe to our Substack community: Dark Academia BooksTimestamps:01:45 What actually makes a book dark academia?02:50 Audible deal for Prime members04:28 The Bell Jar06:25 Brideshead Revisited07:48 Frankenstein09:47 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone  (MinaLima edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Audible exclusive, full-cast productions)12:51 The Picture of Dorian Gray 14:29 The Secret History17:09 If We Were Villains18:42 Never Let Me Go20:04 A Separate Peace21:28 The Witches of Cambridge24:43 Study Decor Inspired by Richard Gilmore25:18 Collegiate Style Inspired by Rory Gilmore25:58 For Paid Subscribers Only: 10 Books That Didn’t Make My CutAdvertise: Sponsor Friday Night ReadersFollow: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, GoodReads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Reddit, LinkedInDisclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These show notes contain affiliate links through which I earn commissions at no extra cost to you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fridaynightreaders.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit fridaynightreaders.substack.comWelcome to Friday Night Readers, a virtual book club inspired by Gilmore Girls, hosted by Julianne Buonocore, who has run a Rory Gilmore reading challenge since 2021 and wrote the Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls. Fueled by coffee, we help you read, live, and write like Rory.Listen to the podcast on: Substack | Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeRead the full transcript and subscribe to our Substack community: Books Like Gilmore GirlsTimestamps:00:27 Meet the Expert Panel of Literary Gilmore Girls Superfans: Jules @ Friday Night Readers and Kristy Woodson Harvey03:27 Falling for Peachtree Bluff03:37 Affiliate Partner: New customers can get $5 off your first purchase of $10 or more on PangoBooks with code LITLIFE.13:24 Nantucket Second Chances14:55 The One & Only16:43 Talulah’s Back in Town17:53 This Book Made Me Think of You20:19 The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living20:48 The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn21:12 If It Makes You Happy21:52 The Pumpkin Spice Cafe22:24 Something About SeptemberAdvertise: Sponsor Friday Night ReadersFollow: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, GoodReads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Reddit, LinkedInDisclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These show notes contain affiliate links through which I earn commissions at no extra cost to you.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit fridaynightreaders.substack.comWelcome to Friday Night Readers, a virtual book club inspired by Gilmore Girls, hosted by Julianne Buonocore, who has run a Rory Gilmore reading challenge since 2021 and wrote the Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls. Fueled by coffee, we help you read, live, and write like Rory.Listen to the podcast on: Substack | Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeRead the full transcript and subscribe to our Substack community: Lorelai Gilmore Reading ListTimestamps:00:22 Intro - Rory Gilmore reading challenge and a Read Like a Gilmore challenge to read the books on Gilmore Girls04:27 Featured Book of the Month: Macbeth, No Fear edition05:41 10 Iconic Books Lorelai Read on Gilmore Girls - Deenie by Judy Blume, The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, et al., I’m With the Band by Pamela Des Barres, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, Out of Africa by Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen, Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins, Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman, Wild by Cheryl Strayed16:27 The Full Lorelai Gilmore Reading List: 136 Verified BooksAdvertise: Sponsor Friday Night ReadersFollow: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, GoodReads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Reddit, LinkedInDisclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These show notes contain affiliate links through which I earn commissions at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to Friday Night Readers, a virtual book club inspired by Gilmore Girls, hosted by Julianne Buonocore, who has run a Rory Gilmore reading challenge since 2021 and wrote the Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls. Fueled by coffee, we help you read, live, and write like Rory.Listen to the podcast on: Substack | Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeRead the full transcript and subscribe to our Substack community: Anna Karenina Book ReviewTimestamps:01:10 books set in Europe 03:21 Anna Karenina key details05:06 Get a good translation: Oprah’s Book Club edition, Audible exclusive audiobook 05:54 Formulate your reading plan.07:23 Remember the opening line—the most famous quote.07:57 Master the main characters.09:17 Learn the basic summary.09:52 Watch an adaptation. (2012 Keira Knightley adaptation)10:34 Read a modern retelling. (Anna K by Jenny Lee)11:40 Pair it with Gilmore Girls. (Want all the books on Gilmore Girls listed by episode? Become a paid subscriber to access my 15-page checklist as a perk or buy my 200-page Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls.)14:40 Understand the point of it all.15:22 Know that it’s worth it.Advertise: Sponsor Friday Night ReadersFollow: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, GoodReads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Reddit, LinkedInDisclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These show notes contain affiliate links through which I earn commissions at no extra cost to you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fridaynightreaders.substack.com/subscribe