Gilmore Girls Season 1- The Free Printable Reading List That Will Make You Smarter
Looking for the best Gilmore Girls reading list to keep you busy in cosy girl season？These are all the books Rory Gilmore reads, holds or mentions in season 1 of Gilmore Girls.
Planning a cosy reading weekend is extremely fun, but finding the best books to read for it can be tricky. With so much out there, sometimes we just need reading inspiration from our favourite bookworm character. As a reader myself, and a big fan of Gilmore Girls, I am giving you the complete season 1 Gilmore Girls reading list categorised by episode.
Here you will find all the best books from the Gilmore Girls reading list for the perfect cosy evening.
This post is all about the Gilmore Girls reading list that will make you smarter.
Free Pintables Included
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Read like a gilmore
Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge: Season 1 Book List
If you’ve ever watched Gilmore Girls, you know that Rory Gilmore is the ultimate reading girl inspiration. Like, seriously. Her taste in books is immaculate. Rory’s bookshelf leans heavily toward the classics, which is perfect if you’re hoping to push yourself as a reader, grow your vocabulary, or finally get around to those books you “always meant to read.”
And because I am me, I have compiled every single book Rory references, carries, or reads in Season 1. Yep. Every. Single. One. Consider this your official Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge: Season 1 Edition.
Whether you’re a long time fan of the show or just someone looking for a new reading list to tackle, these books are a great way to channel your inner small town bookworm.
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The Gilmore GIRLS READING List- Season 1
Here’s what Rory reads (or mentions) in the very first season of Gilmore Girls:
Episode 1
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
- Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt
- Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
- Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Episode 2
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
- Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Episode 3
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Happy Days, Newspaper Days, and Heathen Days by H.L. Mencken
- A Mencken Chrestomathy by H.L. Mencken
- Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
Episode 4
- Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
- Richard III by William Shakespeare
- Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare
- A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
- The Oxford Complete Works of William Shakespeare
- Who’s Who and What’s What in Shakespeare by Evangeline M. O’Connor
Episode 5
- A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
- Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
- Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
Episode 6
- Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
Episode 7
- Audubon by John James Audubon
- Shaft by Ernest Tidyman
- The Automated Battlefield by Frank Barnaby
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller
- The Fair Penitent by Nicholas Rowe
Episode 8
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Episode 9
- A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
- Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- Midnight Express by Billy Hayes
- The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
- The Group by Mary McCarthy
- The Portable Dorothy Parker
Episode 10
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
- The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Episode 11
- Pentagon by Allen Drury
- Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith
- Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
- The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
- The Shining by Stephen King
Episode 12
- Into What Far Harbor? by Allen Drury
- Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
Episode 13
- Carrie by Stephen King
- Dynasty of Death by Taylor Caldwell
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- The Flounder by Günter Grass
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Episode 14
- A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (again)
Episode 15
- Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Episode 16
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- Bambi by Felix Salten
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Episode 17
- Nancy Drew and The Witch Tree Symbol by Carolyn Keene
- Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault
- The Art of Eating by M.F.K. Fisher
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
Episode 18
- Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
- The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Episode 19
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm
- Man O’ War by William Shatner
- The Biological Time Bomb by Gordon Rattray Taylor
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson
- Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
- Time Life’s Big Book of Flower Gardening
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Worldly Goods by Lisa Jardine
Episode 20
- Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
- P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
- The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
- The Art of Fiction by Henry James
- Ulysses by James Joyce
Episode 21
- Anywhere But Here by Mona Simpson
- Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
- Snow White and Rose Red by the Brothers Grimm
(And yes, that’s just Season 1. Rory’s TBR grows wildly as the seasons go on!)
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How to Read Like Rory
So—how do you even begin to read like Rory Gilmore without spiralling into a caffeine-fueled panic attack at Luke’s? Here are a few ideas:
- Pick one book per month. Classics can be dense, so don’t burn yourself out.
- Keep a reading journal. Rory would definitely annotate. You’ll actually remember what you read.
- Mix it up. Pair heavier books (Anna Karenina) with shorter ones (The Little Match Girl) so you don’t stall.
- Romanticize it. Make a pot of coffee, curl up in a cozy corner, and pretend you’re in Stars Hollow.
Why YOU SHOULD READ FROM THE GILMORE GIRLS READING LIST
If you’re looking for reading inspiration, Rory Gilmore has already done the curating for you. Season 1 alone is a masterclass in must-read classics. I challenge you (and myself) to read as many of these as possible.
So grab a book, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s get reading.
Free Season 1 printable
This post was all about the Gilmore GIRLS reading List to keep you warm in cosy girl season.
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What’s your favourite Gilmore Girls Book？
