Latest / Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club / ☀️I Read 125+ Books Set in Summer. These Are the Top 10.
Transcript
- 0:05SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Friday Night Readers.
- 0:07SPEAKER_01: Built by coffee, we break down the books referenced on Gilmore Girls.
- 0:11Our little literary corner of the world helps you understand
- 0:14what the characters
- 0:15SPEAKER_01: are talking so fast about and live in a world of books like worry,
- 0:19SPEAKER_01: like short,
- 0:20SPEAKER_01: Read fast.
- 0:21SPEAKER_01: Before we dive in,
- 0:22don't forget to subscribe to our Friday Night Readers
- 0:24newsletter community on
- 0:26SPEAKER_01: Substack.
- 0:26You'll get instant access to a free printable list of 450 plus
- 0:31books on Gilmore Girls.
- 0:32SPEAKER_01: Plus, even more Gilmore-inspired content.
- 0:35SPEAKER_01: Paid members get exclusive extras.
- 0:38SPEAKER_01: Come hang out where the real Gilmore magic happens.
- 0:40SPEAKER_01: fridaynightreaders.substack.com
- 0:44hello friday night readers and welcome to summer the way i look
- 0:48at it is we're all
- 0:49that much closer to gilmore girls season fall the show did
- 0:53bring us some pretty
- 0:54good summer episodes where the girls did everything from travel
- 0:57to europe to
- 0:58washington dc visit to harvard starting at yale and of course
- 1:02lots of cliffhangers
- 1:03because many of these summer episodes came right at the end of
- 1:07seasons and the
- 1:07beginning of them you may recall the infamous my dean episode
- 1:12and luke and
- 1:13SPEAKER_00: lorelei's first kiss
- 1:15SPEAKER_00: Personally,
- 1:15my absolute favorite still from Gilmore Girls in summer is in
- 1:20the summer episode of
- 1:21SPEAKER_00: A Year in the Life,
- 1:22SPEAKER_00: and that is when Rory and Lorelai are reading by the pool.
- 1:25If you too are reading by the pool this summer,
- 1:28I have compiled a list of my
- 1:29SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
- 1:49Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 1:51Friday Night Readers
- 2:19SPEAKER_00: 30 books set in summer to continue to refine my list for you.
- 2:23I am now a wild and crazy total number of 125 plus books read
- 2:28that were actually set in summer.
- 2:30SPEAKER_00: I have narrowed that list down to just 10 for you.
- 2:33SPEAKER_00: I like short lists,
- 2:34SPEAKER_00: because I feel like they're more approachable.
- 2:35SPEAKER_00: I think that sometimes while long lists are fun to read,
- 2:38they can also make it hard to pick just one or two that are
- 2:41right for you.
- 2:42The way I picked these was by going through my whole list and
- 2:44seeing what were my
- 2:45SPEAKER_00: favorites,
- 2:46what was the most iconic and what is generally really well
- 2:49loved by readers in the
- 2:50SPEAKER_00: more widespread community.
- 2:52SPEAKER_00: As Jenny Han said in The Summer I Turned Pretty,
- 2:55SPEAKER_00: everything good,
- 2:55SPEAKER_00: everything magical happens between the months of June and August.
- 2:58So grab a tall glass of lemonade and let's talk about
- 3:02everything from beach and
- 3:03SPEAKER_00: lake settings to romantic flings,
- 3:05SPEAKER_00: weddings,
- 3:05SPEAKER_00: steamy vacations.
- 3:07SPEAKER_00: And this is all to ground your reading life firmly in the present moment,
- 3:11which I think is so important both as a Gilmore Girls superfan
- 3:15and as a reader.
- 3:15SPEAKER_00: First up is 28 Summers by Ellen Hildebrand.
- 3:18I recommend this one to fans of New England settings like the
- 3:21Gilmore Girls love so
- 3:22much as well as those who love that same time next year trope
- 3:25now I have read
- 3:26almost all of Ellen Hildebrand's 30 plus books most of which
- 3:30are set on Nantucket
- 3:31where she lives yes she is the queen of the beach reads and the
- 3:34one I picked to
- 3:35include on this list is the number one best-selling 28 summers
- 3:39here Mallory and
- 3:40SPEAKER_00: Jake decide to have a same time next year meeting
- 3:43That Last Every Labor Day Weekend But This Becomes More
- 3:47Complicated With Age
- 3:48Marriage And Kids So Yes This Is A Cheating Novel But Trust Me
- 3:52Somehow It Still
- 3:53Works I Think What I Really Took From It Is That All
- 3:56Relationships Are Different
- 3:57And Complex The Other Thing That Really Solidified Its Place At
- 4:00The Top For Me Was
- 4:01SPEAKER_00: That Each Year Of The 28 Summers She Begins The Chapter With A Rundown Of
- 4:06SPEAKER_00: Everything That Was Happening In Pop Culture At The Time
- 4:09SPEAKER_00: As a millennial and someone who craves nostalgia, I loved this.
- 4:14I listened to this book in the early days of the pandemic when
- 4:17everything was shut
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: down and we were totally isolated from the world.
- 4:20SPEAKER_00: And I just felt like it saved me in that time.
- 4:22SPEAKER_00: I'm not the only one.
- 4:23SPEAKER_00: This is also a
- 4:25SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's move along to Emily Henry, another queen of beach reads.
- 4:30SPEAKER_00: The one I picked by her is actually titled Beach Read.
- 4:33SPEAKER_00: I recommend this one to writers,
- 4:35SPEAKER_00: many of which I know are on Substack,
- 4:36SPEAKER_00: and fans of the enemies to lovers trope.
- 4:39SPEAKER_00: I have read all of her adult romance novels,
- 4:42SPEAKER_00: but this bestselling debut is the one that sticks with me.
- 4:44SPEAKER_00: I usually see it from her other fans somewhere in the top three.
- 4:48SPEAKER_00: So this one is about two writers,
- 4:50SPEAKER_00: January,
- 4:51SPEAKER_00: who is a bestselling romance writer and Augustus,
- 4:54SPEAKER_00: who is an acclaimed literary fiction author.
- 4:57They end up spending three summer months at this beachy lake
- 4:59home in Michigan and
- 5:00there they challenge each other to beat their writer's block by
- 5:03writing something
- 5:04SPEAKER_00: different than their norm.
- 5:05What I loved about this one is that they take these really
- 5:08creative dates in order
- 5:09SPEAKER_00: to try to ignite their creative spark.
- 5:12SPEAKER_00: And they were just so fun and so memorable At the same time,
- 5:14they have to cope with their past and the realization that
- 5:17they're falling for each
- 5:18other And this realness and heaviness actually drew me into
- 5:21their love story One of
- 5:22my biggest complaints about romance is sometimes that it can be
- 5:25too light and
- 5:26SPEAKER_00: aspirational
- 5:27Then when you throw in Emily Henry's signature banter between
- 5:33the couple it is an absolute win.
- 5:35I know that it is also being adapted so it's a great time to
- 5:38read it before the
- 5:39SPEAKER_00: adaptation comes out.
- 5:40SPEAKER_00: Next up is Every Summer After by
- 5:41Carly Fortune I recommend this one to lake goers and personally
- 5:45I know lake goers
- 5:46who absolutely cannot get enough of this one and think it
- 5:49really gives you all of
- 5:50those details that you feel with your senses when you're at a
- 5:53lake from flies to
- 5:54SPEAKER_00: creaky screen doors I also recommend it
- 5:56SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
- 6:11Stephanie and Sam fall in love but then there is one
- 6:14Thanksgiving that tears them apart.
- 6:16Years later she returns to Barry's Bay and there she must face
- 6:19how she feels about him.
- 6:20As I mentioned this really taps into that nostalgia of first
- 6:23love but then we also
- 6:24have the second chance and these are characters you absolutely
- 6:27cannot help but root
- 6:28for which makes the story so beloved and you also get the most
- 6:31charming seasonal
- 6:32SPEAKER_00: setting.
- 6:33The best part about this one right now is that the adaptation
- 6:36releases on June
- 6:37SPEAKER_00: 10th,
- 6:37SPEAKER_00: 2026 on Amazon Prime and it is my personal hope
- 6:41SPEAKER_00: that it is this year's The Summer I Turn Pretty.
- 6:43SPEAKER_00: Okay, The God of the Woods by Lismore.
- 6:46SPEAKER_00: This might be my favorite one on the list.
- 6:48SPEAKER_00: I recommend it for camp and mystery enthusiasts.
- 6:51SPEAKER_00: So it is not just my book of the year 2024.
- 6:54SPEAKER_00: Here is some of the accolades that back me up on this.
- 6:58SPEAKER_00: It is also a Tonight Show Book Club pick,
- 7:00SPEAKER_00: a New York Times bestseller,
- 7:02SPEAKER_00: book of the month's book of the year,
- 7:03a Barack Obama summer reading list pick and the book that
- 7:06Taylor Swift was
- 7:07listening to on her documentary it totally shot up again in the
- 7:10charts after that
- 7:11documentary aired here there's a 13 year old girl named Barbara
- 7:15Van Laar and she
- 7:15SPEAKER_00: vanishes from her family's camp in the Adirondacks in
- 7:18SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 7:34SPEAKER_00: I am talking 500 pages in two sweltering summer days.
- 7:38SPEAKER_00: It was the most delicious experience and such a page turner.
- 7:41SPEAKER_00: I know that this missing child story may sound like a horror story,
- 7:45SPEAKER_00: but is actually a very nuanced literary mystery.
- 7:49It's so much less gratuitous than a thriller and at the same
- 7:52time it goes much
- 7:53SPEAKER_00: deeper than crime fiction which is more like a whodunit.
- 7:56In this one it explores not just what happened but what it
- 7:59reveals about really
- 8:01SPEAKER_00: deep things like class and gender and survival.
- 8:03SPEAKER_00: You'll also find so many great characters in this one.
- 8:06SPEAKER_00: I especially loved the female detective.
- 8:09SPEAKER_00: I know she has been cast recently in the upcoming adaptation.
- 8:12SPEAKER_00: It is Ethan Hawke's daughter.
- 8:14SPEAKER_00: I think her name is Maya Hawke.
- 8:15and she was in Stranger Things she's going to be perfect in
- 8:18this role anyway in
- 8:19this one it is the answers about what happens that is
- 8:22absolutely chilling and as I
- 8:24SPEAKER_00: said don't just trust me on it next is The Great Gatsby by F.
- 8:27SPEAKER_00: Scott Fitzgerald I recommend this one to classic book readers
- 8:30who want that feeling in summer of being accomplished and maybe
- 8:33like a student
- 8:34SPEAKER_00: again,
- 8:35SPEAKER_00: but without too much of a challenge.
- 8:37SPEAKER_00: It's short, around 200 pages, and it's pretty easy to read.
- 8:40This one is especially for people taking the Rory Gilmer
- 8:42Reading Challenge with us.
- 8:43SPEAKER_00: I know you love classics.
- 8:45Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 8:47Friday Night Readers
- 8:48SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 9:00Jazz Age Parties of a man named Jay Gatsby told through the
- 9:04eyes of an outsider.
- 9:05So we're kind of like him outside looking in on this lavish
- 9:08lifestyle in Jay's dark story.
- 9:10SPEAKER_00: The seasonal events he hosts really loosen the reins of the characters,
- 9:14SPEAKER_00: which is very symbolic of
- 9:15SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 9:30SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
- 9:45SPEAKER_00: for the Summer by Abby Jimenez.
- 9:46SPEAKER_00: This one is for fans of the fake dating trope.
- 9:49SPEAKER_00: Now I have also read all of Abby Jimenez books.
- 9:51SPEAKER_00: They tend to be lighter romances,
- 9:53SPEAKER_00: not too spicy,
- 9:54and they usually have things like quirky characters and mental
- 9:58illness and really
- 9:59SPEAKER_00: cute dogs.
- 9:59SPEAKER_00: But anyway,
- 10:00SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 10:15Emma who has a similar curse so they create a plan where they
- 10:18will date each other
- 10:19as a summer fling to kind of get this over and go on and live
- 10:23happily ever after
- 10:23with someone else breaking the curse it's so simple that it
- 10:27just may work in the
- 10:28SPEAKER_00: process so they connect over mom
- 10:30SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
- 10:56the best chemistry there is I believe one spicy scene in this
- 10:59one not too spicy
- 11:01overall and what I love is that they support each other through
- 11:03their difficult
- 11:04life issues that is what love is really all about isn't it so
- 11:08what more can we ask
- 11:09SPEAKER_00: for next up is Summer Sisters
- 11:11by Judy Blume and I recommend this one to women who grew up on
- 11:14Judy Blume just like
- 11:15me although it was published in the 1990s it was a recent read
- 11:19with Jenna book club
- 11:19pick and I believe she picked it because she wanted to adapt it
- 11:23I don't know if
- 11:23SPEAKER_00: that ever came to fruition I haven't
- 11:26I haven't heard anything about it in probably a year or two but
- 11:28regardless it was
- 11:29one of her favorite books growing up too and it was so pivotal
- 11:32to me in the 1990s
- 11:34that I have retained my copy to this very day it was almost
- 11:37like in this book Judy
- 11:38Blume walked from childhood to adulthood with me and other
- 11:42readers who grew up with
- 11:43SPEAKER_00: her and we could not be more grateful for an adult book in her words
- 11:48The story begins in 1977 when Victoria enters the privileged
- 11:52world of Caitlin who
- 11:53SPEAKER_00: becomes her friend and invites her to Martha's Vineyard.
- 11:56SPEAKER_00: Now I am a huge fan of Martha's Vineyard books.
- 11:58SPEAKER_00: I will link my list of those books in the show notes for you as well.
- 12:01SPEAKER_00: I go to Martha's Vineyard
- 12:03SPEAKER_00: Micah Gilmore every summer with my husband's family.
- 12:05SPEAKER_00: So anyway,
- 12:06SPEAKER_00: years later,
- 12:07Vicks agrees to be Caitlin's maid of honor in order to finally
- 12:10understand what
- 12:11SPEAKER_00: happened between them all those years earlier.
- 12:13Now if I could describe this book in only one word to you it
- 12:17would be saucy.
- 12:18and I kind of think that word describes many of Judy Blume's
- 12:21books doesn't it like
- 12:22are you there god it's me Margaret what it does is that it
- 12:24pushes boundaries and it
- 12:26really dives into the juiciness and the emotional dynamics that
- 12:30are part of female
- 12:31friendships especially at a young age next is The Summer I Turn
- 12:34Pretty by Jenny Han
- 12:35I recommend this one to women who love to think about nostalgia
- 12:38from the summers of
- 12:39their youth they really were the best weren't they so few
- 12:42responsibilities and no
- 12:43SPEAKER_00: clue all of the complexities that were about to hit us in adulthood
- 12:47SPEAKER_00: Anyway,
- 12:48The Summer I Turned Pretty I would describe as basically a
- 12:52beachy Dawson's Creek
- 12:53SPEAKER_00: that is written for Gen Z but also appeals to millennials nostalgia.
- 12:57SPEAKER_00: Are you with me on that one?
- 12:59Be still my coming of age heart for this love triangle with so
- 13:03much drama and let
- 13:03me tell you the three season long Taylor Swift filled
- 13:06adaptation is an absolute
- 13:08SPEAKER_00: chef's kiss.
- 13:09SPEAKER_00: I've watched a lot of book adaptations
- 13:11SPEAKER_00: I'm telling you this one is one of the best.
- 13:13It's like a summer soap opera that really ping pongs between
- 13:16this teenage love
- 13:17SPEAKER_00: triangle and also weaves in other drama as well as some summer fun.
- 13:22The book is actually the first in a trilogy and it follows
- 13:25Belly who is a young
- 13:26SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
- 13:55SPEAKER_00: by these teenage boys.
- 13:56SPEAKER_00: But very shortly thereafter,
- 13:58SPEAKER_00: life in the beach house takes a very difficult turn,
- 14:01SPEAKER_00: and this changes all of their lives forever.
- 14:03SPEAKER_00: I won't give anything up,
- 14:04but we get all kinds of family and friendship drama that is
- 14:07woven into the
- 14:07SPEAKER_00: characters' love stories.
- 14:08SPEAKER_00: Like Dawson's Creek,
- 14:09SPEAKER_00: which I mentioned earlier,
- 14:10SPEAKER_00: it is so over-the-top melodramatic and angsty and full of yearning,
- 14:15SPEAKER_00: but we are here for every minute of it.
- 14:17Fans like me love this show so much that they're now creating a
- 14:21movie follow-up.
- 14:23SPEAKER_00: Next is a real crowd pleaser.
- 14:24SPEAKER_00: It is The Wedding People by Alison Espach.
- 14:27SPEAKER_00: I hope I'm saying that right.
- 14:28SPEAKER_00: Anyway,
- 14:28I recommend this one for readers who like a book that is
- 14:31neither too heavy nor too
- 14:32SPEAKER_00: light somewhere in the middle.
- 14:34This one was also a Read with Jenna book club pick and it has
- 14:37sold 1 million plus copies.
- 14:39It really was the book of summer 2024 and once it picked up
- 14:42steam,
- 14:43that steam really took off.
- 14:44for quite some time and if you haven't seen the book cover yet
- 14:47head to the show
- 14:48notes and look at the full post that accompanies this because
- 14:50it is one of my
- 14:51favorite book covers of all time it is a woman who is
- 14:54underwater holding up her
- 14:56arms and in one of her arms is a bottle of champagne what can I
- 14:59say I am an
- 15:00absolute sucker for bubbly I love this cover so much that I
- 15:03display it in my
- 15:04SPEAKER_01: reading room anyway the book brings together two very unlikely women I
- 15:08At a fancy Rhode Island hotel For one of the women's weddings
- 15:11So Phoebe ends up
- 15:12being the only hotel guest Not attending the wedding And here's
- 15:16where it gets dark
- 15:16She's actually there to end her life After a terrible divorce
- 15:20she went through The
- 15:21problem is that this is imposing On the very privileged Lila's
- 15:24Perfectly planned
- 15:25SPEAKER_00: day
- 15:26In the process she as well as her guests begin to confide in
- 15:29Phoebe and it makes
- 15:30the two women at the heart of the story confront their plans
- 15:34for that weekend a lot
- 15:35SPEAKER_00: more deeply.
- 15:36SPEAKER_00: I know some of this sounds heavy but please do not fear.
- 15:39SPEAKER_00: Deep down the reason this book was
- 15:41such a hit with readers is because it's about what really
- 15:44matters in life human
- 15:45connection it is filled with so much humor and heart the most
- 15:48lovable cast of
- 15:49characters who are all so quirky and totally give that vibe of
- 15:53forced proximity and
- 15:54it is also a book that is driven by the most razor sharp
- 15:57writing highly recommend
- 15:59this one last but not least is a book that i consider to be a
- 16:02very underrated gem
- 16:03SPEAKER_00: it is writers and lovers by lily king
- 16:06SPEAKER_00: and I recommend this one to fans of the author's 2025 hit Heart Lover.
- 16:10This was my book of the year 2025 and I know so many other
- 16:14readers picked that as
- 16:15SPEAKER_00: their book of the year or somewhere within their top 10 mix.
- 16:17SPEAKER_00: The reason I recommend this for fans of that book is their
- 16:21SPEAKER_00: There is a connection between the two books.
- 16:22SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to say what it is because it's kind of a surprise,
- 16:25but what I will say is you can read either Writers and Lovers
- 16:28or Heart the Lover
- 16:29SPEAKER_00: first.
- 16:30SPEAKER_00: But if you like either one of them, definitely pick up the other.
- 16:32SPEAKER_00: Writers and Lovers is another Read with Jenna book club pick.
- 16:36SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 16:51Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 16:54Friday Night Readers
- 16:54SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
- 17:06SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
- 17:26SPEAKER_00: But before you go,
- 17:27I would love for you to head to the show notes and visit the
- 17:31Substack Post that
- 17:31accompanies this audio because what I have placed at the bottom
- 17:34is my manifestation
- 17:36SPEAKER_00: of a 90s reading summer.
- 17:37This is something that Rory Gilmour would have experienced and
- 17:40I know,
- 17:40as I mentioned,
- 17:41it's
- 17:41Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 17:44Friday Night Readers
- 17:44Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 17:47Friday Night Readers
- 17:47Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 17:50Friday Night Readers
- 17:51SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 17:56SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
- 18:11beautiful and nostalgic book I think I have ever seen and this
- 18:15is one I plan to
- 18:15read outside you should also make time to visit your libraries
- 18:18this was one of my
- 18:19own favorite summer activities and if you have a child they can
- 18:23join book it I have
- 18:24linked it there but if not you can still reward yourself with
- 18:26Pizza Hut anyway I do
- 18:28it myself and no I'm not joking and I've even linked things
- 18:31like Lisa Frank
- 18:32SPEAKER_00: stickers and popsicles for the most magical summer reading experience
- 18:37With all of that said,
- 18:38let's have a summer and let's have it the Gilmore way.
- 18:41SPEAKER_00: See you soon Friday Night Readers.
- 18:43SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to Friday Night Readers.
- 18:46SPEAKER_01: I love having you here in our little corner of the Gilmore Bros world.
- 18:49SPEAKER_01: If you'd like even more feel-good fun,
- 18:51SPEAKER_01: then upgrade to a free or paid email subscription membership at
- 18:55SPEAKER_01: fridaynightreaders.substack.com.
- 18:58Paid members get exclusive extras like our guide to the books
- 19:02on Gilmore Girls,
- 19:03SPEAKER_01: broken down by episode.
- 19:04You'll also unlock members-only posts,
- 19:07as well as full community access to our chats.
- 19:10SPEAKER_01: It's the coziest virtual place like Stars Hollow,
- 19:13SPEAKER_01: and your support helps keep this podcast going strong.
- 19:16Lastly,
- 19:17if you enjoyed today's episode,
- 19:19please take a minute to rate and review the show.
- 19:22It helps other Gilmore fans find us,
- 19:24which helps me provide you with more content like this.
- 19:28SPEAKER_01: Until next time, life's short, read fast.