Latest / Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club / 📺I Found Every Book in Season One of Gilmore Girls. Here's What to Read First.

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📺I Found Every Book in Season One of Gilmore Girls. Here's What to Read First. · Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club

0:06
SPEAKER_00: We are approaching peak leaf season here in Philadelphia.
0:10
SPEAKER_00: My sister lives about two hours north of me and she sent me some beautiful pictures
0:14
SPEAKER_00: from a hike she went on that was true peak leaf season there.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: We were actually quite far behind that.
0:20
SPEAKER_00: I sent her my own picture.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: Which was mostly green.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: But now as the week progresses, it's getting to that time.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: And it really is only a few precious weeks of the season where I am just staring out
0:31
SPEAKER_00: the windows.
0:31
SPEAKER_00: I can see yellows.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: I can see reds.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: I can see oranges.
0:34
SPEAKER_00: And it is just so beautiful.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: Just like the opening scenes of Gilmore Girls.
0:40
SPEAKER_00: How is that for a bridge?
0:41
SPEAKER_00: Because today we are going back to Where it all began, the first season of Gilmore Girls.
0:47
SPEAKER_00: Now I know that this month we are reading books from season two of Gilmore Girls,
0:52
SPEAKER_00: but I've been really thinking about my content calendar for the next year
0:55
SPEAKER_00: and what I want Friday Night Readers to look like as a content business.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: And I really want an encyclopedia for you,
1:03
SPEAKER_00: whether you're starting now,
1:04
SPEAKER_00: whether you're picking things back up a year from now,
1:07
SPEAKER_00: whether you're someone new who just found us,
1:09
SPEAKER_00: even though we started all the way back in 2021.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: After I made the episode diving deep into the most iconic books from season two,
1:16
SPEAKER_00: I was like,
1:17
SPEAKER_00: you know what,
1:17
SPEAKER_00: I cannot move on to season three next year without doing an episode
1:21
SPEAKER_00: about season one.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: We did read books from season one last year,
1:25
SPEAKER_00: which is why I did season two this year,
1:27
SPEAKER_00: but I never recorded a podcast episode on it.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: Within the next year or so,
1:33
SPEAKER_00: and yes,
1:34
SPEAKER_00: this is a sneak peek of what the 2027 reading challenge will look like,
1:38
SPEAKER_00: is that I'd love to have a playlist of the most iconic books from every season of
1:43
SPEAKER_00: the show.
1:43
SPEAKER_00: I think this will be both helpful to you and just fun really.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: Before we get into all of that, I want to give you one more little personal tidbit.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: I'm looking at my Libby app and I was able to get three popular new books.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: I actually got the audiobooks.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: Threshing Day by Rebecca Yaros.
2:01
SPEAKER_00: This is book three and a half in the Fourth Wing series.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: Samantha the Next Chapter by Fiona Davis, which is the first adult American Girl novel.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: And Abby Jimenez new Christmas book,
2:13
SPEAKER_00: which I believe is Christmas short stories or Christmas novellas.
2:16
SPEAKER_00: Anyway,
2:17
SPEAKER_00: all three of those are really popular and because I go into Libby ahead of time
2:21
SPEAKER_00: and tag The titles I'm interested in.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: And because I utilize multiple library cards,
2:27
SPEAKER_00: I almost said credit cards,
2:28
SPEAKER_00: but they are library cards,
2:30
SPEAKER_00: just as powerful as credit cards, except we don't have to pay a bill.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: I was able to land all three of these the week they came out.
2:38
SPEAKER_00: And if you are wondering how you get different library cards, head to Reciprocard online.
2:43
SPEAKER_00: That is a great way to see what libraries you qualify for.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: Personally,
2:47
SPEAKER_00: as a resident of the state of Pennsylvania,
2:49
SPEAKER_00: I am able to join the Philadelphia Library.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: I'm also able to join something called the Power Library
2:55
SPEAKER_00: which I believe is just digital and throughout the whole state.
2:59
SPEAKER_00: And then I also have a card for the library for the county in which I live,
3:02
SPEAKER_00: which is a Philadelphia suburb.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to be sure to give you that little tip
3:07
SPEAKER_00: and also just let you know what I'm reading this mid-October.
3:10
SPEAKER_00: But going back to season one of Gilmore Girls,
3:13
SPEAKER_00: I can help but note that it is quite rare for a TV show to tell us it is okay
3:18
SPEAKER_00: to be readers.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: And I don't just mean in the book nerd way.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: This isn't the Big Bang Theory.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: The Gilmore Girls characters were not just smart.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: They were also really cool.
3:28
SPEAKER_00: I think this is a really big reason why the show gave us something to aspire to.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: In fact,
3:33
SPEAKER_00: I was doing some research on reading challenges for my own content calendar and
3:37
SPEAKER_00: to help some friends who were doing their content calendars for next year.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: And I noticed that the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge still remains one of
3:44
SPEAKER_00: the most searched reading challenges of all reading challenges.
3:48
SPEAKER_00: Now, this is two plus decades after the show premiered.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: And of course, across all of my platforms, I've got about 60,000 followers slash subscribers.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: Again, I have run a Rory Gilmer Reading Challenge since 2021.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: I then spent years personally curating The books that were actually on the show,
4:06
SPEAKER_00: not just the books that people on the internet say are on the show.
4:09
SPEAKER_00: But I went through episode by episode,
4:11
SPEAKER_00: multiple rewatches,
4:12
SPEAKER_00: noted exact references,
4:14
SPEAKER_00: paused the show and got books in the background, all of those kinds of things.
4:18
SPEAKER_00: And I finally came up with my own list of books on the show.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: I also published an unofficial guide to the books on Gilmore Girls by episode.
4:27
SPEAKER_00: So yes, it is my lifestyle.
4:29
SPEAKER_00: It is my religion.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: It has been fun seeing people pick up the book this fall too, by the way.
4:34
SPEAKER_00: I will definitely link that in the show notes for you.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: It is perfect to pair with your rewatches.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: All right, so let's get into the books on season one of Gilmart Girls.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: If you're new to the show,
4:44
SPEAKER_00: or if you just want a little recap,
4:47
SPEAKER_00: this is the season that introduces us to some literary characters.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: We will meet some more later,
4:52
SPEAKER_00: but here we first learn about Rory, who is the most classic of all bookworms.
4:57
SPEAKER_00: She is an aspiring journalist and a prep school student.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Her nose is perpetually in a book.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: We especially see this in season one.
5:04
SPEAKER_00: Dean is her handsome young love interest who first notices her reading
5:09
SPEAKER_00: and being her boyfriend, he picks up the hobby himself.
5:12
SPEAKER_00: We can't talk about Rory without talking about Lorelai.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: We know that she is the fast talking mother whose sense
5:18
SPEAKER_00: of humor often references these books in her everyday banter.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: And not just in this episode,
5:24
SPEAKER_00: but especially later in the series in Rory's graduation speech,
5:28
SPEAKER_00: she talks about how her mother filled their house with books
5:30
SPEAKER_00: and how much this influenced her.
5:32
SPEAKER_00: Season one is where we first see it happen.
5:35
SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about Max Medina.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: He is not just Rory's English teacher.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: He is also Lorelai's love interest.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: So I feel like he really sits on this Venn diagram between Rory and Lorelai's reading lives.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: I have to also mention Richard.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: Nothing against Emily,
5:50
SPEAKER_00: Rory's grandmother,
5:51
SPEAKER_00: but Richard,
5:52
SPEAKER_00: her grandfather,
5:53
SPEAKER_00: is also a book lover who bonds with his granddaughter Rory, particularly over books.
5:58
SPEAKER_00: His smarts have made him an insurance tycoon,
6:01
SPEAKER_00: and we see his and Rory's relationship grow through the books they share together
6:05
SPEAKER_00: in this season.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: Now that you know the major players,
6:08
SPEAKER_00: let's talk about The 10 most iconic books on season one of Gilmore Girls.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: So the first book I want to highlight is actually the first book that is referenced
6:16
SPEAKER_00: in the series.
6:17
SPEAKER_00: It is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
6:20
SPEAKER_00: Just eight minutes into the pilot episode,
6:22
SPEAKER_00: Rory's teacher at Stars Hollow High,
6:24
SPEAKER_00: this is before she started at Chilton, mentions this book.
6:27
SPEAKER_00: It's especially poignant because
6:29
SPEAKER_00: the showrunner Amy Sherman Palladino actually created the concept of the show
6:33
SPEAKER_00: while she was visiting Mark Twain's Connecticut home.
6:35
SPEAKER_00: So it is definitely an Easter egg and we will see both Mark Twain
6:39
SPEAKER_00: and Huck Finn appear many more times throughout the show.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: As for Huck Finn, it is often called the Great American Novel.
6:46
SPEAKER_00: It is also one of the most taught novels in school,
6:48
SPEAKER_00: so it totally makes sense that Stars Hollow High was reading it.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: And this book follows a slave named Jim who is escaping the pre-Civil War South with
6:57
SPEAKER_00: a young boy named Huck.
7:01
SPEAKER_00: I personally also read it in high school.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: I believe I was in ninth grade.
7:06
SPEAKER_00: I don't believe it was all that difficult.
7:08
SPEAKER_00: And I think why many consider it the Great American Novel.
7:11
SPEAKER_00: Personally, I consider The Great Gatsby the Great American Novel.
7:14
SPEAKER_00: But I think why many consider this one the Great American Novel is
7:16
SPEAKER_00: because It does touch so deeply and so immersively on the topic of slavery,
7:21
SPEAKER_00: which is such a pivotal issue in American history.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: It's especially interesting in that we hear so directly through Jim.
7:29
SPEAKER_00: Now, it is in Huck's voice.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: It is not in Jim's voice.
7:31
SPEAKER_00: There was a recent book, a Pulitzer Prize winner.
7:34
SPEAKER_00: Called James by Percival Everett which aimed to retell the story through Jim's point
7:38
SPEAKER_00: of view and that is also very excellent and very beloved.
7:41
SPEAKER_00: But anyway,
7:42
SPEAKER_00: Huckleberry Finn is a great way to learn about slavery in America in
7:46
SPEAKER_00: a way that's more engaging than historical text.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: This is an adventure and along the way Huck and Jim encounter everything
7:53
SPEAKER_00: from con men to feuding families and especially hypocrisy
7:56
SPEAKER_00: in pre-Civil War Southern society.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: This is such a big issue.
8:01
SPEAKER_00: I think if you were ever to follow it up with Gone with the Wind,
8:04
SPEAKER_00: that would take you through a lot of these issues from pre-war
8:07
SPEAKER_00: through reconstruction.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: And of course, Gone with the Wind is also very much referenced on Gilmore Girls.
8:12
SPEAKER_00: I do also want to note that there is a 1993 Disney adaptation starring Elijah Wood.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: I do recall watching this back when I was in high school to prepare for my test
8:22
SPEAKER_00: after reading the book.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: I thought it was lighter than the book.
8:24
SPEAKER_00: It is aimed more towards children.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: But it's something you can consider to enhance either your reading experience or
8:31
SPEAKER_00: to engage a child or a teen with the text.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: Next up is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
8:37
SPEAKER_00: We have talked about this book so much on this podcast because it is Rory's favorite book.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: I also find this reference to be an Easter egg in many ways,
8:45
SPEAKER_00: really, because it's mentioned on her first day at Chilton.
8:49
SPEAKER_00: So episode two, the Lorelai's first day at Chilton.
8:52
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's just a hint at what's to come,
8:54
SPEAKER_00: that this book is going to be referred to many more times,
8:56
SPEAKER_00: particularly as Rory's favorite.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: She does again in episode 16, Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers.
9:02
SPEAKER_00: Talk about it with Dean.
9:04
SPEAKER_00: He calls it depressing while she calls it beautiful.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: You can be the judge of that.
9:08
SPEAKER_00: I would say it's beautiful.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: This 800 page Russian behemoth.
9:12
SPEAKER_00: It's about an ill-fated forbidden romance,
9:14
SPEAKER_00: which is also a love triangle that is meant to be a commentary
9:18
SPEAKER_00: on Russian social norms at the time.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: Layered within it is a parallel story about Russian agriculture.
9:24
SPEAKER_00: Now that part was more boring, but I still felt like I learned a lot.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to repeat myself too much,
9:30
SPEAKER_00: but in case you are new around here,
9:32
SPEAKER_00: I recommend the Oprah's Book Club edition of this book.
9:36
SPEAKER_00: I think you can watch the Karen Knightley movie adaptation,
9:39
SPEAKER_00: which focuses on the love story and is quite good.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: I think you can also read Anna Kay by Jenny Lee,
9:45
SPEAKER_00: which is a young adult gossip girl style novel that retells the story in
9:49
SPEAKER_00: a more modern context.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: I also recommend reading just a few pages at a time and pairing it with spark notes.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: All of those makes it totally worth it.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: This is the book that I am most happy I read because of this challenge.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about Lorelai.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: In episode four,
10:04
SPEAKER_00: The Deer Hunters, she reads Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain on the couch.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: And this is so Lorelai.
10:10
SPEAKER_00: In case you aren't familiar with Anthony Bourdain, he was a celebrity chef.
10:14
SPEAKER_00: He died about 10 years ago.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: Kitchen Confidential was his memoir about life in the kitchen as a chef.
10:20
SPEAKER_00: It catapulted him to fame and got him his beloved TV show where he traveled around
10:24
SPEAKER_00: the world, talked to different people and ate their foods.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: The reason it became so popular is because he has such a singular voice.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: He's very quirky, just like Lorelai.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: He has a way of talking that is only his way of talking,
10:37
SPEAKER_00: even to the point where when you read his words,
10:39
SPEAKER_00: you can only hear them in his voice.
10:41
SPEAKER_00: For example, he doesn't just say to never use jarred garlic.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: He goes on this tirade about how it is the worst,
10:48
SPEAKER_00: most despicable thing on earth in a way that only he can.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: So it is a book in the zeitgeist.
10:53
SPEAKER_00: And that's Lorelai's way of reading, which, by the way, I recently created an interactive quiz.
10:58
SPEAKER_00: I can link that in the show notes for you too,
11:00
SPEAKER_00: which helps you see whether you are a Rory, a Lorelai, or an Emily.
11:04
SPEAKER_00: And the whole purpose is, well,
11:05
SPEAKER_00: A for fun,
11:06
SPEAKER_00: but also to help you Pick some books that will align with you from this challenge.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: You would think that most people would identify as a Rory, but no,
11:14
SPEAKER_00: they identify as a Lorelai, and I think it's because of pop culture books like this.
11:18
SPEAKER_00: The reality is that the average reader likes a mix of books,
11:22
SPEAKER_00: whereas Rory's is more Speaking of classics,
11:26
SPEAKER_00: now let's move along to Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: I had to include at least one Shakespearean tragedy.
11:32
SPEAKER_00: They are sprinkled all throughout the series,
11:34
SPEAKER_00: especially in season one,
11:36
SPEAKER_00: because if you may recall all the way back in that Deer Hunters episode,
11:39
SPEAKER_00: Rory wasn't doing so well in Max Medina's class and
11:42
SPEAKER_00: then she was up all night studying for the Shakespeare test.
11:45
SPEAKER_00: When she overslept and a deer hit her.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: Yes, a deer hit her.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: If you know, you know.
11:50
SPEAKER_00: While I couldn't include all of them,
11:52
SPEAKER_00: the one that I picked was Macbeth from episode 13, Concert Interruptus.
11:57
SPEAKER_00: Here, Lane and Rory recite the famous lines from Macbeth back and forth to each other.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: By the pricking of my thumb, something wicked this way comes.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: And in doing so, they are comparing Paris, Madeline, and Louise to the witches from Macbeth.
12:10
SPEAKER_00: I loved how this one Brought Lane into the mix.
12:13
SPEAKER_00: And I also loved that after they recited this quote,
12:16
SPEAKER_00: Lane complimented Rory on her growing Shakespeare skills,
12:19
SPEAKER_00: again referring back to that big test that she had earlier in the season.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: It's also Fall and Macbeth with the Witches is a very fall read and it is one
12:27
SPEAKER_00: of my favorite Shakespearean books.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: Again, I do not mean to be redundant,
12:32
SPEAKER_00: but when I read Shakespeare, I always love to read the No Fear editions.
12:35
SPEAKER_00: There is the original Shakespearean text on the left and a modern translation on the right.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: I tend to get them at used bookstores or library sales.
12:43
SPEAKER_00: I just grab them when I see them.
12:44
SPEAKER_00: And then I did also watch the Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington adaptation
12:50
SPEAKER_00: of this play, which came out a few years ago, maybe 2023 or so.
12:54
SPEAKER_00: And I thought it was very good.
12:55
SPEAKER_00: On a side note, I also find Macbeth to be very Paris coded.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: Lady Macbeth definitely has Paris vibes.
13:02
SPEAKER_00: She's ambitious to a fault.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: And that causes this whole chain of events to follow,
13:06
SPEAKER_00: which of course are very tragic because it is Shakespeare.
13:09
SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about A Mencken Christomathy by H.L.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: Mencken.
13:13
SPEAKER_00: You may have heard of this because Richard shows it to Rory in episode three, Kill Me Now.
13:18
SPEAKER_00: This is when they go golfing together.
13:20
SPEAKER_00: And then she's looking to Lorelai to take her back to her grandparents so
13:23
SPEAKER_00: that she can spend time with him and his books.
13:25
SPEAKER_00: And Lorelai's a little bit nervous about this growing bond between Rory and her grandparents.
13:30
SPEAKER_00: You may be asking, what the heck is a Mencken Christomathy?
13:33
SPEAKER_00: Well, me too.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: It is a collection of writings,
13:36
SPEAKER_00: which I believe Mencken shows he is an influential American journalist,
13:40
SPEAKER_00: literary critic, and essayist, as per Wikipedia.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: What he's known for is his sharp critiques of politics, religion, and American culture.
13:48
SPEAKER_00: While it definitely seems like something that Richard would read as
13:51
SPEAKER_00: an avid newspaper reader, it also shows Rory's interest in journalism.
13:56
SPEAKER_00: That's why I think this one was chosen here.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: Now we've got a fun one.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: This one is The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.
14:03
SPEAKER_00: It is a very short book, very popular with our readers and Friday Night Readers.
14:07
SPEAKER_00: And it's unique in that a man who is a traveling salesperson wakes up one day as a bug.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: Yes, a bug.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: A big bug.
14:15
SPEAKER_00: It's a story about how the people in his life react to this change and the isolation he feels.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: And it is mentioned in episode 10,
14:22
SPEAKER_00: Forgiveness and Stuff,
14:24
SPEAKER_00: which is actually one of my favorite episodes,
14:26
SPEAKER_00: both as a Christmas episode and as an episode in general.
14:29
SPEAKER_00: It has that line in it.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: Yes, Emily,
14:31
SPEAKER_00: you may go first when Richard is in the hospital,
14:33
SPEAKER_00: as well as the Santa burger, the apple tarts.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: And then Lorelai giving Luke his hat that he wears backwards through the rest of the series.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: But anyway,
14:42
SPEAKER_00: towards the beginning of this episode,
14:44
SPEAKER_00: Rory wants to give this book to Dean for Christmas and Lane convinces her it is
14:48
SPEAKER_00: a bad idea to give him something that she likes.
14:51
SPEAKER_00: This is just one of the many times that Lane is a really good friend to Rory.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: And I think this kind of advice is really what it's like growing up as
14:59
SPEAKER_00: a teen girls are just lucky to have each other to stop us
15:02
SPEAKER_00: from making silly mistakes like this.
15:04
SPEAKER_00: On another note, though, I think it does show two not so great things.
15:08
SPEAKER_00: One is that Rory is a little bit selfish when it comes to Dean.
15:11
SPEAKER_00: She's thinking about herself and Dean does often just change himself for Rory.
15:17
SPEAKER_00: Instead of them both cooperating,
15:18
SPEAKER_00: it's more like this is what Rory likes and Dean's got to be on the bandwagon or not.
15:23
SPEAKER_00: That's not a great sign for their relationship,
15:25
SPEAKER_00: nor is the fact that he wouldn't really be into a book.
15:28
SPEAKER_00: Nothing wrong with that.
15:29
SPEAKER_00: It just shows that they may not be the best match for each other.
15:32
SPEAKER_00: Regardless, this is an iconic moment in season one.
15:35
SPEAKER_00: And again, a really beloved book in our book club.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: I think you can read it in probably an hour and most readers do really like it.
15:42
SPEAKER_00: Next up is one that I may perpetually be afraid to pick up.
15:46
SPEAKER_00: It is Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
15:48
SPEAKER_00: Rory and Dean discuss this one when they first meet in the pilot.
15:52
SPEAKER_00: He says that he noticed her reading this very famous whale tail,
15:55
SPEAKER_00: not T-A-I-L,
15:57
SPEAKER_00: T-A-L-E.
15:58
SPEAKER_00: What's nice here is that he likes her not just because she's nice to look at,
16:02
SPEAKER_00: which he does admit, but also because she is a bookworm.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: Now he also talked about Madame Bovary in this conversation,
16:08
SPEAKER_00: but they got a little bit deeper on Moby Dick.
16:10
SPEAKER_00: So that's why I chose Moby Dick over Madame Bovary.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: He says, so are you liking Moby Dick?
16:14
SPEAKER_00: And she says, yeah, it's really good.
16:16
SPEAKER_00: And that it's her first Melville.
16:17
SPEAKER_00: And he says, cool.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: And then Rory kind of runs with it and says, I mean,
16:21
SPEAKER_00: I know it's kind of cliche to pick Moby Dick as your first Melville,
16:24
SPEAKER_00: but hey, how did you know I was reading Moby Dick?
16:26
SPEAKER_00: And that's when Dean says, I've been watching you.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: And I know the Dean haters will say he was watching her in a creepy way.
16:32
SPEAKER_00: Personally, I think Dean was pretty sweet, especially in the first season of Gilmore Girls.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: I mean, let's be real.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: Who doesn't watch someone that they like?
16:39
SPEAKER_00: I will say this,
16:40
SPEAKER_00: even as a over 40 year old woman,
16:43
SPEAKER_00: just this summer,
16:44
SPEAKER_00: I sat next to one of our star players on the Phillies at the Home Run Derby.
16:48
SPEAKER_00: This was an older player that has been retired for a few years,
16:51
SPEAKER_00: but is known for being both one of the greatest players and pretty good looking.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: He's often called a silver fox.
16:57
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not lying when I say I stared at him more than I stared at the Home Run Derby.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: I will admit that on this podcast.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: So I'm with you, Dean.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, when it comes to Moby Dick, I've generally heard that it's a hard book.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: I love that it takes place on Nantucket which has some relevance at the very end of
17:12
SPEAKER_00: the show which I won't spoil for anyone.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: But I don't know,
17:15
SPEAKER_00: I'd have to really get through a lot of the other books on this list
17:18
SPEAKER_00: before I pick up Moby Dick unless one of you convinces me otherwise.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about The Partable Dorothy Parker.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: This may even be the most iconic book from season one.
17:27
SPEAKER_00: This, of course,
17:28
SPEAKER_00: is the book that Dean and Rory fall asleep together reading at Miss Patty's after
17:32
SPEAKER_00: the dance.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: Just before said sleepy time,
17:35
SPEAKER_00: Rory says that she brings a book with her everywhere and Dean reads the poem Coda.
17:39
SPEAKER_00: The lines that he says is,
17:40
SPEAKER_00: there's little in taking or giving,
17:42
SPEAKER_00: there's little in water or wine,
17:43
SPEAKER_00: this living, this living, this living was never a project of mine.
17:46
SPEAKER_00: Now, I have not read this book,
17:48
SPEAKER_00: but from what I've heard about Dorothy Parker and reviews from those
17:51
SPEAKER_00: in our book club who have read this book,
17:53
SPEAKER_00: these few lines are very indicative of her writing.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: I've heard they're very depressing.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: One person even told me they really just didn't like her.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: Take that for what you will.
18:02
SPEAKER_00: My research tells me that she was in New York's Algonquin Roundtable.
18:06
SPEAKER_00: Now, you may know them from Taylor Swift's The Dead Poets Society.
18:09
SPEAKER_00: She was an American writer, poet,
18:11
SPEAKER_00: and critic,
18:12
SPEAKER_00: known for being witty and satirical,
18:13
SPEAKER_00: but also very cynical in writing about love, society, and human nature.
18:19
SPEAKER_00: I certainly think we see that all even in just those few lines.
18:22
SPEAKER_00: I've heard that a lot of loneliness and depression are really behind a lot of her writings.
18:27
SPEAKER_00: I do have this one on my shelf.
18:28
SPEAKER_00: It is quite big.
18:29
SPEAKER_00: We'll see if I ever get to it,
18:30
SPEAKER_00: but it's one of those that is so iconic on the show that I just had to have it.
18:34
SPEAKER_00: And again,
18:34
SPEAKER_00: I just find these at either used bookstores or library sales,
18:38
SPEAKER_00: and it makes these little treasure hunts so much fun.
18:41
SPEAKER_00: Next up is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: This is Jane Austen's most popular novel about mistaken first impressions
18:48
SPEAKER_00: between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: One of the most popular classics of all time,
18:52
SPEAKER_00: one of the most popular romance classics of all time.
18:55
SPEAKER_00: A book that has been endlessly adapted.
18:57
SPEAKER_00: In fact, there is a new adaptation coming out on Netflix in December, 2026.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: I definitely plan to watch that.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: I personally love the 2005 Keira Knightley adaptation.
19:08
SPEAKER_00: I have never watched the Colin Firth one, which was BBC.
19:11
SPEAKER_00: And I think it was either late 1980s or early 1990s.
19:16
SPEAKER_00: Don't quote me on that.
19:18
SPEAKER_00: But every time I have done a poll,
19:20
SPEAKER_00: it's usually about even which one of these adaptations people like.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: They really are both very well beloved.
19:25
SPEAKER_00: Anyway,
19:26
SPEAKER_00: I picked this book both because Max Medina teaches a lot of Austin in season one
19:30
SPEAKER_00: and Dean reads it.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: He does also claim to like it on Rory's recommendation in episode eight, Love and War and Snow.
19:37
SPEAKER_00: They are talking about this book at the bookstop.
19:39
SPEAKER_00: Personally, I think it is sweet that Dean is trying to please Rory, albeit a little bit ominous.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: Again, that he isn't totally himself around her.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: But on the surface level, I do think it is very sweet that at least he is trying.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: It's a very teenager thing to do.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: And they are first loves.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: I also love the fact that this show,
19:56
SPEAKER_00: not just on this occasion,
19:58
SPEAKER_00: but also later with Jess,
20:00
SPEAKER_00: has the men on the show reading Jane Austen,
20:03
SPEAKER_00: who is very widely considered to be a female author for females.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: I love that the show is pushing these boundaries in literature that books are not
20:12
SPEAKER_00: for men or for women.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: Or let's be real.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: There tend to be books that are considered for women only or books for both men and women.
20:19
SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I'm saying?
20:20
SPEAKER_00: The show is very subtly letting us know that both men
20:24
SPEAKER_00: and women can read any books they want to read.
20:26
SPEAKER_00: And also that there's value in romance novels, which are so very often poo-pooed.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: Number 10 is Swan's Way by Marcel Proust.
20:34
SPEAKER_00: This is totally a Max Medina book that is at least in this season.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: It is referenced in later seasons.
20:40
SPEAKER_00: And I actually have a really big theory that the plot
20:44
SPEAKER_00: of this book shows what happens after those final four words off the reboot.
20:49
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to say for those who have not gotten there yet, but I will say this.
20:54
SPEAKER_00: Swan's Way is about two distinct strands.
20:56
SPEAKER_00: One is the narrator's childhood memories, and it's also about his obsessive love for Odette.
21:01
SPEAKER_00: Now think of the name Odette and then think of the reboot.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: I always thought this was an odd name for a certain character in the reboot,
21:08
SPEAKER_00: but now I think it makes sense because in Swan's Way,
21:11
SPEAKER_00: Swan marries Odette,
21:12
SPEAKER_00: but later realizes that he wasted years of his life loving someone
21:16
SPEAKER_00: who ultimately did not suit him.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: So if you're picking up what I'm putting down,
21:20
SPEAKER_00: I think this explains what would have happened next.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: Now I got off on a little bit of a tangent, but back to season one.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: This is a book that Lorelai borrows from Max,
21:29
SPEAKER_00: and then in later seasons Rory discusses it many times.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: So I feel like Max and this book are sort of the Venn diagram,
21:36
SPEAKER_00: the middle of the Rory and Lorelai literary circles.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: All right, those are the 10 most iconic books from season one of Gilmore Girls.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: And if you want all the books referenced on season one of Gilmore Girls, there are over 90.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: And again, I did curate these myself by hand by specific reference.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: So what you should do is go to the show notes.
21:56
SPEAKER_00: There is a post that links all of them for free.
21:59
SPEAKER_00: And then if you upgrade to become a paid subscriber,
22:01
SPEAKER_00: you will also see what episode each of them are in and my reviews.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: Of all of the ones I read,
22:08
SPEAKER_00: what I do is I either put a heart,
22:10
SPEAKER_00: which means loved, a thumbs up, which means good, thumbs down, did not like it.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: And then I also put a green light for the ones that I thought were easy
22:18
SPEAKER_00: because I know readers are always looking for easy books.
22:21
SPEAKER_00: So again, anyone can see the full list.
22:24
SPEAKER_00: Paid subscribers can see the episodes and my reviews of them.
22:27
SPEAKER_00: And then anyone can also grab a copy of my book,
22:30
SPEAKER_00: The Unofficial Guide to Books on Gilmore Girls, where I go episode by episode.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: Every episode is a page and I list all of the references and exactly what it was.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: For example, who said what, where you can see it in the scene, what scene it's in.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: And then some extras like the times that authors are referenced or adaptations,
22:49
SPEAKER_00: some of the best bookish quotes and even 20 or so journaling pages at the end
22:53
SPEAKER_00: to track your reading.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: That is all for today.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: The only other thing I want to note before we go
22:58
SPEAKER_00: that last Last week's episode was my biggest hit yet.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: It is not my biggest episode yet, but it has been the fastest growing episode.
23:07
SPEAKER_00: It's about Ann Patchett who is not listed on Gilmore Girls.
23:09
SPEAKER_00: She is an author who some of the lists that are incorrect on the internet include her on.
23:15
SPEAKER_00: I never personally Confirmed she's on the show.
23:18
SPEAKER_00: But she is my favorite author.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: She's an author I definitely think the Gilmore Girls would read.
23:22
SPEAKER_00: She's very literary in a modern, approachable way.
23:25
SPEAKER_00: So I think Rory would like her.
23:27
SPEAKER_00: She also has a lot of books that book clubs love.
23:29
SPEAKER_00: So I think Emily would like her.
23:31
SPEAKER_00: And then there's a few that I think some other characters would like too.
23:34
SPEAKER_00: So anyway, I have now read all of her books and I ranked and reviewed all of them for you.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: It's gotten thousands of downloads in just a few days.
23:42
SPEAKER_00: So if you missed that one and if Ann Patchett interests you as much
23:46
SPEAKER_00: as she interests me and as much as I think she would interest the Gilmore Girls,
23:49
SPEAKER_00: then go and check that one out too.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: In the meantime, I hope you have an amazing October weekend.
23:54
SPEAKER_00: We are so lucky to have Octobers.
23:56
SPEAKER_00: This is our season as Gilmore's.
23:59
SPEAKER_00: In fact, I will be at my own library sale this weekend.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: It is 30,000 books, three floors.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: It's so big I have to wait outside in line before it.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: So see you next time.
24:10
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