Latest / The Read Carpet Report / Rory Gilmore Reading List Celebrity Book Club Picks with Jules Buono
Transcript
- Jackie: Welcome to the Red Carpet Report, your backstage pass for celebrity book clubs, book adaptations, and new book releases. I'm Jackie. And I'm Kirsten. And we're your hosts. Today's episode is a deep dive. Kirsten Baritz: Welcome to the Red Carpet Report, your backstage pass for celebrity book clubs, book adaptations, and new book releases. I'm Jacqui. And I'm Kirsten. And we're your hosts. Today's episode is a deep dive that we're doing with our friend Jules Buono of Friday Night Readers. We're going to be talking all about the Gilmore Girls and what celebrity book club picks they would be reading. But before we do that, we have the red carpet rundown. Jackie: So there are a few exciting things that we've heard about this week. the first one is there's going to be an adaptation of tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow. Kirsten Baritz: And Daisy Edgar Jones from Where the Crowd Eds, saying our other favorite book adaptation, is scheduled to play the lead. I'm actually really excited about this because I feel like the plot would lend itself very well to an edit. Jackie: actually really excited about this because I feel like the plot would lend itself very well to an adaptation. So another of a bit of a controversial with us author is Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover is going to be out on Friday. Kirsten Baritz: another of a bit of a controversial with us author is reminders of him by Colleen Hoover is going to be out on Friday. Yep, March 13th. It is coming. There's a great cast that's playing it. It's coming to theaters. I think this is one that I personally will wait until it is on a streaming platform to see, but I'm very curious what you guys are going to do. Are you going to go to the theater to see this one played out? What about you? think I'm also Jackie: And think I'm also gonna wait, but I'd also like to know what people thought about this book. and the last one that we have to talk about is something that you watched over the weekend. Kirsten Baritz: and the last one that we have to talk about is something that you watched over the weekend. That's right. We're following up with last week's episode where I talked about Vladimir, the adaptation that was coming out on Netflix. And I actually had the opportunity to watch, I think the first three episodes over the weekend with my husband ⁓ ⁓ liked it, which ⁓ I had mentioned that it was a literary fiction book that was being adapted and I wasn't sure that it was going to be for everyone. They did some really clever things. It is an internal monologue type of book, but they had the character, the main female character, breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience and almost being an unreliable narrator of sorts. I love that. But it was really clever because how else are you going to get her internal monologue for setting up these scenes? So smart. It made it into a satire. It made it really funny. It is sexy. is like these moments of like, wait, is that happening? And then you realize it's her imagining. Jackie: which again, I had mentioned that it was a literary fiction book that was being adapted and I wasn't sure that it was gonna be for everyone. They did some really clever things. It is an internal monologue type of book, but they have the character, the main female character, breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience and almost being an unreliable narrator of sorts. I love that. But it was really clever because how else are you gonna get her internal setting up these scenes. So smart. It made it into a satire. It made it really funny. It is sexy. is like these moments of like, wait, is that happening? And then you realize it's her imagining the scene and then what the scene is afterwards. Kirsten Baritz: the scene and then what the scene is actually playing out afterwards. sounds really good. I wanna watch this one. It is. ⁓ Jackie: It sounds really good. I actually want to watch this one. It is. It's a really great one for the summertime. It's very escapist. It like makes you squirm a little like you're kind of like uncomfortable. Okay. If you get secondhand embarrassment easily, which I do, like sometimes you're like, am I watching this? Like, what's going ⁓ on? Kirsten Baritz: It's a really great one for the summertime. It's very escapist. It like makes you squirm a little like you're kind of like uncomfortable. So if you get secondhand embarrassment easily, which I do like sometimes you're just like, am I watching this? Like what's going on? But it's really great. It's entertaining. Jackie: but it's really great. It's entertaining. Love that. Kirsten Baritz: say. Hi, Jules. Hi, welcome to the podcast. We're so excited that you're here. Julianne Buonocore: Hi, good to see you. Kirsten Baritz: going to get into our main segment, which is a deep dive of Gilmore Girls ⁓ and celebrity book clubs and where they join forces. And we're doing that with Jules Bono, a Friday Night Reader. So let's take a look. you're here today to talk to us about Gilmore Girls ⁓ and their celebrity book club picks. But you tell us a little bit about Friday Night Julianne Buonocore: Friday night readers is a book club that reads the books that were on Gilmore girls. And I kind of got obsessed with this in the pandemic where I was ⁓ looking a show to watch that felt comforting. And, ⁓ know, was getting hyped up on books that weren't really doing it for me on bookstagram. And I thought back to ⁓ it almost fall. And I thought back to the Gilmore girls And then I remembered that there was a list floating around the internet. of all the books that they supposedly had read. And I say that because that list is wrong and I've since made my own list. so I kind of got into it at that time and I didn't really think much of it, but when I set mentioned on social media, ⁓ went nuts over it. So it ended up becoming a thing. You know, I made a separate bookstagram account for it and we did it several years. it used to be Rory Gilmore book club. Now it's Friday night readers, because I wanted it to be a little bit more open-ended than just Gilmore girls. Like we also love seasonal reading and stuff like that, which is Gilmore adjacent, but not exactly Gilmore girls. ⁓ And over the past few years now, also done, it took me almost two years to go episode by episode, pausing and looking at books that are in the background and trying to figure out what they are, which we'll get to some of those. Kirsten Baritz: I'm so glad that Jules was able to join us as our first ever guest. Hopefully you guys will have a chance to go and check out Friday Night Readers on Substack. ⁓ But now it's for the bookmark and it's Jackie's pick this week. Yep. Julianne Buonocore: today. So I think what I've come up with now is the most comprehensive and accurate list of books that were on Gilmore Girls. It's 475. And our book club mostly functions on Substack. ⁓ So, you know, those are long form posts and, we read on ⁓ one monthly ⁓ So this we're doing books were published after 2000, because I think that's really what's fun about Gilmore Girls is that you get the older classics, but then you get the things that were popular in the early aughts. And for someone of my age, an elder millennial, ⁓ those were the books that I missed because I was studying in school at that time. So I wasn't really reading for fun. And that really interested me about the ⁓ list and the challenge as a whole. And it's really just grown since then. I still ⁓ get so much joy out of these books. And there's just something about it for me about knowing what they're talking about on the show. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Do you have a favorite that you've read that was on the show? Julianne Buonocore: one popped into mind. I don't know if I say it's my favorite book that I read from the show, but it's hard not to pick Anna Karenina because I know I never would have read it, but for the show, because it's Rory Gilmore's favorite book and it's very intimidating. It's Russian literature. It's 800 pages. ⁓ And I'm to this day, glad that I read it. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: I still, it's such a joyful reading experience and I got so much out of it. And I know that I never would have done it without this challenge. ⁓ for our readers. ⁓ as a whole, the number one pick by far ⁓ is, there's two driving Ms. Daisy. ⁓ And I highly recommend the audio book version because it's Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones. And it's such sweet book that feels like. Kirsten Baritz: All right. ⁓ wow. Julianne Buonocore: It gives you that warm hug feeling. And with their voices, it's just another level. And everyone I recommend that to and listens absolutely loves that book, which is technically a play. The other one is The Outsiders. Everyone loves The Outsiders. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Really? My sixth grader is currently reading that actually. Julianne Buonocore: Nice. Jackie: My bookmark this week is a book that's coming out on March 31st, and I'm super excited. It is The Book Witch by Meg Schaeffer. And I've loved all of her books, and this one just made me feel so good. It is about Rainy March, and she is a book witch. So she is able to go into books ⁓ and repair them ⁓ when burners try and books. ⁓ So she has to go in to her favorite detective novel to fix the story and she ends up falling in love with the main character and brings him into the real world for a little while, which she's not really supposed to do. And the next thing you know, there's an adventure of the two of them. There's a little bit of a mystery and it is an absolute love for books written into this book. It mentions classics. It mentions, ⁓ we have Elizabeth Bennet in here. We have like some Jane Eyre, there's Alice in Wonderland. I mean, every book that you love is in this. It's really an ode to books and it's a little bit love story, a little bit fantasy, a little bit mystery, and you have everything in this book. Kirsten Baritz: for books written into this book. mentions classics. mentions, ⁓ we have Elizabeth Bennett in here. We have like some Jane Eyre, there's Alice in Wonderland. I mean, every book that you love is in this. It's really an ode to books and it's a little bit of love story, a little bit fantasy, a little bit mystery, and you have everything in this book. And you said this is the year of book about books, so. Jackie: So, you know, this seems to be right on trend with what you're Yes, yes, 100%. And it was every bit as delicious as I hoped it would be. Kirsten Baritz: You know, this seems to be right on trend with what you're thinking for the year. Yes, 100%. let's into it. ⁓ If Gilmore was going to reading ⁓ Celebrity Book Club picks, ⁓ what do think she would Julianne Buonocore: So first of all, think she would be a Jenna or maybe an Oprah too. Kirsten Baritz: I think in modern day now it would be a Jenna for sure. Yep. Julianne Buonocore: Yeah. And that's how I read and I consider myself ⁓ be a Rory. So with Rory, I think of classics. I think of literary fiction. And then, you know, the last thing I tried to incorporate into my picks for her ⁓ ⁓ books. say like a dash of bookworm ness of dash of like that books about books kind of thing and books about writers. ⁓ Kirsten Baritz: Which is funny because I have declared that 2026 is the year of books about books. There's Julianne Buonocore: we're starting to see it. And you just reminded me of one I didn't put on my list, which I probably should have. Wasn't Library Book a Reese pick like several years ago? So there's a bonus pick. ⁓ Kirsten Baritz: Next week's episode is going to be a plot twist where we're going to talk about all about the April reading challenge prompt, books about grief. We have a special author coming on to chat with us, but we would like to know what your favorite grief romance books are. Or I guess grief books in general, but that one in particular is a little sub genre that we're going to dive into next week. Other than that, like, follow, and subscribe. And happy reading. Jackie: Next week's episode is gonna be a plot twist. What we're gonna talk about all about the April reading challenge prompt, books about grief. We have a special offer coming on to chat with us, but we would like to know what your favorite grief romance books are. I guess grief books in general, but that one in particular is a little sub genre that we're gonna dive into next week. Other than that, like, follow and subscribe. And happy reading. Kirsten Baritz: Yes, it was. It was. Okay. There we go. Okay. And that was a good one. And I could see her wanting to know like the history of that fire because there's still some, she's like probably out there trying to solve it. Julianne Buonocore: Absolutely. for all of these, through Oprah, Jenna, Reese, ⁓ Jimmy Fallon, and GMA. Those are my top five. for Rory, what's interesting about these ⁓ is Some of the books ⁓ actually were on show. So the ones for Rory that were on the show, Anna Karenina, we've already talked about, The and the Fury by William Faulkner. Kirsten Baritz: Love it. Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: which was, she called it her bus book one day when she was like packing her book bag and she's packing with all these books and she said, ⁓ this is my bus book. Kirsten Baritz: ⁓ that's right. Julianne Buonocore: ⁓ I have a great one. because I think I'm the only person who has named this one. When I told you I went through myself and tried to make like the best possible list, I actually found the secret history on her shelf. I I think it might be in a few episodes and it's like literally just the spine. And I, you know, that's the one book that not just me, but a lot of Gilmore Girls fans say like Rory would totally read the secret history. It's dark academia and New England. Kirsten Baritz: ⁓ no way. Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: ⁓ And you heard it here first that, you know, I'm being an expert on the books on the show. ⁓ I found it and you probably won't find it on any other list. Kirsten Baritz: laughter ⁓ So what are the newer ones? Julianne Buonocore: So the ones. So there's a few that were really easy. ⁓ ⁓ becoming by Michelle Obama. know she worked on Barack Obama's campaign. another fun one that I thought was the bluest eye by Toni Morrison. And the reason I thought of that one was a few reasons. Toni Morrison is not on the list and I just can't imagine a world in which Rory Gilmore does not read Toni Morrison. Kirsten Baritz: Yeah. Yep. Yeah. Julianne Buonocore: And the reason I picked this one in particular is because it was on two celebrity book club lists, the Oprah and the Jenna list. ⁓ So I thought that one, yes. Yeah, Kirsten Baritz: That's right. That's one of the, I think the only book that is on TULIS. Julianne Buonocore: So I think you guys will like this one, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Kirsten Baritz: Yeah, 100%. I love that one. And it's all about librarians. So I could see her loving that. Julianne Buonocore: Speaking, yes, yes, it's about librarians. I forget the time period, maybe like mid 1800s was it? That they were traveling librarians. ⁓ Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. But it was the librarians. Right. Right, right, right. That traveled. That was a great book. Yeah. I love that one. Julianne Buonocore: And then another one that I think has been more popular recently that I'm so glad people are getting into now ⁓ Because I personally loved it when it came out is called writers and lovers by Lilly King. Did you guys read that one? Kirsten Baritz: So it's funny, I did not read that one, but Heart the Lover, which is sort of a sequel, but not really. It's kind of a bookend on either side. I thought was one of my favorite books of last year. It was phenomenal. And now I have to go back and read Writers and Lovers. I read it. Writers and Lovers, did you like it? ⁓ I don't. ⁓ Julianne Buonocore: It's hit or miss. It's hit or miss with people. Kirsten Baritz: I know that it was supposed to be emotional. It was incredibly well written, but it didn't hit me emotionally. I didn't have an emotional reaction to it. And I was just like, meh. Julianne Buonocore: I think what I liked about it, so it's about a writer ⁓ kind of like starting her career. that's really what I loved about was more of like how hard it is to start your career as a young person and especially ⁓ in the arts. I definitely think we see Rory struggling in her career. Like I kind of wonder where she is right now. Like is she working in Stars Hollow? And even when she was doing like her New Yorker piece in a year in the life, like it really was just that one piece. We didn't really see, you know, the Christiane Amanpour career that she originally aspired to. ⁓ so I think she may, feel aligned with that protagonist as well. Kirsten Baritz: Yeah, I could see that. There's a lot of similarities there. Julianne Buonocore: before we move on, there's one I almost forgot, which is absolutely perfect for Rory, and it is Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Kirsten Baritz: Which won the Pulitzer? Julianne Buonocore: And it is a retelling of David Copperfield in modern Appalachia. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. It's a powerful book. ⁓ It's ⁓ sad. It's incredibly sad. I like my heart was breaking for these characters, the book. ⁓ Julianne Buonocore: I agree. You really do get the emotions ⁓ because it's about poverty, it's about addiction. Dickens, ⁓ I don't think the number one author reference. I think William Shakespeare, but think he's the number two referenced author on the show. Kirsten Baritz: talk to us Lorelai because I feel like not really reading those classics. Julianne Buonocore: No, she's not. Lorelai is our pop culture goddess. I also think beyond pop culture, I think there is a lot of books that are on celebrity book hubbless that are what I would say are whip smart, especially like GMA, see that, like the really provocative narratives. So I think of her reading that type of stuff as well, where it's like just as sharp as she is. of course, we know Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: that she read Wilds because she went on the Wilds by Cheryl Strayed adventure on A Year in the Life. And that was originally an Oprah pick. It does have some Reese in it as well though, because Reese starred in the movie. So it's also Reese coated. Kirsten Baritz: Right. That's right, she did. And she's chosen that author for something else, a different one of her books. Julianne Buonocore: Yeah, Tiny Beautiful Things, which was also great. So another one I ask you guys about, ⁓ it's really old, it's ⁓ 1990s. ⁓ I read it, it was actually required reading in high school for me, which is odd because ⁓ not that required reading is contemporary. And this book came out at the time we read it. ⁓ Where the Heart Is by Billy Letts. ⁓ Kirsten Baritz: That is. Mm-hmm. Love it, love it, love it, love I love the movie with Natalie Portman. I did not read it in school, but I did read it on my own. Probably a little bit too young to have been reading it on my own. It was like, my mom let me read anything that had like Oprah's stamp of approval on it. Like not realizing that I was reading like Wally Lamb. Right, which all of those are But this one was tender and sweet and totally appropriate, I think, mostly for my teenage self. Julianne Buonocore: Yeah. I agree with that. in a way, it's Lorelai's story, where it's like a pregnant teen who she up living in Walmart. Kirsten Baritz: Right, that's what I was gonna say. Julianne Buonocore: And then she has the baby and it's a found family story. ⁓ It's very Lorela. Kirsten Baritz: it is, and it's all about her community that comes and supports her. It is really like, ⁓ you almost see Gilmore Girls being inspired by this movie, I mean by this book. ⁓ Julianne Buonocore: Yeah, on the show, Lorelei refers to, ⁓ were none by Agatha Christie. So, and I know you guys love the Christie affair, ⁓ which is about Christie going missing. ⁓ And yes, I thought, Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Yes. ⁓ Yeah. And that was our book club pick last month. Julianne Buonocore: That would be a fun one for Lorelei. Kirsten Baritz: hundred percent ⁓ and ⁓ book does have references to and then there were none or murder on the Orient Express. So so That's actually a perfect. Yeah, she would get a kick out of that. I Julianne Buonocore: And Lorelai is super smart. Although she wouldn't read the classics, she would totally read Agatha Christie. It's the number one mystery writer of all time. Kirsten Baritz: Yes, definitely. Well, she was a private school girly, you know, and people forget that because she is like this bouncing, bubbly, single mom who's like doing her own thing, but she had the same education that, minus the college, right? But she had the same education that Rory had. So she's definitely capable of reading these like heavier texts, but I think it's a matter of she doesn't... Julianne Buonocore: Yeah. Kirsten Baritz: want to not that she's not able to. People underestimate how whip smart she is. Julianne Buonocore: Very true. Mm-hmm. I think the fact that Agatha Christie mysteriously disappeared for several days would really intrigue her. Another one I picked that I just had to pick ⁓ was The Family by Naomi Kropitzky, which basically a mafia story. So ⁓ the number one book that Lorelai refers ⁓ on Gilmore Girls is The Godfather So, you know, a mafia book, had to include that. Kirsten Baritz: Yes. That's a great one. Yeah, it makes sense for her personality, 100%. And then she would probably like go to dinner with Richard and start like talking in mob speak and he'd be so confused, you know? Like you could just see her making a bit out of it. Always. Julianne Buonocore: haha I kind of thought the Husbands by Holly Grimazio that one? Kirsten Baritz: You read that one. it's so funny because most people that read that book do not like it and I read it and I thought it was so incredibly smart and clever and wonderful. I think she would think it awesome. I think from everything you've told me ⁓ that is ⁓ her sense of It is they, ⁓ you know, like ⁓ in the it's about the that keep coming down from the attic and every time the husband goes up into the attic a new husband appears. It's like a time warp. ⁓ Julianne Buonocore: And it's quirky. Kirsten Baritz: The husbands keep going up and coming back down and she'll get like annoyed at like, you know, the way they brush their teeth or something bigger. And then she'll be ⁓ could you get something from the attic? And it's just so funny. Like the idea that you would just like quick replace. It's funny. It does. Julianne Buonocore: It feels very Lorelei. Like it feels like something that could be in like a dream montage of Lorelei, where it's like Christopher coming down and then Luke. Of course. Kirsten Baritz: Mm hmm. Yeah, especially because. Yes. Yes, Kirk walks down the ladder and she's like, immediate send back. Julianne Buonocore: So the last one I picked for Lorelai, because she's really into movies, I think she'd be really into summer blockbuster hits. And Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which was a GMA pick, is all about traveling to outer space. Kirsten Baritz: Yeah, which is also having a moment. Yeah. Some space books. Julianne Buonocore: she would go, like she'd watch like Apollo 13 or ⁓ Armageddon. ⁓ You know, maybe she'd go to the movie theater and watch of old movies after she read it. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I could see that. And Rory would be sitting there reading, like, hidden figures instead. Okay, so we have the third Gilmore girl who is Emily Gilmore. So what do think she'd be reading? Julianne Buonocore: Emily is my absolute favorite character, first of all. I love her so much. Kirsten Baritz: Hahaha. Julianne Buonocore: so when we see her read on the show, usually for her book club. ⁓ So I think the way we would see Emily reading ⁓ is the most popular book club books of today. And I think there's a few that especially popular with women of a certain age, they're popular with everyone, but especially like women of a certain age tend to gravitate. Like Tom Lake is about, Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: a woman talking about her past to her adult daughters. That really resonates with someone like Emily. Kirsten Baritz: But she would be scandalized because it's like about the theater, right? Like she'd be scandalized reading that one. Julianne Buonocore: Yes. And there's also a twist in that that might scandalize her. We won't say what it is. ⁓ And then you have two other really popular books with book clubs and with women. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Of course, what book club didn't read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and Broken Country, which I know was one of your favorite books last year by Claire Leslie Hall. I feel like that was the book club book of the year last year. Kirsten Baritz: That's true too. That is also true. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yes. ⁓ yes. Yeah. I think it was. And for good reason. But I think that Emily would read it and like very much be like, well, the mother was right the whole time when she tries to like, right, like think about the characters and what happens at the plot. She would definitely align herself with the villain of that book. Julianne Buonocore: haha Yeah, and because I was going to say the mother's tough in that book. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And make some choices for her son's future that are maybe not actually in his best interest, but she thinks they are. And there's a lot of parallels with, like, Lorelei in that one. Yeah. Julianne Buonocore: Yes. So I also thought, you know, Emily is coming into her own as of 2016, a year in the life. She's living in Nantucket. I thought she would be more open to reading about class at this point. So I actually thought it would be really fun for Emily to read The Maid by Nita Proce. You know, we see her befriending her maid in A Year in the Life. And I think she might actually like the main character in that book. Kirsten Baritz: Yep. Julianne Buonocore: who is a quirky maid in a hotel who's on a kind of like a murder mystery. Kirsten Baritz: Yes. Yeah, I think she would be trying so hard and would not understand Molly. Like fully what was going on in Molly's head. Like she would not understand. She'd be so confused. She'd be trying to like be friends with her and do the right thing. And she just wouldn't get it. I think like reading this, she probably wouldn't even understand the character of Molly. Julianne Buonocore: Do you think she'd finish it? Kirsten Baritz: Yeah. And I think she would like it, but I think she wouldn't understand Molly's quirks. Yeah. Julianne Buonocore: ⁓ So I thought another good one about class and about women and families ⁓ dealing with is Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson. Kirsten Baritz: which I don't think got enough recognition. I think that is one of the best books the year that it came out. And I feel like she, could see her like discussing that book with like the D.A.R. women and being like, ⁓ my gosh, and this thing happened. And don't you remember when like Suzy Q had the same thing happen to her with her family? Like I think she would use it as the jumping off point to gossip, a hundred percent. Julianne Buonocore: Agree. That's exactly what it would be. would be with the D.A.R. women because it's all about a woman and I believe she had two daughters and then a daughter-in-law who was kind of like the outsider trying to like fit into this wealthy family. you know, every one of them has different things going on that's all related to money. So it's a really smart book. And I think that Emily would be in a place where she could read this and then, like you said, talk about it with the D.A.R. women. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. And I would like to be a fly on the wall of that DIR book club meeting. I would like to be a fly on the wall for any one of her book club meetings. let's have some fun with Lane and Paris. Can you give us like two or three picks for each of them? Julianne Buonocore: Okay. Yeah, so with Lane, mean, it's really obvious that, ⁓ you know, she loves music. So anything music-driven. And then I also really like ⁓ Asian American books for Lane. I think there are so many themes that she would relate to in them. And I think it would also just be nice for her to have characters, no matter the genre, like whether it's about race or not, just the characters that look like her. You know, she is one of the only diverse characters, her family on the show. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: So I think it would be nice for her to have these stories in her life that represent her. So, you know, of course, music books, we see Daisy Jones and the Six, then ⁓ a book that you guys referred to me and that I have on my holds list. So maybe you guys can talk about it. Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns. ⁓ Kirsten Baritz: love this book so much. ⁓ Yeah, it's about Nashville songwriters different time periods with a loose connection to each other, each trying to make it in a male dominated industry, ⁓ which I think that really to Lane especially. ⁓ The second protagonist, it's in early ⁓ 90s, and some of the that you see happening with her still happen when Lane is out there starting her band. So I think she would absolutely love this one, especially because there's a musical live music component to the audiobook. Which is ⁓ the second book we've actually read this year that did that. That has the music playing. know, with full accompaniment. Yeah. from music, what else are you choosing for ⁓ Lane? Julianne Buonocore: So there are several Asian American books on the various lists. The one that really stood out to me, well, two of them that stood out to me. Little Fires Everywhere, which is about ⁓ class and race in a white neighborhood, a white suburban neighborhood. And then another one that is a little off beat. Like I kind of had to ⁓ stretch to think of this for Lane, but do think it works. I think tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Yep. Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: which is really about friendship and video games. But I think Lane being a musician is very much about play and video games are very much about play. And we also have Sam who is an Asian American character in that. Kirsten Baritz: Yes. you Yep, But it's also... ⁓ the creativity and the creativity of making video games is very similar to the creativity of making music. So I think it's the artistry and being a female in a male dominated world and in this case, an art world. Julianne Buonocore: Mm-hmm. Kirsten Baritz: ⁓ And stigma too of like when you're an artist, when you're trying to do video or you're trying do music, you... ⁓ you're struggling and a lot of people don't find you. You're like, ⁓ what is this little hobby of yours until you become Uber successful and then people are accepting of you. But when you're just trying out any of these fields, people are like, why don't you get a real job? Why don't you do something else? And so I think she'd resonate with that. That would resonate with her too. Julianne Buonocore: That's very true and we do see that on the show and I think both the book and the show show the business side of creativity, which is hard. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. right. What do you think about for Paris? ⁓ Julianne Buonocore: So we know she reads classics because she refers to them a lot. we know she went to Chilton. We know she went to Yale. We know her and Rory were in a lot of classes together. When I looked at these lists, basically any time a really intense plot was on the page, I was like, that is Paris, because Paris is so intense. So two classics that I picked for Paris were actually books. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Julianne Buonocore: that were read on the first day of Chilton for Rory, which by the way, I do have my Chilton sweatshirt on. Kirsten Baritz: Mm. I love that. Julianne Buonocore: it was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. These were both Oprah picks. ⁓ So we know that Paris have read them, but Rory wouldn't, which is very symbolic of that ⁓ season of the show, Kirsten Baritz: I think Rory would have gone back and read them like later on at some point. Julianne Buonocore: one that immediately sprang to my mind ⁓ was Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kushino. That's a recent one that's been really popular and it's basically about a modern woman who will stop at absolutely nothing to buy a house. Kirsten Baritz: And she's like a little bit of a psycho character. ⁓ But you see internal monologue is as intense as Paris's internal monologue for sure. Julianne Buonocore: Yes. Kirsten Baritz: Now we're going to get into some of the bigger characters than more minor characters than what we think they would read. So let's do a speed round of our favorites and let's start with Luke. Julianne Buonocore: Luke was easy because on Oprah's book club list, there's The Road by Cormac McCarthy. And Luke actually read several Cormac McCarthy books on the show. are in, ⁓ when he breaks up with, I hope this isn't a spoiler for anyone, when he breaks up with Lorelei, she's packing boxes of all of his belongings and there are several Cormac McCarthy books in there. Kirsten Baritz: What about Dean? Julianne Buonocore: he would read whatever Rory told to read, ⁓ which is Pride and Prejudice, which he does read because she told him to read it. And that was a recent read with Jenna Pick. Kirsten Baritz: Hahaha. Right. How about jazz? Julianne Buonocore: Just also easy because one of the books he is known for reading on the show, which I know is one of your all time favorite books, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which was an Oprah book. Kirsten Baritz: I think he's an Oprah all the way. I think there's a bunch of characters that are full Oprah. Yeah. ⁓ about Logan? Julianne Buonocore: Yeah, he's definitely an Oprah, definitely. Logan was tough. I struggled with Logan and what I came down to was, you know, he's in the news business. And I thought chain getting all stars sort of had that it's dystopian. It's about the prison You know, it's about gladiators who are fighting for their freedom, which feels very culturally relevant and newsworthy. Kirsten Baritz: Mmm. It's also one that I recommend to men that are looking for book clubs because it's a little bit more gory. So it's not one that I would typically always always, always, always, always mention there is a high level of gore and killing in it, but it is really entertaining and I just, could definitely see him reading that one. And lastly, Suki. I actually feel like this is pretty easy. Julianne Buonocore: It's so easy. There really was only one food book on all of the lists and it's an excellent, excellent book. It's From Scratch by Tembi Locke. It's a memoir about ⁓ her marriage to a Italian cook. And then this isn't a spoiler, he passes away and it's about her coping with grief through food and through Italy, family, all those types of things. Kirsten Baritz: I read this book and I read her follow-up memoir and I 100 % agree, Suki would love this book. And she'd be cooking Italian for like a little extra while reading it. I have a few here. Okay. Richard. Julianne Buonocore: Richard was the toughest one, I think, because he reads a lot of biographies, a lot of very historically significant books. The one I came down to for him, which was The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. ⁓ We don't see Richard reading this, you know, as a slavery book. We don't see him reading a lot of books about race, but it won ⁓ several awards, which I think he would like, it is also still historical. Kirsten Baritz: Yes. 100%. It's a brilliantly written book. And the way that it's done, it's a little bit magical realism. for anyone who hasn't read it, they envision the Underground Railroad as an ⁓ railroad that takes you to different places and ⁓ times almost. And I think that he would love it. we have Miss Patty. Julianne Buonocore: The Turnout by Megan Abbott because it is a ballet book. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Right. That perfect. Literally perfect. What about Babette? ⁓ Julianne Buonocore: Okay, When we think about Babette, we think about gossip. ⁓ And so we have to look at the Celebrity Club lists and say, what is the most gossiped book of the past several years? ⁓ And for many reasons, I landed on Where the Crawdads Sing. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Right, which was really the one that put Reese's book club on the map because it was such a bestseller for so long and then there was the adaptation and it really gave validity to her book club and yeah, it's one that everyone has read. If you ask anyone in the past century, I feel like before that it was The Nightingale and then it was Where the Crowd Eds End. So, makes sense. Julianne Buonocore: Agree. And there was also some controversy surrounding this book. So I think about that would love to talk about the author's controversy. Kirsten Baritz: Yes, yes, I could see her doing like a deep dive and trying to really uncover whether or not she was guilty of what she's been accused So what about Kirk? Julianne Buonocore: I found the best book for Kirk, The Library by Matt Haag, which is all about living all of these different lives. It's a magical realism book and ⁓ Kirk's whole existence is living all of these different lives. Kirsten Baritz: 100%. This is so perfect for him. What about Taylor? Julianne Buonocore: you know, he's all about neighborhood and community, and he's very active in politics. ⁓ And there is a it's called The Great Divide, and it's all about building the Panama Canal. So I thought that one was pretty good match for Taylor. Kirsten Baritz: I could see that too, because it also is about how the building of that canal impacted the community at large. So I could see that for him. He would be like, I want to be the mayor that goes in and fixes this problem. we're going to finish off with our big question. If ⁓ all of the main characters of the Gilmore Girls were together for a book club. what book would it be? Julianne Buonocore: I feel 100 % confident about this. It is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmis. Kirsten Baritz: Yes, that is another one that is like the book club pick and they would all have very different reactions to it. Julianne Buonocore: Lessons in Chemistry is about a woman who becomes a single mom. And this takes place in 1960, which I think some of the characters would have even liked, know, Babette and Taylor would like the vintage era. But she's a single mom, like Lorelai, to a young girl. And she has to really start over her life at this time. And she was also very smart and a scientist. So I think Paris would relate to that. Kirsten Baritz: Mm-hmm. Thank Julianne Buonocore: ⁓ And then she ends up starting her own cooking show, which Suki would relate to. Kirsten Baritz: And so Luke for that matter. ⁓ Julianne Buonocore: Yes, yes, because when I thought about it, I was thinking, you know, if they had a book club, it would obviously take place at Luke's diner. Like I almost envisioned in my head this episode that is like the Bracebridge dinner where like everyone comes together and everyone has some little piece of the book club. Kirsten Baritz: And I could see at least one character coming in and referencing the adaptation that like stuff that happened in the adaptation that didn't happen in the book and everyone yelling at them like, no, that's not from the book. Julianne Buonocore: I think that would be Babette and Miss Patty who would do that. Kirsten Baritz: I love that. Uh And Kirk would have like maybe read the chemistry book or something instead. Like he just would have like not paid attention and like read something else. I did would be really funny. Julianne Buonocore: Mm-hmm. Kirsten Baritz: I would like to see an episode of them. Julianne Buonocore: And you also have, ⁓ there's a dog in that book who is a big character and Paul Enka is a big character. Like when you really think about this, there are just so many levels. And then I feel like Suki would be making these, you know, foods that have like chemical reactions where it's like dry ice and stuff. Kirsten Baritz: Yeah. That's right. That's right. I want to go to that book club. Yeah. ⁓ definitely ⁓ with all of them. That would be amazing. then like Emily crashes in to the book club because she read it too with her book club. And then she's like dealing with all the residents of Stars Hollow. I know, except for that I feel like Emily would have very different opinions about like ⁓ a woman wanting to work and that would a great discussion. It would be such a good episode. Like bring that back for the year in the life round too. Let's get a book club episode. Julianne Buonocore: I agree. Kirsten Baritz: You should tell them Jules. ⁓ Just call up Amy Palladino and be like, here's the deal. We need you to come back more time for this. Julianne Buonocore: I should tell them. Listen, ASP, I got it for you. Kirsten Baritz: Well, thank you for coming today, Jules. This is so much fun. Julianne Buonocore: Thank you, this was so fun.