I recently watched the new Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix…. so, of course, I have a new book list. Like so many other fans of the Gilmore Girls, I was looking forward to the new shows. They didn’t disappoint, and, of course, there were plenty of pop culture and book references. The lists below cover all four episodes in the Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. I have two lists posted below, one for books and one for authors, mentioned or referenced on the shows. The book, author and episode(s) they were mentioned in are included on the lists.
My goal is to read the books on the book list and at least one book by each author on the author list. To see what I’m reading, click over to my Goodreads. Also, I created a Goodreads list for this book list. If you’re interested, click on over to Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Books.
| Book | Episode width=”60%” |
|---|---|
| The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain |
Winter: One of Lorelai’s reasons for looking through Rory’s boxes was to find the prequel to Huckleberry Finn. |
| Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy |
Summer: Rory read it at the pool. |
| The Art of War Sun Tzu |
Spring: Paris mentioned it during her talk at Chilton. |
| The Call of the Wild Jack London |
Fall: Lorelai said she had “your call of the wild right here, pal” when packing her backpack. |
| Cloud Atlas David Mitchell |
Spring: Rory says that Naomi’s book is not Cloud Atlas. |
| Consider the Lobster and Other Essays David Foster Wallace |
Spring: Mentioned during Rory’s Conde Nast meeting. |
| Cyrano de Bergerac Edmond Rostand |
Winter: Lorelai called Rory ‘Cyrano’. |
| Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller |
Spring: Rory said Naomi thought he was an Aeschylus character. |
| Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert |
Fall: A hiker said she was going to do it, but her miles were blacked out. |
| I Feel Bad About My Neck Nora Ephron |
Summer: Rory referenced it when she said, “I don’t want to say you’ve been filing that piece of paper for a long time, but when you started, Nora Ephron felt good about her neck.” |
| Julius Caesar William Shakespeare |
Spring: Kirk referenced it when he said, “Et to, Luke.” |
| The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Marie Kondo |
Winter: Emily read it. |
| Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls Wilder |
Fall: Sookie said Jackson was reading it to Martha. |
| Macbeth William Shakespeare |
Fall: A Life and Death Brigade member quoted it – “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” |
| Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy Isaac Newton |
Winter: Luke was using it to help understand a letter from April. |
| My Struggle Karl Ove Knausgard |
Fall: Jess was reading it at the Gilmore Girls house. |
| On the Road Jack Kerouac |
Winter: Lorelai said Rory was on the roading it. |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde |
Fall: Lorelai said Emily had a picture in the attic that Dorian Gray was consulting copyright lawyers about. |
| Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee |
Summer: Taylor mentioned it. |
| Wild Cheryl Strayed |
Summer: Lorelai read it at the pool. Fall: Lorelai wanted to do the Pacific Crest Trail. |
| Author | Episode |
|---|---|
| Aeschylus | Spring: Rory said Naomi talked about him at lunch. |
| Edward Albee | Summer: Taylor said Albee was his mentor. |
| Carl Bernstein | Fall: Christopher called Rory Mr. Bernstein. |
| Noam Chumsky | Summer: April said she met him at MIT. |
| Leonard Cohen | Winter: Lane mentioned him. |
| Gail Collins | Winter: Rory met her. |
| Dave Eggers | Summer: Rory and Jess talked about him. |
| Ralph Waldo Emerson | Spring: Paris quoted him – “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” |
| Nora Ephron | Summer: Rory mentioned her. |
| Jack Kerouac | Winter: Lorelai said Rory is like him. |
| Marie Kondo | Winter: Emily mentioned her. |
| David Mamet | Fall: Lorelai mentioned a Mamet play. |
| John McPhee | Winter: Rory mentioned him. |
| Dorothy Parker | Spring: Paris mentioned her. |
| William Shakespeare | Spring: Naomi mentioned him when at lunch with Rory. |
| David Foster Wallace | Spring: Mentioned during Rory’s Conde Nast meeting. |
| Edith Wharton | Spring: Lorelai said she’s not Edith Wharton. |