Books are in the DNA of Gilmore Girls. There are even reading challenges based on tackling the 500 or so books that appear on the show. In honor of the 25th anniversary, we’ve put together a reading list of new books that match the Gilmore Girls vibe. You’ll find nonfiction, fiction, romance and horror, a reading list as eccentric as some of Rory’s literary selections. So as you finish watching Gilmore Girls for the first or maybe 100th time, give in to the bookish urge to get cozy with the biggest mug of coffee you can find and get your TBR ready to celebrate a Stars Hollow milestone.
Don’t Stop: Why We (Still) Love Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours by Alan Light
If you always have an earbud in or can’t do a task without a dedicated playlist, you probably loved the musical references on the show. It’s fitting, then, to include a book on our Gilmore Girls list about a band that was mentioned in the show: Fleetwood Mac. Lane admitted she loves them, even though she says she’s embarrassed to be. I’m not sure why either.
Synopsis: On January 1, 1975, struggling young singer-songwriter Lindsey Buckingham was invited to join the veteran blues band Fleetwood Mac. He agreed on the condition that his girlfriend, an equally unknown vocalist named Stevie Nicks, also be included. Within two years, Rumours was born—and went on to become one of the most popular albums of all time.
Almost five decades later, it is the only classic rock record that still attracts young listeners and continues to top sales and streaming charts. In Don’t Stop, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Alan Light unravels the enduring allure of Fleetwood Mac’s monumental album. Since its 1977 release, Rumours has captivated generations with its unparalleled blend of romantic turmoil and musical genius. Light explores the album’s transformation from a pop phenomenon to a cultural touchstone and its unique ability to remain relevant in today’s rapidly changing music scene.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with current artists inspired by Fleetwood Mac, as well as fans who have only recently discovered the album, Light investigates what keeps Rumors at the forefront of popular culture, from Glee to Saturday Night Live to Daisy Jones & the Six. Through insightful analysis and storytelling, Don’t Stop celebrates the album’s trailblazing sound and diverse voices, and the emotional depth that continues to fascinate audiences. From the incredible soap opera behind the album’s creation to its embrace in the age of TikTok, this book presents a kaleidoscopic view of a landmark work that has transcended its time.
On Sale November 4, 2025 via Atria. Order here.
Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd
Creativity and writing play a massive part in the show, so if you’re feeling inspired after watching Gilmore Girls, you should pick up Sue Monk Kidd’s book. Partly based on her own experience and guidance from other well-known authors, the guidebook could be helpful for any creative spark you need to coax into something transformation and life giving.
Synopsis: When Sue Monk Kidd was in high school, a home economics teacher wrote a list of potential occupations for women on the blackboard: teacher, nurse, librarian, secretary. “Writer” was nowhere to be found. On that day, Kidd shut the door on her writerly aspirations and would not revisit the topic until many years later, when she announced to her husband and two children that she was going to become a writer. And so began her journey into the mysteries and methods of the writerly life…
In Writing Creativity and Soul, Sue Monk Kidd will draw from her own life and the experiences of other writers—such as Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, and many others—to provide a map for anyone who has ever felt lost as a writer. At the heart of this book is the unwavering belief that writing is a spiritual act, one that draws inspiration from the soul, that wellspring of creativity between imagination and feeling. Once you tap into that part of yourself, said Maya Angelou, there are only three more things you need as a writer: something to say, the ability to say it, and, perhaps most difficult of all, the courage to say it.
Equal parts memoir, guidebook, and spiritual quest, Writing Creativity and Soul is a pilgrimage and a touchstone, a journey into the transformational force of the imagination and the creative genius that lies in the unconscious.
On Sale October 21, 2025 via Knopf. Order here.
The Good Enough Guide To Better Living by Alison Throckmorton
One of the reasons I love Lorelei is that she’s real. She’s not a character who feels as fake as the snow on a television lot; her personality and fast talking feel authentic. Though she grew up privileged, she scraped and fought for every ounce of independence and the career she carved out for herself away from her parents’ influence. I admire her messiness and realness, and I think this book about good living would be one that she would have on her shelf. After your Gilmore Girls binge, you’ll find it’ll help you be more like Lorelei, too.
Synopsis: Cleaning, cooking, errands–it’s never-ending. It’s dreary. It’s tedious. But only if you’re doing it wrong. With room-by-room advice, this is the ultimate bar-lowering guide to good enough living. Inside, you’ll find tips and tricks for prioritizing your life and keeping your home (and yourself) happy:
Substitutes for all those fancy utensils you don’t have
A guide to the least killable houseplants
Maximizing the use of the clothing chair
And so much more! By doing less, you too can live your dream life–or at least one that’s totally fine just the way it is. The best kind of self-improvement book, this anti-perfectionism guide permits you to give yourself a break while getting in some laughs!
Available now via Chronicle Books. Order here.
A Spell for Midwinter’s Heart by Morgan Lockhart
If you love the small town charm of Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hallow, you’ll love the magical small town setting of debut author Morgan Lockhart’s novel A Spell For Midwinter’s Heart. If you want to fall hard for a romance like you did with Luke and Lorelei or Rory and Jess (or Dean or Logan), this is also a good book for you.
Synopsis: Rowan Midwinter has sworn off magic after a spell gone wrong back in high school, so she’s not exactly thrilled when she’s guilted into returning to her quaint mountain hometown for the holiday season. But it’s already Yule and much-needed snow still hasn’t fallen, so Rowan decides she can put up with her former coven and unwanted memories if it means saving the town’s beloved winter festival from the megacorporation threatening to buy it out.
But Rowan’s plans to save the beloved tradition and make it through the holiday magic-free go awry when Gavin McCreery, prodigal son of the festival’s landlord, insists on helping, and their unwanted chemistry keeps setting off holiday lights…literally.
As the end of the festive season draws closer, Rowan realizes what is truly at stake. She must reconnect with what she tried to leave behind, overcome the fear of her power, and let her heart lead the way.
Available now via Dutton. Order here.
The Bridge Back To You by Riss M. Nielson
Though this book doesn’t come out until March, the idea of a second-chance romance is so very Gilmore Girls, and I thought it fit the list so well. The setting of a charming New England town and an inherited restaurant screams Gilmore Girls. Could you put this on your pre-order list as soon as possible?
Synopsis: Olivia owes everything to Celia’s Place. It’s where she learned how to be a great chef. It’s also where she first fell in love. But at nineteen, Olivia had a wanderlust she couldn’t deny. And Carmello, whose mother owned the restaurant, couldn’t leave Celia’s Place behind any more than he could force Olivia to stay.
Now, ten years later, Olivia is a successful personal chef. Her job allows her to travel the world, and she has never stayed in the same place for too long. When Carmello learns that his mother left shares of her beloved restaurant to both him and Olivia, he plans to buy her portion of the shares back quickly and painlessly.
That is, until Olivia shows up at the restaurant, ready to help run it. Carmello sees an opportunity: drive Olivia away from his restaurant so that she will want to sign over her shares. But Olivia sees things a bit differently. She finally has the chance to stay in one place and build a home after years on the move, and perhaps now is the right time to explore whether that home can be with the one who got away.
Soon enough, sparks begin to fly, but can Olivia and Carmello avoid the mistakes of the past?
On Sale March 31, 2026, via Berkley. Order here.
The Unwritten Rules of Magic by Harper Ross
The fraught family relationships at the heart of this whimsical novel might interest you if you loved the drama always present in the Gilmore family. Like the show, this book tells the story of three generations and the impact each generation’s choices have on the others. It’s a beautiful tale of grief, love, and growth, echoing some of viewers’ favorite things about the show.
Synopsis: Emerson Clarke can’t remember a time when she felt in control. Her father—a celebrated author—was a chaotic force until he got Alzheimer’s. Her mother turned to gin. And recently, her teen daughter has shut her out without explanation. If only she could arrange reality the same way she controls the stories she ghostwrites, life could be perfect. Or so she thinks. After her father’s funeral, Emerson steals his vintage typewriter—the one he’d forbidden anyone to touch—and tests its keys by typing out a frivolous wish.
When it comes true the very next day, she tries another. Then, those words also spring to life. Suddenly, she becomes obsessed with using the typewriter to rewrite happiness for herself and her daughter. But the more she shapes her real life, the more she uncovers disturbing truths about her family’s history and the unexpected cost of every story-come-true. She should destroy the typewriter, yet when her daughter’s secret finally emerges, Emerson is torn between paying the price for bending fate and embracing the uncertainty of an unscripted life.
On Sale January 27, 2026, via St. Martin’s Press. Order here.
Audrey Lane Stirs The Pot by Alexis Hall
If you could imagine no better way to spend an afternoon than in the chaos of Sookie’s kitchen at the Dragonfly Inn, then you must read Alexis Hall’s latest. Audrey Lane Stirs The Pot is the third in the delightful Winner Bakes All series and features characters as charming and lovable as Sookie herself.
Synopsis: Audrey Lane is perfectly fine. Really. So what if she left her high-powered job as a Very Important Journalist–and her even higher-powered long-term girlfriend–to live a quiet life as a reporter for the second-biggest newspaper in Shropshire? And so what if she keeps hearing that same higher-powered long-term now-ex-girlfriend in her head night and day, constantly judging just how small Audrey’s allowed her life to become?
She’s fine, she’s happy. She’s perfectly within her groove. Do not-in-their-groove people get weekday drunk and impulsively apply for the UK’s most beloved baking show?
All right, so maybe she’s not completely fine, but being on Bake Expectations is opening her world again in ways she never anticipated. First through fellow contestant Doris, whose personal story of queer love during WW2 captures Audrey’s heart, imagination, and journalistic interest like nothing has in ages. Then, through Jennifer Hallet, the most foul-tempered (and fouler-mouthed) producer, woman, and menace Audrey has ever met. Jennifer should be off-limits, but her fire lights something unexpected inside of Audrey, making her want to burn back a million times brighter. A million times hotter. A million times more herself than she’s been in a long, long time.
On Sale December 29, 2025 via Sourcebooks Casablanca. Order here.
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator of Gilmore Girls, has a certain type of quirky wit to her writing and dialogue that shines through in every scene. If that clever writing speaks to you, you might want to pick up Rachel Harrison’s innovative take on a haunted house, which features similarly delightful writing.
Synopsis: Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer, she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parents’ messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped her of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.
After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, a sinister presence in the house manifests, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.
Available now via Berkley. Order here.
The Woman of Artemis by Hannah Lynn
Hannah Lynn’s fierce portrait of Amazonian women is one of the many books I can imagine Rory reading if Gilmore Girls were on in 2025 and she needed a book to read (she probably doesn’t, but I do have to wonder where she gets her book recommendations from). Maybe she even starts a book club in town, and this is one of their selections. They meet at Luke’s diner, where he grumbles if they get too loud, but always ensures a fresh pot of coffee for the members. So, if you want to join Rory’s nonexistent, very imaginary book club, this is the book I would read.
Synopsis: When she first married at fourteen, Otrera imagined a relationship full of love. A partnership. Years later, living in destitution with her abusive husband, she knows that no such thing exists with a man. It is simply a woman’s lot in life to accept the treatment of her husband.
Until it’s not.
Rallying the women around her, Otrera fights back, taking no prisoners. Because it’s clear to her: when men are in power, freedom isn’t granted. It’s bought with blood. It’s a price she is more than willing to pay, if it means building a new life with other women far from the reaches of their abusers.
But a community of women – an army of women – is bound to make enemies of gods and men alike.
This is the story of Otrera and the first Amazons.
On Sale October 21, 2025 via Sourcebooks Landmark. Order here.
Her Time Traveling Duke by Bryn Donovan
One of my favorite characters on Gilmore Girls is Luke. I love his irritable yet helpful grumpiness. If you want another fun romance that also features a grumpy character, try Bryn Donovan’s magical time-travel romp. You won’t be able to resist an out-of-time duke and the magical museum employee who brings him forward in time. Very grumpy-sunshine. Very Luke and Lorelei.
Synopsis: Rose Novak, a free-spirited museum employee who dabbles in magic, has had her share of disappointments. So when she tries a little spell for a romance with an “old-fashioned gentleman,” she doesn’t really expect it to work…especially literally. And yet, the duke from a painting she admired at the museum is now standing in her apartment, demanding to know who abducted him.
A man of science and truth, Henry Leighton-Lyons, the Duke of Beresford, has searched tirelessly for a way to turn back time and be with his late wife again. Instead, just as he’s about to pose for his portrait, he’s ripped centuries forward by a feckless, scantily dressed—and utterly bewitching—woman who believes in nonsense like magical crystals and astrology.
Unable to immediately reverse her spell, Rose vows to help Henry return to his own century, even though disguises and high jinks are required to get their hands on an enchanted astrolabe and master the art of time travel. But it’s hard not to fall for the irritable yet honorable duke.
Little does she know that he’s starting to wonder: did a reckless love spell get it right, after all?
On Sale December 9, 2025 via Berkley. Order here.
What books come to mind when you think of Gilmore Girls? Let us know here.
Brianna Robinson is a book publicist and Sarah Lawrence College alum. She lives in New York with too many books and two enthusiastic dachshunds. You can find her on twitter @blrobins2.
