Rory Gilmore Reading List

June 2, 2020

Enjoy this glimpse at just a few of the hundreds books that Rory Gilmore enjoyed on the show!

Over the course of seven seasons of Gilmore Girls, Rory Gilmore was seen reading 339 books on screen. How many have you read?

“I live in two worlds; one is a world of Books”

― Rory Gilmore

1 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson. | Psychology & Culture

Rating:

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The original pronunciation of Jekyll was "Jeekul" which was the pronunciation used in Stevenson's native Scotland. The work is commonly known today as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde or simply Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.[1] It is about a London lawyer named John Gabriel Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll,[2] and the misanthropic Edward Hyde. The work is commonly associated with the rare mental condition often spuriously called "split personality", wherein within the same person there are at least two distinct personalities. In this case, the two personalities in Dr Jekyll are...

2 Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome

Edith Wharton | Romance Classics

Rating:

Ethan, a farmer tethered to his farm, his helpless parents, and his hypochondriac wife find himself drawn to his wife's alluring cousin.

3 Emma

Emma

Jane Austen | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The beautiful and intelligent Emma Wodehouse enjoys meddling in other people's love lives, but she can't seem to find a love of her own.

4 Don Quixote

Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Alonso Quixano enjoys reading books of high culture, romance, and chivalry, but he eventually loses his mind while attempting to create justice in the world.

5 The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Edmond Dantes is imprisoned on a false political charge. He makes a daring escape, finds the treasure of Monte Cristo, and seeks revenge upon his enemies.

6 Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Raskolnikov kills two people in the belief that some people are "extraordinary" and have the right to kill others in order to improve the state of the world.

7 The Crucible

The Crucible

Arthur Miller | Drama Classics

Rating:

The Classic book The Crucible by Arthur Miller. This play uses the Salem witch trials, as comparisons to the McCarthy government which “hunted” down suspect communists in the USA. Miller himself was even questioned and convicted under similar circumstances.

8 David Copperfield

David Copperfield

Charles Dickens | Fiction Classics

Rating:

This book unearths the life of David Copperfield from his childhood into adulthood.

9 The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy

Dante Alighieri | Poetry Classics

Rating:

A pilgrim named Dante receives help of the Roman poet, Virgil, on a journey through Purgatory, on their way to Heaven.

10 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll | Children's Classics

Rating:

In this classic by Lewis Carroll little Alice experiences countless adventures in Wonderland. Download it today!

11 Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy | Romance Classics

Rating:

Anna is unhappy with her marriage to a powerful politician, and when she falls in love with a dashing young officer, she must endure the criticism of others.

12 The Art of War

The Art of War

Sun Tzu (original) | History

Rating:

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician. Each of the 13 chapters of the book is devoted to one aspect of warfare. It is commonly known to be the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time. It has been the most famous and influential of China's Seven Military Classics. For the last two thousand years, it remained the most important military treatise in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name. It has had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond. The book was first translated into the French language in 1772 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot and a partial translation into English.

13 The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories

The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories

Kate Chopin | Misc Classics

Rating:

The classic book, The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories, by Kate Chopin.

14 The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1

Edgar Allan Poe | Poetry Classics

Rating:

The Classic book The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1 by Edgar Allan Poe. Stories include: Edgar Allan Poe, Death Of Edgar A. Poe, The Unparalleled Adventures Of One Hans Pfaall, The Gold-bug, Four Beasts In One—the Homo-cameleopard, The Murders In The Rue Morgue, The Mystery Of Marie Roget, The Balloon-hoax, Ms. Found In A Bottle, and The Oval Portrait

15 Beowulf

Beowulf

Heyn-Socin | Humanities and Arts

Rating:

The classic Anglo- Saxon epic poem

16 Candide

Candide

Voltaire | Misc Classics

Rating:

The classic book, Candide, by Voltaire.

17 The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer | Poetry Classics

Rating:

A group of pilgrims embark on a long journey, and each of the characters reflect the irony and criticism of the church at the time.

18 A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Christmas past in this classic Christmas tale.

19 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain | Children's Classics

Rating:

Huck Finn befriends Jim, a runaway slave, and the two travel down the Mississippi River on a raft and share many interesting experiences along the way.

20 The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

Francis Scott Fitzgerald | Fiction Classics

Rating:

In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something new, something extraordinary and beautiful and simple + intricately patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest work and certainly the book for which he is best known. A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It

21 The Good Soldier

The Good Soldier

Ford Madox Ford | Romance Classics

Rating:

The classic book, The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford.

22 Frankenstein

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley | Sci-Fi Classics

Rating:

A scientist creates a monster with pieces of corpses, but the monster develops a mind of his own begins to despise his creator.

23 Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Pip is a poor orphan who grows up in England in the early 1800's. He endures many hardships including poverty and violence.

24 Hamlet

Hamlet

William Shakespeare | Drama Classics

Rating:

After Hamlet's father is killed by his brother, Claudius, Hamlet struggles with his vow to seek revenge by murdering Claudius.

25 Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Captain Charles Marlow describes his experience transporting ivory along the Congo River in Africa where he encounters many instances of ruin and destruction.

26 The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Edward Gibbon | History (Academic)

Rating:

The important historical classic

27 The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Victor Hugo | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The story of Quasimodo, the hunchback bellringer of Notre-Dame cathedral and his devotion to the beautiful gypsy dancer Esmeralda. When the demented archdeacon Frollo sets out to abduct Esmeralda, he uses Quasimodo to do the evil deed on his behalf. However, Quasimodo turns from captor to saviour.

28 The Iliad

The Iliad

Homer. | Humanities and Arts

Rating:

The Iliad (sometimes referred to as the Song of Ilion or Song of Ilium) is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege, the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war and similar, tending to appear near the beginning, and the events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles' looming death and the sack of Troy, prefigured and alluded to more and more vividl...

29 Jane Eyre: An Autobiography

Jane Eyre: An Autobiography

Charlotte Bronte | Romance Classics

Rating:

A poor, abused orphan named Jane uses her cleverness and perseverance to win the love of the man she loves.

30 Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare | Poetry Classics

Rating:

The Classic book Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. And while named after the famous emperor, this play actually centers around the character of Brutus and his clash for honour, patriotism and friendships. Along with Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra, this is one of 3 plays Shakespeare has based on real Roman history.

31 The Jungle

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair | Sci-Fi Classics

Rating:

The classic book, The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair.

32 Lady Chatterley's Lover

Lady Chatterley's Lover

D. H. Lawrence | Romance Classics

Rating:

Constance Chatterley is trapped in a loveless marriage to a paralyzed aristocrat, and she falls in love with the gamekeeper on their estate.

33 Leaves of Grass

Leaves of Grass

Walt Whitman | Poetry Classics

Rating:

The diversity of America's people and landscape is captured beautifully in this extraordinary collection of poetry.

34 Macbeth

Macbeth

Abhishek | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Macbeth - A play by William Shakespeare, summarized just in 10 pages.

35 Little Women

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott | Children's Classics

Rating:

The March sisters, Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth, survive poverty and the absence of their father during the Civil War.

36 Andersen's Fairy Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales

Hans Christian Andersen | Children's Classics

Rating:

A compilation of stories including: "The Sandman," "The Emporer's New Clothes," and "The Little Match Girl."

37 Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

William Golding | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The Classic book Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

38 Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit

Charles Dickens | Fiction Classics

Rating:

A masterly evocation of the state and psychology of imprisonment, Little Dorrit is one of the supreme works of Dickens's maturity.

39 Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Emma Bovary and her reviled husband are at breakfast on the morning of Emma's last day alive. As they bicker, scenes from Emma's past are called to mind and played out with all the passion for which Flaubert's novel is famous.

40 The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka | Short Stories Classics

Rating:

The Classic book The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. First published in 1915 this novella is widely considered one of the most important short stories of the century and one of Kafka’s best. Gregor Samsa awakes one day only to find out he’s now a huge insect. The story follows as Gregor struggles to adjust this transformation. Many different interpretations of this story has created lots of exciting discussions over the years.

41 Moby Dick

Moby Dick

Herman Melville | Fiction Classics

Rating:

Captain Ahab's is fueled by his desire to kill the great white whale that tore off his leg leads, but his attempts lead to disaster.

42 Mrs. Dalloway

Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The Classic book Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. This book is a fusion of 2 short stories. In which a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway is chronicled; an upper-class socialite in post WW1 era.

43 Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The classic book, Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen.

44 Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The Classic book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It tells the story of 2 poor ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who try to find work wherever they can during the great depression. The 2 couldn’t be more different. George is small and sharp, while Lennie is a giant of a man, but has a very simple mind. Having nothing but each other, the pair must survive together in this harsh landscape.

45 Othello

Othello

William Shakespeare | Drama Classics

Rating:

Classic theater by the master

46 Our Mutual Friend

Our Mutual Friend

Charles Dickens | Fiction Classics

Rating:

John Harmon fakes his own death in order to learn more about the woman he is supposed to marry to earn his father's inheritance.

47 The picture of Dorian Gray

The picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde. | Humanities and Arts

Rating:

he Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde, appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890, printed as the July 1890 issue of this magazine. Wilde later revised this edition, making several alterations, and adding new chapters; the amended version was published by Ward, Lock, and Company in April 1891. The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry's world view.

48 Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen | Romance Classics

Rating:

The beautiful, young Elizabeth falls in love with Mr. Darcy, but he must control his pride while she tries to overcome her prejudice.

49 Pygmalion

Pygmalion

George Bernard Shaw | Drama Classics

Rating:

Based on the classical myth, Pygmalion plays on the complex web of human relationships in a social world. Download it now!

50 Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare | Drama Classics

Rating:

The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (first published 1597) is a play by William Shakespeare concerning the fate of two young star-crossed lovers. Perhaps the most famous of his plays, it is one of his earliest theatrical triumphs and is considered the archetypal love story of the Renaissance.

51 A Room of One's Own

A Room of One's Own

Virginia Woolf | Misc Classics

Rating:

The Classic book A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. This long essay is based on 2 presentations the author made at Newnham and Girton Colleges and the University of Cambridge in 1928. Woolf argues there should be more space and opportunity for women writers.

52 A room with a view

A room with a view

E.M. Foster | Humanities and Arts

Rating:

A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant-Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked A Room with a View 79th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

53 Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller

Henry James | Fiction Classics

Rating:

American, Daisy Miller, visits Europe with her mother and finds that her freshness and innocence are misinterpreted as immodesty and forwardness. This brings her into conflict with the differences in the two cultural traditions, inviting shock and disaster.

54 The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne | Fiction Classics

Rating:

In early colonial Massachusetts, a young woman experiences the results of adultery and must spend the remainder of her life atoning for her sins.

55 The Second Sex

The Second Sex

Simone de Beauvoir | Gender Studies

Rating:

The Second Sex (French: Le Deuxième Sexe, June 1949) is one of the best-known works of the French existentialist Simone de Beauvoir. It is a work on the treatment of women throughout history and often regarded as a major work of feminist philosophy and the starting point of second-wave feminism. Beauvoir researched and wrote the book in about 14 months. She published it in two volumes and some chapters first appeared in Les Temps moderns. The Vatican placed it on its List of Prohibited Books.

56 Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen | Romance Classics

Rating:

Elinor and Marianne are sister. Elinor is a sensible, rational girl while her younger sister is wildly romantic.

57 Siddhartha

Siddhartha

Herman Hesse | Religion

Rating:

A young man's adventures in a Jungian world by one of his most famous analysands. A spiritual masterpiece.

58 Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Kate Douglas Wiggin | Children's Classics

Rating:

Classic novel about a lively little girl from Maine.

59 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum | Children's Classics

Rating:

The story of Dorothy and her dog, Toto, who are swept off the Kansas plains by a huge cyclone, and find themselves in the land of Oz. With color illustrations by Michael Foreman.

60 Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

Emily Bronte | Fiction Classics

Rating:

A servant in the house at Wuthering Heights reveals the historic story of the love affair between Catherine and Heathcliff to a visitor who is currently staying there.

61 A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens | Fiction Classics

Rating:

This novel follows the lives of three peasants who are degraded and subdued by the French aristocracy.

62 The Trial

The Trial

Franz Kafka | Humanities and Arts

Rating:

The Trial (German: Der Process) is a novel by Franz Kafka about a character named Josef K., who awakens one morning and, for reasons never revealed, is arrested and prosecuted for an unspecified crime. According to Kafka's friend Max Brod, the author never finished the novel and wrote in his will that it was to be destroyed. After his death, Brod went against Kafka's wishes and edited The Trial into what he felt was a coherent novel and had it published in 1925.

63 Ulysses

Ulysses

James Joyce | Fiction Classics

Rating:

It is June 16, 1904, when the events in the lives of Stephen Dedalus, Leopolm Bloom, and Molly Bloom are slowly unveiled throughout that single day.

64 Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Harriet Beecher Stowe | Fiction Classics

Rating:

In order to pay off his debts, farmer Arthur Shelby, so he makes the tough decision to sell two of his slaves.

65 Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray | Fiction Classics

Rating:

During the time of Waterloo, Amelia Sedley begins a courtship and Becky Sharp utilizes her cleverness to avoid becoming a governess.

66 Walden

Walden

Henry David Thoreau | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The Classic book Walden by Henry David Thoreau. The author himself, Henry David Thoreau moved into a cabin in the woods by Walden Pond in 1845. This novel describes his experiences of living alone there.

67 War and Peace

War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy | Fiction Classics

Rating:

The lives of Russian aristocrats become intertwined between the years 1805 and 1812 and during Napoleon's invasion of Russia.