The late 90s/early 2000s, when Lorelai and Rory (and much of their girl gang, like Lane, Paris, and Sookie) came of age, were truly a time of female empowerment. From the Spice Girls to Legally Blonde and Oprah, it’s no wonder Gilmore Girls became a hit show about girls, with an abundance of books by women on it. As a journalism student, Rory especially gobbled up feminist fiction and nonfiction.
With that background, let’s dig into our June reading prompt for our Rory Gilmore reading challenge to read one book per month from the Gilmore Girls books list: books by female authors.
Featured Book Author of the Month: Jane Austen
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Since this month is ever so slightly more about authors than books, I’m going to feature the one and only: Jane Austen.
What can be said about Jane Austen that hasn’t already been said?
Her six rom-coms have been read continuously for over two hundred years, are well-reputed, have global influence, and continue to inspire the modern novel.
I’m currently reading an advanced copy of the July 2026 book release, Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson, a re-imagining in which Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy jumps off the pages and into real life. And, I’m currently watching The Other Bennet Sister, adapted from the book by Janice Hadlow, another re-imagining starring the most overlooked sister, Mary. (It’s a delight.)
On Gilmore Girls, Dean reads Pride and Prejudice on Rory’s request (of course, he does), and Rory reads Northanger Abbey in the gazebo.
Later this month, I’m going to sit down with author assistant Melissa Makarewicz to discuss the various Jane Austen adaptations, retellings, and reimaginings, and how they inspire reading. Summer fun!
Here are a few more previously featured books here that also fit the bill:
And another related article you may like:
10 Uniquely Impactful Books by Female Authors on Gilmore Girls
In this section, I normally share my personal top ten recommendations to help you decide what to read for our monthly reading prompt, but this time, I’m switching it up and sharing ten uniquely impactful books to consider. The reason is that Gilmore Girls very clearly made an effort to highlight books by and about strong females. This switcharoo also gives us a chance to talk about books that are completely different from the ones we often discuss.
So many of the books on the full list qualified for a top ten, so this is truly just a sampling meant to be important and diverse, yet consumable, this summer.
For much more about these books, listen to the full podcast episode on: Substack | Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube
Tip: many have been listening in their web browsers. A great way for us to connect more deeply for a few minutes while you’re doing administrative tasks!
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende: a coming-of-age book about a woman’s agency and resilience, by a highly influential Latin American writer.
A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary: a memoir about developing into a beloved author.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan: interconnected stories of Chinese American mothers and their daughters, and their cultural differences.
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel: a magically real Mexican story described as a “tall-tale, fairy-tale, soap-opera romance, Mexican cookbook and home-remedy handbook all rolled into one[.]”
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder: the ubiquitous American frontier story with a new adaptation coming to Netflix on July 9.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf: last month’s most popular book from Gilmore Girls, a day in the life of a woman preparing for a party while reflecting on time and the past.
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen: a memoir of running a coffee plantation in Kenya, by a woman with a male pen name.
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious: a bestselling, salacious beach read about sexual double standards and hypocrisy in a small town.
The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate: Two Novels by Nancy Mitford: witty novels about romance and marriage for women in British society.
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin: a critique of women’s pressures to conform to idealized domestic roles for fans of Yesteryear.
All the Books by Female Authors on Gilmore Girls
Out of the 475+ books on the Gilmore Girls reading list, 121 are by females, which is actually a lot less than I expected.
The full list with my reviews is below the paywall, due to the substantial time and expense of running this reading challenge, and to keep my reviews a bit more private from living authors. In addition to exclusive content like the list below, paid members get printables, such as a 15-page index of 475+ books on Gilmore Girls by episode.
Your subscription helps you commit more deeply to this fun yet meaningful reading challenge, provides a safe virtual space to engage, and supports the human work and mission behind it— to inspire reading of the most culturally iconic books of all time. Are you with me?!
👍Means I read it and liked it
❤️Means I read it and loved it
👎Means I read it and didn’t like it
