Beginnings

I vividly remember the first time I ever saw Gilmore Girls. It’s the episode where Rory gets a bad grade and then hits a deer on her way to school trying to make up for it on an important test.  I was 15 and had just started going to a private school not all that unlike Chilton.  I had come home from a super crappy high school day where I had also gotten my first really bad grade ever and girls at school were mean and unwelcoming to the new kid. I instantly fell in love with the fast paced, witty show. I found myself in tears at the end of the episode because I felt like I found a kindred spirit.  As someone who never really fit in with the uber rich, friends-since-the-womb crowd at my private school, I found hope watching the show. Hope that life goes on after high school and that, eventually, everyone finds their place and their people. 

And my mom was a very young mom just like Lorelai. Watching Gilmore Girls helped me understand her a little more. What it must have felt like to not finish high school in the traditional way, not have a typical college experience, never get to be a young women in her 20s with very little responsibility. 

From then on, I’ve always been watching Gilmore Girls. It’s the show I watch when I get ready for the day (because screw the news!), when I want to simply unwind, or when the world sucks and I want to spend time with two very dear friends. 

I grew up watching Gilmore Girls. I learned about the world and the kind of person I wanted to be in it. I learned that coffee is essential to survival. I learned how important it is to truly apologize. I learned how vital movie nights are to mental health. I learned how much our community can shape and support us. I learned the importance of a martini before dinner. I learned how crucial family is. Over the past 11 years, I have watched Rory, Lorelai, Emily, and Richard make mistakes, navigate the world, and live life. Their stories are part of mine. I am who I am (party) because of them. 

That’s why last Christmas, when my mom gave me the first 6 books on the Rory Gilmore Reading List and said “let’s read the list together”, I could not have loved a gift more. Not only does it mean getting to read amazing literature from lots of different eras but it also means frequent interactions with two of my favorite things – Gilmore Girls and my mom. As we started reading the books, we came up with the idea to start a blog reflecting on our journey and reviewing the books as we read them. 

And we want to invite you to join us. There’s plenty of time to jump in because, in case you didn’t know, there are 339 books on the list. But we promise it will be worth it – it is an amazing collection of books. So, read on folks! And, throughout this adventure, we invite you to share what you think about each book with us– we want to hear your reviews too! 

PS Mom, thanks for coming up with the most amazing gift – a project with you.