The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge discussion

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Mini Challenges > August 2025 Mini Challenge: Back to Books, Gilmore-Style

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message 1: by Ashley, Accidental Mod (last edited Jul 31, 2025 08:39AM) (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 73 comments Mod
📌 August 2025 Mini Challenge: Back to Books, Gilmore-Style
Duration: 1-Aug-2025 to 31-Aug-2025

Sharpen your pencils, dust off your cardigans, and pour yourself a giant cup of coffee — it's time to head back to school, Gilmore style. Whether you're revisiting classics, cramming contemporary reads, or pulling an all-nighter with a quirky campus novel, this month is all about channeling your inner Rory.

Read 1–3 books that fit any of the following categories (stack if you want!):
📺 A book mentioned in Gilmore Girls (Rory’s TBR or anyone else's)
📚 A book about school, academia, or education
📝 A book with a journal or letter format
☕ A book you’d bring to a coffee shop and read all afternoon
🧠 A book that makes you feel smart (whatever that means to you)

🔖 How to participate:
• Reply with your chosen books
• Post updates throughout the month if you’d like!
• Optional: Share a “Gilmore rating” for each book you finish (Did Rory love it? Would Lorelai mock it?)



message 2: by Ashley, Accidental Mod (last edited Aug 01, 2025 08:57PM) (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 73 comments Mod
Participants

• Emily
• Casey
• Ashley
• Claris
• anna.giulia
• car155a
• Alicia
• Nihara
• Millie
• Renske
• Claire
• Jaime


message 3: by Emily (new)

Emily Tucker (knownasemj) | 1 comments Excited to join in! 💁🏼‍♀️


message 4: by Casey (new)

Casey Williams (caseywilliams) | 1 comments Exciting! I’m definitely going to give this challenge a try


message 5: by Ashley, Accidental Mod (last edited Jul 31, 2025 12:08PM) (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 73 comments Mod
📌 August 2025 Mini Challenge: Back to Books, Gilmore-Style
Duration: 1-Aug-2025 to 31-Aug-2025

Read 1–3 books that fit any of the following categories (stack if you want!):

📺 A book mentioned in Gilmore Girls (Rory’s TBR or anyone else's)
📚 A book about school, academia, or education

📝 A book with a journal or letter format
Flowers for Algernon, from what I understand the entire novel is told through Charlie’s "progress reports," which essentially function as journal entries. It’s epistolary-adjacent, definitely counts.

☕ A book you’d bring to a coffee shop and read all afternoon
🧠 A book that makes you feel smart (whatever that means to you)


Claris ✨🧚🏼💛 | 2 comments Oh I am definitely joining this challenge!!🧚🏼🧡


annagiulsss ✩ | 1 comments yayyy! exciting 🧚


message 8: by car155a (new)

car155a | 2 comments This sounds like so much fun! I typically start my rewatch of the show in September but with this, I’m going to start early.


message 9: by Alicia (new)

Alicia (pfps with gisella) | 8 comments Exciting! I’m looking forward to trying it out


message 10: by Nihara (new)

Nihara (niharathomas) | 1 comments Ooo fun! I’m in


Millie Nieves-Howard | 1 comments I'm in!


message 12: by Renske (new)

Renske 🍄  (rennierens) | 1 comments How fun! I’m definitly in! I specially because in seasonal times August is the first month of fall 🍁 I am doubting between a school book or a book from the TBR list from Rory.


message 13: by Ashley, Accidental Mod (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 73 comments Mod
📣 It’s August 1st, which means…

📌 The Back to Books, Gilmore-Style Mini Challenge is officially in session!

Sharpen those pencils, pour the coffee, and get ready to read like a Gilmore.
Can’t wait to see what everyone’s picking — bring on the Rory reads, coffee shop vibes, and academic angst. 📝📚☕

Let’s do this! 💙


message 14: by Claire (new)

Claire  | 6 comments Im in.


message 15: by Jaime (new)

Jaime | 4 comments Count me in! I will post again with my TBR when I have a chance to check out the list.


message 17: by Deb (new)

Deb Baker (dbaker516) | 1 comments I’m going to try to join in when work allows.


message 18: by Belen (new)

Belen | 9 comments I just finished reading Flowers of Algernon about a week ago and I love it.


message 19: by Melissa A (new)

Melissa A | 5 comments August 2025 Mini Challenge: Back to Books, Gilmore-Style

Duration: 1-Aug-2025 to 31-Aug-2025

Sharpen your pencils, dust off your cardigans, and pour yourself a giant cup of coffee — it's time to head back to school, Gilmore style. Whether you're revisiting classics, cramming contemporary reads, or pulling an all-nighter with a quirky campus novel, this month is all about channeling your inner Rory.

Read 1–3 books that fit any of the following categories (stack if you want!):

0/3+

📺 A book mentioned in Gilmore Girls (Rory’s TBR or anyone else's)

*Gidget (Gidget 1) by Frederick Kohner

📚 A book about school, academia, or education

*Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

📝 A book with a journal or letter format

☕ A book you’d bring to a coffee shop and read all afternoon

*A Cold-Blooded Business (Kate Shugak 4) by Dana Stabenow

🧠 A book that makes you feel smart (whatever that means to you)


message 20: by Kianna (new)

Kianna McNabb | 1 comments This is so fun! godspeed to us all 🤩


message 21: by car155a (new)

car155a | 2 comments Trying to clear my ridiculously large physical TBR through this bookclub. Excited to join!

📺 & 🧠 - As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

📚- Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

📝 & ☕️ - Kate & Frida by Kim Fay


message 22: by Debora (new)

Debora Ramos | 7 comments Hey Y'all, Count me in... 👍😃📚


message 23: by M (new)

M R (kinkajou) | 9 comments Now reading Babel, quite fitting in "a book about school, academia or education" :-)


message 24: by Ashley, Accidental Mod (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 73 comments Mod
We've reached our midpoint of the month! How's everyone's challenge coming along?


message 25: by Lois Ella (new)

Lois Ella (miskyella) | 1 comments I'm so grateful to witness this group resurrection! Thank you Accidental Mod!

I know it's super late, but I'll be joining in from now til the end of month with Tom O'Neil's Chaos. So far, I think Lorelai would've been more into it than Rory. XD


message 26: by Jaime (new)

Jaime | 4 comments My August choice has gone slow so far, but I am hoping to pick up pace for the last half of August.


message 27: by Alicia (new)

Alicia (pfps with gisella) | 8 comments I’ve only read flowers for algernon this month and probably only will but next month I plan to read more


message 28: by Lindsay (new)

Lindsay | 23 comments Do the books used for this challenge need to come from the Rory list?


message 29: by Ashley, Accidental Mod (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 73 comments Mod
Lindsay wrote: "Do the books used for this challenge need to come from the Rory list?"

They don't have to, no. BUT, you're encouraged to try!


message 30: by Mabel (new)

Mabel (mabely) | 2 comments this is what I've been reading for this :)
☕ Bookshops and bonedust by Travis Baldree
📝 The blind assassin by Margaret Atwood


message 31: by Ashley, Accidental Mod (new)

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 73 comments Mod
Here's my August 2025 Mini Challenge Results: Back to Books, Gilmore-Style

Coffee Shop Read: What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Cozy library vibes all the way! Perfect for sipping coffee and disappearing into a world of books. Rory would probably love it, and Lorelai might give it a knowing smirk.
Rory: 👍 / Lorelai: 😏

🧠 “Makes Me Feel Smart” (aka I’m smarter than this book): Pucking Around by Emily Rath

Honestly… awful and ridiculous, which of course makes me feel brilliant in comparison. Rory might roll her eyes, and Lorelai would have a field day mocking it.
Rory: 🙄 / Lorelai: 😂


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