reading all books referenced on Gilmore girls

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt As I'm pretty well ensconced in my cult-reading obsession and I've always been one for a good ghost story, this book was an enjoyable read for me. The split (see what I did there?) narrative and the way the author downplayed the most magical elements of the story had me at hello. There were so many intersecting conflicts going on underneath the actions of the characters... an examination of the role of mother along with questions about what c

Matchless by Gregory Maguire "I think I'll tryyyyyy Defyiiiiiiiiing Gravity..." Okay. Ignore me. I love me some Gregory Maguire. He's built his writing career doing interesting, dark (even sometimes darker than the original. Those Grimm brothers be fucked up... amirite?) reimaginings of classic children's stories. One of his books even inspired a long-running, award-winning Broadway musical. I picked up Maguire's reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match G

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead I decided that for 2016, I'm going to sport a rather charming existensial crisis. So I figured the start of a new year was the perfect time to let someone who has her shit together (like Ph.D. level "shit together") tell me how to get my shit together (me... with my completely-unused bachelor's degree). And also, I picked this book for our January backlist selection for my awe

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood Remember how Margaret Atwood and I are besties? Remember how we totally enjoyed a cocktail together at the Rare Book Room in Strand Bookstore? Remember how I got my copy of The Blind Assassin signed by Her Majesty? Now that I've gotten the entirely exaggerated bragging out of the way... There is a reason this book was an international bestseller and winner of The Booker Prize (look guys! I can read too!) This is the tale of the utter d

Your Rightful Home by Alyssa Knickerbocker In full disclosure, Your Rightful Home was written by a childhood friend of mine. However, Lauren Groff (of Fates and Furies fame) blurbed this before her book became Obama's #1 book of 2015. So... legit. Absolutely legit. A unique narrative voice lends an incredible sense of urgency to this tale of two friends. The reader is immediately placed in the middle of the tale of Lydia's disappearance and is made to feel like the event

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien I read this for my local independent bookstore's monthly book group. I was a little afraid going into it. My stepmother (a HUGE Tolkien fan) had tried to get me to read this book so many times in my childhood and adolescence. And I just could never get into it. Hell, I couldn't even bring myself to watch The Lord of the Rings movies (the filters bother me... everything is so... blue). And besides Harry Potter (actually another series my stepm

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari I've been with my husband for over half my life. He was my prom date. We grew up five minutes away from each other. We started dating before cell phones (nevermind smartphones) were something everyone owned. Hell, it wasn't long before our first date that the internet first caught on. So Jay and I lived a very different experience than the one Aziz Ansari speaks about in Modern Romance. And that's exactly why I think it was important for me

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson As a fan of fiction, I tend to appreciate the use of language and the music inherent in piece of writing. However, as a fan of history and knowledge, I thoroughly enjoy what non-fiction can give to the reader. Usually the two genres are very distinctive and separate and never the twain shall meet. However, Erik Larson broke all of the ideas I held about what fiction and non-fiction are. The Devil in the White City reads like fictio

Beyond Belief: My Ssecret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill So, as I'm smackdab in the middle of a Scientology obsession, I of course had to pick up the book by the head of Scientology's niece. And it did not disappoint. Just as with Leah Remini's book Troublemaker, I was astounded to learn of the abuses inherent in the organization of the church. However, Miscavige Hill's time in Scientology began at a very tender and young age, and tha

Ghostly by various authors Forget Time Traveler's Wife. Audrey Niffenegger should be better known for her work on Her Fearful Symmetry. Her dark wit, complex characters and beautiful writing are, in my mind, not lauded enough. Bookish people tend to write off (get it?) commercial successes... but there was a reason Time Traveler's Wife did well. And I believe that Her Fearful Symmetry should have given her the same accolades. So I was excited when I learned that the autho