Lauren Graham’s books showcase what a great writer she is. Yes, our beloved Lorelai Gilmore can write, too! Get her full book list and my book reviews to help you decide what to read first or next from the New York Times bestselling author and star of the TV shows Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, and The Mighty Ducks.
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List of Lauren Graham’s Books in Order
- Someday, Someday, Maybe (2013)
- Talking as Fast as I Can (2016)
- In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It (2018)
- Have I Told You This Already? (2022) (top pick)
Reviews of Lauren Graham’s Books
I’m a big fan of Parenthood, but more importantly, I’m a superfan of Gilmore Girls! I host The Rory Gilmore Book Club, where we take the Rory Gilmore reading challenge, and I wrote an essay in the book But I’m a Gilmore!
I read a lot of books, and I have to say, Lauren Graham is an excellent writer. To no one’s surprise, she always has a way with words. If you love Lauren Graham and/or Lorelai Gilmore, you’ll also love these books. They’re just as smart, engaging, and witty as her and her characters.
READING TIPS
- Lauren Graham narrates all of her own books on audio, and I highly recommend this format. She comes across as very Lorelai Gilmore-like in the way she narrates.
- Lauren Graham also beautifully narrates the audiobook for the instant New York Times bestseller One Italian Summer, a fictional book about mothers and daughters by Rebecca Serle that was a five-star read for me.
Someday, Someday, Maybe (2013)
Someday, Someday, Maybe is Lauren Graham’s debut novel, loosely based on her experiences as a struggling actress in New York City in the 1990s. While it certainly has “all the feels” of the 90s, it’s less about grunge and angst and more observational and light, like Friends or Seinfeld.
Franny is an up-and-comer with six months remaining on the three-year deadline she gave herself to make it in acting in the Big Apple. So far, she’s only booked one small ad and, like so many others, spends most of her time waiting tables.
Naturally, she has roommates — her best friend, Jane, and an aspiring sci-fi writer, Dan– along her side as she debates whether to pack it all up and move back home.
As everything goes downhill, including the money in her bank account, she’s focused on her upcoming showcase.
It’s about fighting for your dreams, finding yourself, and finding a job at a very specific time and place Graham knows all too well herself. And, it’s an absolute delight.
Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) (2016)
In Talking as Fast as I Can, the first non-fiction Lauren Graham book, she shares a collection of personal essays in a voice that’s as fast and quirky as her character, Lorelai Gilmore. She reveals behind-the-scenes stories about Gilmore Girls and reflects on her life, particularly as a working actress.
Gilmore Girls fans, rejoice!: The book includes photos and excerpts from the diary Graham kept during the filming of the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
While she opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood, this isn’t a “tell-all” but rather amusing ruminations as PG as Gilmore Girls. It’s a little bit Lauren, a little bit Lorelai, and a whole lot of fun.
Related Post: Books About Gilmore Girls
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It (2018)
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It is a short and sweet expansion of the 2017 commencement speech Lauren Graham gave at her hometown high school.
In addition to a few funny quips, she avoids superficial and vague advice. Instead, offers some very real anecdotes about the highs and lows of finding yourself and following your dreams.
Besides being authentic, it’s also empathetic, reminding readers that, at the end of the day, “you are enough.”
Tip: The physical copy also contains illustrated drawings by Graham herself, so it would make a great book for graduates who are fans of her work.
Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember (2022)
Have I Told You This Already? is Lauren Graham’s newest book, which expands on the personal essays she wrote in Talking as Fast as I Can.
All the essays were interesting and entertaining. While her last book felt a bit tight-lipped and buttoned-up to me, in this one, she let her guard down a lot more, talking about her absentee mother, her body, and her breakup with her long-term boyfriend, Peter Krause.
She also lets the reader in on stories that drop more names than I could count, from her Parenthood co-star Mae Whitman to Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Matthew McConaughey, and so many more.
All of this uniquely personal content made the audiobook memoir especially much more intriguing.
And, yes, there’s plenty of Gilmore Girls chatter too (all positive). I was especially delighted when I got to the chapter “I Feel Bad About Nora Ephron’s Neck,” which references the book I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron, which is on the Gilmore Girls reading list! My brain nearly exploded from this pop culture mashup.
Want to hear a bit more from Lauren herself? Here is an audio clip from the book.
Final Thoughts
These Lauren Graham books showcase her talents in writing. From fiction to nonfiction, they’re just as smart, engaging, and witty as she and her characters are. To recap and help you decide which one to read first or next, my top pick is her most recent book of essays, Have I Told You This Already?
Related Gilmore Girls Posts
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remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
Doesn’t Lauren publish under any synonyms? I thought I heard that. If you can, please tell her I said, “Hey!”