I was one of those kids who would get scolded for reading under the covers with a flashlight long past her bedtime.

Not everyone finds reading enjoyable. Many of the book lovers’ pages I follow on Facebook have exasperated mothers and students asking the same questions: “I read this book and enjoyed it. What are some others like it that you think I might enjoy?” or “My child (insert age and gender here) HATES reading. What are some books you recommend to get them hooked?”

A few years ago, my mother and I found a solution in a television show of all things. We relate on a personal level to the show “Gilmore Girls.” A young mother and her teenage daughter/best friend, both cultured witty bookworms, living in a small town…did the show writers read our diaries or something?

Throughout the show’s seven-season run, as well as the four-episode revival series, several books are referenced. Then someone had a rather genius idea: to sit down and make a reading challenge list of the 408 books mentioned.

So what makes this reading challenge different? One word: VARIETY. Most reading lists I have come across over the years have a certain theme. The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge spans several genres and even age groups; there are even play scripts on the list.

Some of the hundreds of books on the list include:

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
New Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
Driving Miss Daisy On Broadway by Alfred Uhry
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

The great thing is that you don’t need to be an Ivy League scholar like Rory Gilmore to find something to enjoy on her reading list. It’s a goal to slowly work toward at your leisure. Challenge yourself to make reading fun!