Shownotes
Welcome to Changes at Friday Night Readers for 2026 ! In this podcast episode, I share what you can expect from Friday Night Readers in 2026. As we turn the page on a new year, some things will stay the same, and some will change, but one things certain--our Gilmore Girls inspired reading community is getting bigger and better!
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Books, Pop Culture, and Other Mentions:
- Ann Patchett’s Whistler
- Rory Gilmore reading challenge
- The Gazette
- Bookmarks
- Book Teases
- reading and business goals
- why you should take the Rory Gilmore reading challenge
- The Wishlist Finder
Full Show Notes For Changes at Friday Night Readers for 2026
Time Stamps:
- 03:55 Quick Recap of 2025
- 05:14 What to Expect Here in 2026
- 12:56 Closing Thoughts
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About Friday Night Readers: Literary Rewatch of Gilmore Girls :
Friday Night Readers is a virtual book club inspired by Gilmore Girls and hosted by Julianne Buonocore, who has run a Rory Gilmore reading challenge since 2020 and wrote an essay in the book But I'm a Gilmore! Fueled by coffee, she breaks down the books on the show, so you actually understand what the characters are talking so fast about as you read and live like Rory with us. Subscribe at FridayNightReaders.substack.com to get notified of new episodes and participate in a community that feels like Stars Hollow.
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Transcripts
Hello, Friday Night
readers and Happy New Year.
2
:It's been a while since we talked and
I have a lot to share with you today.
3
:I hope you're easing right into January.
4
:It is a month that I like
to take just for what it is.
5
:After two weeks of all the Fs,
food, family, festivity, and fun,
6
:I actually felt good about getting
back into my routine this week.
7
:This means workouts for me.
8
:So far I've been doing 20 minutes
of walking in the morning and a
9
:little bit of weightlifting or
running at night healthy food.
10
:I do my Greek yogurt in the morning
salad for lunch, and I'm doing soups
11
:for dinner and my structured workday.
12
:I thought it would be hard to get back
into the nine to five, but I'm actually
13
:really enjoying it and I hope you are too.
14
:As I said, January just is what?
15
:It's, it's cold and it's dark
and it's bland, but so what?
16
:I still have a fireplace and a book
by my side, and I hope you do too.
17
:So I was stuck home sick for the actual
Christmas holiday, but I did have
18
:some highlights in my holiday break.
19
:The best one of all was that I got to
read an advanced copy of Anne Patchett,
20
:who is my favorite author, her new book,
Whistler, which I believe is out in
21
:June, 2026, and I read it on Christmas
Eve since I was stuck home alone.
22
:I thought, what better way to indulge?
23
:I had a glass of champagne with it,
and it was five stars and undoubtedly
24
:will be one of my top reads of 2026.
25
:It was not my favorite book of hers.
26
:That one is the Dutch House, and I
also really, really liked Tom Lake,
27
:but I think if you like both of
those books, especially Tom Lake,
28
:you will definitely like Whistler.
29
:It's about a stepdaughter and
her long lost stepfather, who she
30
:reconnects with and there are a
lot of stories within the story,
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:just like Tom Lake that said, it's a
little bit more sweet than Tom Lake,
32
:which had some darkness
and complexity to it.
33
:At the same time, though, it's
not saccharine, I absolutely loved
34
:every minute I spent with it.
35
:I also got to FaceTime with my
nieces, so I did get to see them
36
:open presents, and that actually
made me feel like I was there.
37
:They're 10-year-old identical twins
and I always love seeing them open
38
:things and get so excited, even
when it's the smallest little thing.
39
:They're just in that stage where
everything makes 'em happy.
40
:And we had a pizza party
for my mom's birthday.
41
:This was great because I did
not get to see my family for
42
:Christmas because of my sickness.
43
:So a few days later, once I felt
better, we did go to visit and had a
44
:post Christmas birthday celebration.
45
:I also got to meet my sister's
new cat, Darcy for the first time.
46
:And we actually booked visiting
Longwood Gardens, which is a botanical
47
:garden in the Philadelphia suburbs
and is one of the best in the country.
48
:I'm telling you.
49
:It is so good that Martha
Stewart regularly visits there.
50
:Anyway, we ended up going after
Christmas because my husband was
51
:so busy with work during the month
of December before Christmas.
52
:And it was still just as delightful
to see it all lit up for Christmas.
53
:I did post some photos in
the show notes for you,
54
:and we had our traditional New
Year's Eve dinner out with our
55
:friends at an Italian BYOB.
56
:This is the same couple we go out
with every year, and it is the same
57
:restaurant we go to every year, and we
like it because it's just really low key.
58
:There's no set menu and you
just bring your own wine.
59
:Super easy, delicious, comforting,
and we're always home by like 8 39.
60
:Next, we had our traditional red beans
and rice on New Year's Day, so my husband
61
:lived in New Orleans for college, and
I've come up with my own version of
62
:red beans and rice that I make for
him, particularly on New Year's Day
63
:because it's a really comforting dish.
64
:And it's also sort of indulgent, so it's
kind of like the last day he can indulge.
65
:And lastly, we also went to one
Eagles game at a bar with a group
66
:of friends, which was a ton of fun.
67
:The bar was super crowded.
68
:I'm telling you, there had to
be like 50 TVs in this place.
69
:So it was a lot of fun.
70
:And then we actually got to
go to another one in person.
71
:I had not gone to an Eagles game
in something like 10 years in
72
:person, but we got tickets to a box
at the last minute offered to us.
73
:So.
74
:We scooped them up and had an
amazing time, even though the Eagles
75
:lost go birds in the playoffs.
76
:, So otherwise, I stepped back from Friday
night readers at the end of December,
77
:and I really wanted to reflect and
plan for:
78
:changes to improve our community that
I'm going to describe in this episode.
79
:But first, I think we have to take
a quick recap of:
80
:where we are and where we're headed.
81
:You may or may not know that I
ran a book blog called Literary
82
:Lifestyle since 2019, and I also ran
a Warrior Gilmore Reading Challenge
83
:called the Warrior Gilmore Book Club
84
:since late 2020, early 2021.
85
:But in mid 2025, I've decided to shift
my focus entirely to our Gilmore Girls
86
:Book Club, and I rebranded it as Friday
Night Readers moved all of my work
87
:here to Substack and added the podcast.
88
:This shift to Substack was designed
to foster a more interactive
89
:community reading experience.
90
:It offers so much more
on a single platform.
91
:This is email, blog posts, a
social media feed, podcasts, chats,
92
:polls, images, collaborations with
other creators, videos and more.
93
:Did I mention that there are no
display ads, no rage bait, no focus
94
:stealing, or doom scrolling here.
95
:So this is a really good time for me to
recommend that you use the substack app
96
:to enjoy mine and other creator's content.
97
:And yes, it is worth it for all
the reasons mentioned, and I
98
:have linked it in the show notes.
99
:I had spent the entire summer focused
on implementing Substack as best
100
:as possible, and by December 25, I
actually became a Substack bestseller.
101
:These six months of experience on
the platform have allowed me to
102
:reflect on what's working and what
improve for our community in:
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:Here's what I came up with first.
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:Substack is now our main hub.
105
:It used to be Instagram, but Instagram
has really shifted from a community
106
:platform to an entertainment platform.
107
:I'm still posting regularly for our
thriving Instagram community, but I
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:now consider Substack to be our home,
and I hope you're into this shift.
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:It's just a much better experience overall
for a virtual book club, whether you're a
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:free or a paid member, and it's growing.
111
:So I want to lean into it from
a business perspective too.
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:Okay, now let's talk about
our posting schedule.
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:I generally post it on substack two to
three times per week in:
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:aiming for the same cadence in 2026.
115
:I'm currently planning on
posting on Sunday morning.
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:This is to banish your Sunday scaries.
117
:Wednesday mid-morning and Friday morning.
118
:Sunday morning will be a new format
for a column that I tested early on.
119
:Called the Gazette.
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:This is based on the Stars Hollow Gazette.
121
:Before it felt more like a monthly
lifestyle magazine, but now it
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:will be a recap of the week.
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:Here is my thinking.
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:I post so much in so many places over
the course of the week that it can feel
125
:like it gets lost in the weeds sometimes.
126
:So I'm going to recap the best of the week
in one place to make it easy for you to
127
:enjoy the best of the best of my content.
128
:Think a short video, an engaging chat
thread, a popular note, and or a relevant
129
:post from the archives all in one place.
130
:I'll will add anything else
that's of the moment, like a sale.
131
:I'm shopping when I'm
watching a good recipe.
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:I just tried, et cetera.
133
:On these posts, paid subscribers
will also receive my high and low of
134
:the week reviews of what I read and
did not finish that week, and any
135
:book releases I'm anticipating for
the coming Tuesday, which is always
136
:publication day in the book world.
137
:This replaces the monthly
column called the book report.
138
:It is not going away.
139
:It is just coming to you
weekly versus monthly.
140
:Wednesdays are somewhat open-ended
and they will generally include our
141
:regular columns, bookmarks, and book
tease for anyone new around here.
142
:Bookmarks is a curated selection of
things that I found around the web
143
:that I think are interesting for you.
144
:And the premise is that I do all the
scrolling throughout the month so that
145
:you can stay informed and inspired while
having more time to read and book teases.
146
:These are our interviews with people like
authors who tell us all their favorite
147
:books on Gilmore Girls and the like.
148
:Or they may consist of something else
I wanna post, such as seasonal reading,
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:which is always popular around here.
150
:We're gilmore's after all, and
I'll add audio if that makes
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:sense, like I'm doing right now.
152
:These posts may be free or paid
just depending on what they are
153
:and whether something seems like
it should be behind the paywall.
154
:Fridays are still official podcast
days, but the podcast is changing.
155
:Looking back on the year, it became
clear to me that my Gilmore Girls Pop
156
:Culture rewatch episode by episode
wasn't the best fit for my growing
157
:Substack audience, which is far more
literary than the general population.
158
:That said, I still love
connecting with you by audio.
159
:It's actually one of the main
reasons I chose Substack as
160
:a platform, as a user myself.
161
:I found that I really enjoyed Article
Overviews when I didn't have time to
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:read Substack articles, and I wanted
to bring that experience to you.
163
:So I'm going to be podcasting
more like that in:
164
:Most podcast episodes will now
be drawn directly from our Rory
165
:Gilmore Reading Challenge, not on a
specific episode of Gilmore Girls.
166
:I'm planning on this monthly cadence.
167
:First, we'll always be breaking
down our monthly reading prompts.
168
:Here, I'll tell you what the prompt
is, the list of books on it, and the
169
:ones that I think are worth reading,
worth skipping, that kind of thing.
170
:Next, we'll explore the
featured book of the month.
171
:You may or may not already know
that I pick a featured book for
172
:you to consider reading that month.
173
:I try to pick popular ones
174
:like Huck Finn or The Diary of Anne
Frank, and then I do a deep dive.
175
:I'm bringing these to
audio to you now as well.
176
:Third, I will review what I read for our
challenge this month in a similar fashion.
177
:Where I tell you what episode of
Gilmore Girls, it was featured
178
:in and curate things like movie
trailers and interesting articles
179
:about the book for you to look at.
180
:Last will be something else related to
Gilmore Girls and or the books on it.
181
:This will be something like a
character deep dive, a review of
182
:a book's adaptation, et cetera.
183
:These posts will mostly be free paid
subscribers can also listen to the podcast
184
:ad free on Substack, as well as access
are Principal Gilmore Girls Inspired
185
:Reading Journal and episode guides.
186
:That's part of what you get when you
upgrade to a paid subscriber on Substack.
187
:Okay?
188
:So if you're going to miss the
episode by episode rewatch me too.
189
:I'm toying with ideas on
how to bring this back.
190
:After all, I need a good reason
to rewatch the show again.
191
:So just stick around and see if I
come up with another way to do this.
192
:I'm thinking I may put it on the Friday
Night Reader's official website or maybe
193
:do it as a book or something like that.
194
:Next, let's talk about the Principal
Gilmore Girls episode guide.
195
:So for about a year now, I've been sharing
one principal Gilmore Girls episode
196
:guide per week with paid subscribers.
197
:These include a summary of the episode
and a list of books, authors adaptations,
198
:et cetera, that are referenced
199
:it is by far the most accurate and
comprehensive Gilmore Girl's book
200
:list that I am aware of, especially
since it's categorized by episode.
201
:I have been known to study books
in the background and catch really
202
:obscure references in their fast talk.
203
:These are not going away.
204
:In fact, I'll be able to share the
full episode guide, which is about
205
:150 to 175 pages with paid subscribers
within the next week or two.
206
:I am almost done with the last rewatch
I wanted to do before I shared it all.
207
:So no more waiting week by week.
208
:The entire catalog will be
in your hands very soon.
209
:This is another great reason
to upgrade to become a paid
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:subscriber if you aren't already.
211
:Next, let's talk about important
updates for founding members.
212
:This is really big.
213
:Previously founding members received
occasional behind the scenes insights,
214
:such as the ones I recently shared
about my reading and business goals.
215
:I will link that post in the show
notes for you in case you missed it.
216
:So you will still get this
in the Gazette every week.
217
:I'm also pleased to add a benefit
to this highest tier of membership,
218
:which encourages us not just to
read better ourselves, but also
219
:to become literacy advocates.
220
:This is inspired by the stats I posted in
my article about why you should take the
221
:Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge with us.
222
:I'm looking all of this in the show notes.
223
:According to several high profile
articles this year, classic reading
224
:is down substantially in high schools.
225
:From the advent of AI to schools being
required to teach for standardized
226
:tests, it's widely reported that
even many Ivy League students
227
:haven't read a full classic book.
228
:My high school read five to 10 per year,
229
:and I do credit this with why I
became an English minor and why
230
:I'm doing what I'm doing right now.
231
:Literacy is also down from the
National Literacy Institute.
232
:21% of adults in the United
States were illiterate in:
233
:That is one fifth.
234
:54% of adults have literacy
levels below a sixth grade level.
235
:Over half of adults and 20%
are below a fifth grade level.
236
:Lastly, the United States
ranks 36th in literacy.
237
:So here is my plan for 2026.
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:For each founding member, I will
gift a book and a one year paid
239
:subscription to Friday night readers
to a high school English literature
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:or reading teacher in need.
241
:I plan to use the Wishlist Finder, which
was compiled by a teacher called Mr.
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:Aire to accomplish this.
243
:I've been following her for a few
years on Instagram and she is amazing.
244
:More details soon and I'll keep
you updated in the Gazette on what
245
:we're accomplishing as a community.
246
:I'm pretty sure I know how I want to do
this, but I need to hammer out the details
247
:so that's why I wanna get
back to you in a little bit.
248
:This year, please consider upgrading.
249
:For our initial run of this initiative,
you can set your own price to
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:become a founding member as well.
251
:Again, the place you join is at
Friday night readers.substack.com,
252
:and this is for founding members.
253
:In closing, I just want you to know
that I am so grateful for your support
254
:over the years, and I sincerely hope
you like these changes to our book club.
255
:and during our sixth annual Rory
Gilmore Reading Challenge, I can
256
:honestly say that this has been the
most impactful work I've done both for
257
:myself and for our book club members.
258
:This year, my goal is to focus on
enhancing the experience for book club
259
:members to make it more immersive,
engaging, interactive, and yes, analog,
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:that very trendy word right now.
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:And to take things a step further and
become stewards of literacy, I think
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:it's what Rory Gilmore would do, and
I just got chills when I typed that.
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:Life short.
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:Remember to read fast jewels.
