DISCUSSION: books and songs I associate together

I've been thinking about making this post for so long, and I finally have time to write it! So I don't know about you, but there are some songs that I so strongly associate with certain books. Sometimes, it's because it's a song that was obsessed with at the time and just happened to be reading the book, or I would just strongly relate the lyrics of the song to a book.

Honestly, this will be such a random list of books and songs because some of these were from . . . 2012 - 2013? Middle school me was honestly pretty weird. My brain still does associate random things together idk.

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STRANGE ANGELS by Lili St. Crow + "ALONE TOGETHER" by Fall Out Boy

I, uh, don't remember my reasoning for this. 2013 was honestly so weird for me, but I think I was briefly obsessed with "Alone Together" and happened to be reading the Strange Angels series (Which. is such a weird series tbh). I guess the lyrics made sense with the book but I remember like 5 details from the series.

HEX HALL by Rachel Hawkins + "GLAD YOU CAME" by The Wanted

Okay, I remember this one! Honestly, if you google the lyrics and DON'T see it, idk you. (Also if you haven't read the series, what are you doing?? I love Rachel Hawkins so much.) The very first lines

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me

just go with the book so well. Literally, the lyrics "You cast a spell on me"!! When the series is about magic!! I know!! Young me was so deep, ugh her mind.

HEROES OF OLYMPUS by Rick Riordan + "C'MON" by Panic! at the Disco ft. fun.

+ "HOLY GROUND" & "STATE OF GRACE" by Taylor Swift

Okay, this entirely stems from my early days on Tumblr circa 2012 . . . which if you were on there back then, you know what a mess it was. So yeah, I actually discovered the song "C'mon" from Viria (you know her, I'm assuming? She's the official artist of the PJO world now but back then she used to be one of the major fan artists in the fandom.). She used to do this thing where she'd have a song and draw the lyrics with scenes/characters from books, and I was so SHOOK by this one. Again, young me was such a mess.

The Taylor Swift songs are also because of the PJO fandom on Tumblr. These two songs in particular would be used for soooo many edits, and I think I was also really into this album at the time. Jasper shippers were so heavily influenced by these two songs, okay, like they were used for almost every angsty edit.

THE SHADOW & BONE TRILOGY by Leigh Bardugo + "COSMIC LOVE" by Florence + the Machine

Yet another Tumblr association! This damn song (I kid, I kid, I love this song) was on every single ~angsty playlist, but for some reason I strongly associate it with this series. Probably because it was literally used in every playlist and/or graphic. This and "Howl," but for some reason I only think of this series when I listen to this song.

I was in the darkness,

So darkness I became

The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out

You left me in the dark

No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight

In the shadow of your heart

THE MARA DYER TRILOGY by Michelle Hodkin + HALCYON by Ellie Goulding

Yeah, this is when I listened to this album on repeat and was also very, very obsessed with this series. The songs in particular that I'm thinking of? "My Blood," "Figure 8," and "Only You." Mostly "Explosions" though, especially after the cliffhanger in book 2.

Explosions on the day you wake up
Needing somebody and you've learned
It's okay to be afraid
But it will never be the same
It will never be the same

SINNER by Maggie Stiefvater + "COUNTING STARS" by OneRepublic

This is when "Counting Stars" was played on the radio. Every. Other. Song. I'm not even joking; where I live, there's at least 3 Top 40 stations, so anytime I would change the station, this song would be playing. Coincidentally, it came on while I was reading Sinner, and I thought the lyrics fit so well.

I feel the love
And I feel it burn
Down this river every turn
Hope is a four letter word
Make that money
Watch it burn
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
I, feel something so wrong
But doing the right thing
I could lie, could lie, could lie
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly

THE RAVEN CYCLE by Maggie Stiefvater + "DRIVE" by Halsey

You know you've been on Book Twitter for too long if you remember this scandal . . .

But first, everyone would always, always use this song in their Bluesey edits with that one scene in Blue Lily, Lily Blue (or was it The Dream Thieves? I can never remember what happens in each book) with the almost kiss. Then people weirdly harassed the author with this song and apparently with a lot of sexual innuendos. Or at least, that's the way she took one lyric in particular, and it blew up into a whole Thing when she @'d Halsey (I still cannot understand why she actually tagged her) and Halsey was like, that lyric's not an innuendo lol. And then it just went downhill from there. But in a fun way to watch, honestly?

But yeah, I uh actually went to a Halsey concert fairly soon after this, and when "Drive" came on, that was all I could think about.

SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo + "FIX ME" by Jasmine Thompson

I used to listen to this EP on repeat, and I also happened to be reading Six of Crows for the millionth time and realized how well the lyrics fit. So, I made this edit sometime last year (or this year? I can't even remember). Yeah, I recently listened to the EP for the first time in a while, and when this song came on, all I could think of was the scene of that edit. I mean, these lyrics

Every time that I'm falling, falling
You're the arms that I reach
When my guards are unravelling, -ravelling
You're the words that I need to fix me
To fix me

 with the scene where Kaz passes out and Inej's voice brings him back? Iconic.

THE LUMATERE CHRONICLES by Melina Marchetta + FLICKER by Niall Horan

This is another case of me reading and listening to the songs at the same time. There isn't that much correlation, lyrics-wise, but I always go ALL IN when I read the Marchetta and I was fairly obsessed with this album last year. I will say that I was listening to "Fire Away" during the scene where (**spoilers**) Froi gets shot with arrows, and I thought that matched up a little too well :').

THE WICKED KING by Holly Black + "HOLY" by King Princess

OKAY, if you followed me on social media, you know my feelings about The Wicked King. If you don't, here's my temporary review that's on Goodreads and my full review on this blog. Although I'm writing this post, I actually never make playlists for books I read, but I was so thoroughly wrecked from this book that every song I listened to reminded me of it. I totally didn't put "Burning Up" by the Jonas Brothers on my playlist pshhh. This song, however, so completely fits with the vibes of the book. Anytime I listen to it, I suddenly get the urge to read TWK again, but I don't because I know that will just end in more tears.

I won't post the lyrics because that's kinda spoilery ;))).

THE DARKEST LEGACY by Alexandra Bracken + "HOWL" by Years & Years

I must have listened to Years & Years's sophomore album 30 times in a row, no joke. I also happened to have just read The Darkest Legacy, and this song kept running through my mind. The lyrics fit so well!

I'm shaking
Psychic kind of power
Now's the time, and now's the hour of making
Ooh
So help me God
Where am I now?
(I'm afraid, I'm afraid in the future crowd)
I cut my hair
I shot them down

 Zu's character arc in this book is so good, and I thought this song really matched it.

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS by Rachel Hawkins + "BURNING" by Maggie Rogers

This book isn't even out (I'm dying for an ARC, pls @ PenguinTeen, I will do anything), and I already associate this song with it because the author tweeted this. I've been listening to this album on repeat, and again, I'm so hyped for Her Royal Highness that I can't stop thinking about it. So now my mind just associates the two. (Please, @ PenguinTeen, I NEED THIS BOOK!)

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Well, that was a long trip into my weird brain. Do you associate any songs with certain books? Or do you make playlists for books you read? I'd love to know! Comment down below to tell me.