A Book for Each Taylor Swift Song of 2020
Arguably one of the best things about 2020 was not one but TWO albums from our girl, T. Swift. Thirty plus slow burning jams that skyrocketed to the top of my Spotify Most-Played list. Not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed that four of my top five most-listened-to songs were from folklore. I mean, didn’t we all just have a lot of feelings this year???
To cap off this year of Taylor, I thought it would be fun to put together a folklore/evermore themed book list and *attempt* to connect each song with a book that shares similar vibes. So, if your 2021 goal is to read your way through folklore and evermore, you’ve come to the right place. I also won’t pretend that I didn’t just really want to wear braids and and recreate the album photos.
Let’s start with folklore. Get your Bookshop carts queued up, because you’re gonna be adding!
the 1 - What Might Have Been
This first song gives us all of the “what if” feels, and What Might Have Been will do the same. Grab some rosé, curl up with your chosen family, and dive into this novel about everything that could have (and might still?) happened between Evan and Sarah, who shared one incredible night together then went their separate ways.
cardigan - Real Men Knit
After seeing Taylor send a chunky cardigan to just about every cool celeb there is, you surely have some regrets about not buying one from the merch shop. Just me? Honestly I think I even surprised myself with my restraint. And for a novel that feels as good as an old cardigan, try Real Men Knit, a love story centered around the fate of a small knitting shop in Harlem. Think Kinky Boots but with a knitting shop instead of a shoe factory–just delightful. Also, knitting...cardigan...see what I did there?
the last great american dynasty - The American Heiress
Fav song on the album, hardest to find the perfect match for! This pairing isn’t perfect, but you’ll def get the dramatic, social climbing vibes. There’s also Blue Blood, which tells the true story of Rebekah, the infamous previous owner of Taylor’s Rhode Island mansion, but it’s like impossible to find. If you know the lyrics, you pretty much know the story, ya feel me?
exile - This Love Story Will Self Destruct
Do I love you, or do I just not want you to love anyone else? The age-old question that exile presents listeners with. Eve and Ben share a strong bond, but do they really? They both do their own thing–together, and they’re on the outside looking into each other’s lives. But whatever their recent years have held for them, might there still be a chance at a lasting relationship? Read this one with Bon Iver serenading in the background.
my tears ricochet - Fleishman is in Trouble
When a relationship doesn’t quite end up the way you had pictured it, there’s a song–and a book–for that. In this messy divorce novel, Rachel definitely does not have it in herself to go with grace.
mirrorball - The Prom
Okay maybe it’s because I just watched this movie on Netflix, but I think it is just perfect match for mirrorball. Dancing, disco balls, finding someone who shows you that the best version of yourself is who. you. are. Emma and Alyssa SHINE for each other in this lovely book/film.
seven - The Girls from Corona del Mar
This song gives off major BFF vibes–doing everything together and wanting to savor all of it. In The Girls from Corona del Mar, Lorrie Ann and Mia show readers how sometimes opposites make the best friendships. As the tables turn throughout the years, will they be able to picture each other as they were when they were younger, or will they realize they never really knew each other at all?
august - The Summer I Turned Pretty
Is there anything better than daydreaming of summer when you’re sitting under a thousand blankets because it’s freezing outside? August is seriously the fleeting romance ballad we all need to bring us back to warm, carefree days of summer. The Summer I Turned Pretty is a great match for this song 1) because it’s all about summer and beaches and boys, and 2) because nobody does high school romance better than Jenny Han.
this is me trying - The Light We Lost
So many good lines in this track, but my favorite is “I got wasted like all my potential.” Damn. Pair it with The Light We Lost, a novel about a couple bound by their meeting on September 11, 2001, who try for years to discover the meaning of life (and love) in one another.
illicit affairs - The Silent Wife
Lots of cheating songs from Taylor in 2020, am I right? illicit affairs, a song about the ups and (mostly) downs of an affair, goes perfectly alongside The Silent Wife, a novel about a troubled marriage that is less thriller and more matter-of-fact.
invisible string - The Sun is Also a Star
This song is so lovely and happy in every single way. It’s the sing-songy beat and glimpse into Taylor’s current relationship for me. I think it is the perfect match for The Sun is Also a Star, a novel about all of the factors at play when it comes to meeting your soulmate.
mad woman - The Woman in the Window
Is she really mad, or did they just make her that way?
epiphany - Something for the Pain
Another tough one to find a match for; don’t really feel like I can do justice to such a heavy and tributed song. The lyrics seem to hint at the experiences of medical professionals, both that of her grandfather in World War II, but mostly of the men and women working to care for patients during the pandemic. I haven’t read this book, but the description and reviews seem like a good fit for all that life has become this year for medical professionals.
betty - That’s Not What I Heard
Betty is such a jam, especially for my YA-loving heart. While we may never know what happened between James and Betty, we do know that the rumors are flying (ask Inez, okay?) and that James has regrets. This song goes perfectly with That’s Not What I Heard, a novel about the rumors surrounding the breakup of a popular high school couple. It’s a juicy, funny, guilty pleasure! PS I also love that she uses Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s kids in her songs. James, Inez, Betty–they’re all here! And Inez (I think) does the Gorgeous intro on reputation.
peace - Boyfriend Material
Dating someone famous has its perks, but it also means you’ll likely never be left alone. Both peace and Boyfriend Material explore the intricacies of famous relationships, one real (peace) and one fake, for now (Boyfriend Material). .
hoax - Behind Closed Doors
This was another hard one for me to pair, but here goes. Picture-perfect relationships aren’t always what they appear to be; sometimes they’re even dangerous to both the mind and body. The can't-put-down thriller, Behind Closed Doors, is a novel of such secrecy and betrayal that matches with some of the lyrics from hoax, although it seems in the song there is still love lingering, where in the book there is definitely not. Happy to take suggestions on a better fit here, I couldn’t for the life of me think of a book where one partner is still in love with the other, even though they’re terrible.
the lakes - Love Her Wild
This book of poems has the folkloric, wilderness vibe that encapsulates this whole album. It’s about adventure, life, love, and moments that turn into memories. I chose a poetry anthology mainly because she mentions poets in the song (Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die.), and I honestly had a hard time understanding what this song was supposed to be about.
Okay that’s folklore for you! Thoughts? Hits and/or misses? Any that you’ll add to your 2021 reading list? I’m all ears!
And now, evermore!
willow - Love Letters
Whimsical, forestry, and all v. romantic. willow is clearly a love letter, so what better pairing than Love Letters, a small-in-size collection of 200 love letters, both real and fictional, that will leave you wanting to wreck your plans, take your lover’s hand, and follow them wherever they stray.
champagne problems - All Grown Up
One of my favorites from the album, this song is a sad one about a failed proposal when the champagne has already been popped in celebration. Whoopsies. And for the book, there’s no shortage of champagne problems for Andrea, the main character in All Grown Up, who drinks a lot and lives life unequivocally on her own terms. While there’s no botched marriage proposal, there’s a messiness and relatability that make it a delightful read.
gold rush - To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Peter Kavinsky = The epitome of growing up beautiful with hair that falls into place like dominos. Second Jenny Han book in this list, and I am not sorry. It fits perfectly.
‘tis the damn season - By the Book
For a song about returning home and reconnecting with an ex, there’s By the Book, a novel with the reemergence of an ex-fiance that has Anne constantly wondering about her road not traveled.
tolerate it - I Have Something to Tell You
A song about someone who seems to be settling for someone who merely tolerates their existence deserves a book about not settling, about having the courage to leave and take your life into your own hands. I Have Something to Tell You is Natalie Appleton’s memoir about leaving everything behind to find herself.
no body, no crime - The Arrangement
The Goodbye Earl meets Two Black Cadillacs song of 2020 meets its match in The Arrangement, a scandalous tale of adultery and murder that is a gd page. turner.
happiness - Comfort & Joy
Maybe it’s because I’m fresh off my holiday reading list, or maybe it’s the fairy-tale feel of this book that makes it spring to mind as a match for happiness.
dorothea - The Girl He Used to Know
This song makes you think of old friends or flames and wonder if they ever think about you, too. It matches well with The Girl He Used to Know, a novel about falling in love, being separated for years, and deciding whether or not a long-ago love was truly meant to be. Plus, it’s set at the University of Illinois and in Chicago–woo!
coney island - What We Left Behind
Gahhh...another hard one! I chose What We Left Behind because I think it encapsulates a breakup, confusion, and growing apart after some time away. The song leans toward one person being more heartbroken than the other, and in the novel, Toni seems to be doing fine, while Gretchen struggles to move on. Also, I love the line, “we were like the mall before the Internet.” Remember the mall?!? Good times.
ivy - The Wives
What is there to do when the one you love is already taken? In The Wives, Seth has not one but THREE wives, and Thursday (one of the wives) doesn’t seem to let that hinder how in love with him she is. That is, until she comes across shocking information about Seth that will make her question everything. Not the best thriller I’ve ever read, but it matches the theme we’re looking for with ivy.
cowboy like me - Dumplin’
Okay, this one is a stretch, I know, but all I think about when I listen to this song is Texas, so naturally Dumplin’ comes to mind. Willowdean finds love in Bo, who makes her eyes fill with stars, especially when–to her surprise–he loves her just as much as she loves him. This is a story of confidence, love, and changing the game in a small town where the “ladies lunching” would for sure have their stories swirling.
long story short - Yesterdates
Dating regrets: We all have them. Lucky for us they’re not front-page (for TMZ) news. Well, at least mine aren’t. Maybe you’re famous. :) Listen to this track alongside Yesterdates, short anecdotes about dating mishaps and misadventures that promises to be both hilarious and relatable. This is another one I haven’t read, but the description aligns well with the theme of long story short. Wrong time, wrong person, wrong a lot of things.
marjorie - The Astonishing Color of After
This is a song about Taylor’s grandmother, so I wanted to pair it with a novel with a strong grandparent relationship and/or a novel where so much of a lost family member lives on in the loved ones they leave behind. I settled on The Astonishing Color of After, in which Leigh–who just lost her mother to suicide–builds a new relationship with her grandparents and learns so much about herself and her family.
closure - milk and honey
Girl. Power. That’s what closure is all about. I don’t need to be handled, thank you very much. Pair it with rupi kaur’s book of poems (if you can even call them that; they read more like prose) with themes of resiliency and female empowerment throughout.
evermore - After Alice
Honestly I could not think of a match for this depressing song, but since the whole compilation of both albums is storytelling meets whimsy meets sadness meets love, a fairytale book seems fitting. After Alice is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland reimagined many years later. Fairytale books aren’t usually my thing, but I actually just might give this one a read. Maybe.
right where you left me - The Rules Do Not Apply
When life doesn’t go as you planned, it can sometimes leave you paralyzed–frozen in time. That’s what happens in right where you left me, a breakup song (shocking, I know!) in which someone just cannot move on. I think this one goes nicely with Right Where You Left Me, Ariel Levy’s memoir about pursuing the life she knew she wanted and struggling to adapt when the unthinkable happens.
it’s time to go - How to Walk Away
Self-explanatory pairing here, but both song and book are about courage and letting go. I love Katharine Center books, and this one is no exception.
Well, that took WAY longer than I anticipated, but there you have ‘em! One book for every Taylor song of 2020. I’m sure others who are more well-rounded readers would have different choices (please share!), but I stick to what I know I like. :) I hope this has brought you some joy and maybe a book suggestion or two as this memorable year draws to a close.
And for anyone who is still reading and/or who also keeps lists of favorite things, here are my top Taylor songs from 2020, in a very particular order. How does my list compare with yours? What sleepers am I missing that maybe just need a little more time to be loved?
My Top 10 of Taylor 2020
10. the 1—The first track of a new era of Taylor is always worth a spot on the list.
9. exile—All the reels of people singing this song in the mirror are hilarious. Also a nice intro to Bon Iver for me, which is probably embarrassing to put out there.
8. august—I just love the peaceful, summery feel to this one.
7. long story short—This is a jump-around-and-spin-with-with-your-arms-out kinda dancing song. Prove me wrong.
6. champagne problems—I mean who doesn’t have ‘em?
5. invisible string—Gotta love a sneak peek into the absent-from-social-media Taylor & Joe relationship.
4. ‘tis the damn season—It’s sad that Blackout Wednesday in our hometowns just wasn’t a thing this year.
3. no body, no crime—The Two Black Cadillacs meets Goodbye Earl homage we didn’t know we needed. JAM. Also, HAIM.
2. betty—It’s the slow build to the showing up at the party for me.
1. the last great american dynasty—*Googles saltbox houses on the coast.* This song is SUCH a vibe. Can’t get enough.
Happy Reading (and T. Swift jamming) and Happy New Year!
-Amy-
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