I love books, and I love music, so when I saw this tag over on Jenna @ Bookmark Your Thoughts’ blog, I had to get involved!
MY JAM: A song you have to listen to no matter how many times you’ve heard it and a book that you’ll never get sick of
Song: Oh, lots! But given that I’m currently very hyped for the release of her second album, I’ll say Tilted by Christine and the Queens.
Book: I read it like two years ago, but I still seem to be thinking and raving about Bird Box by Josh Malerman all the time. It’s so unnerving, and plays with the senses and fear of the unknown brilliantly.
THROWBACK: A song that reminds you of the cringiest time in your life and a book you read that you wouldn’t like now
Song: If you’re under the age of 30 and didn’t have an angsty Avril Lavigne phase, you’re lying.
Book: At the time I read it, I thought the Legend series by Marie Lu was okay at best, but I know I’d find it incredibly frustrating now. It’s a perfectly readable YA dystopian series, but the prose is bland, and it has a few too many clichés for my liking.
REPLAY: A recent song that you have on repeat and a recent favourite book
Song: Eivør recently shared a stunning cover of a Leonard Cohen song from her new live album, and I’m obsessed.
Book: My favourite read of the year so far is The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni. It’s a gorgeously written meditation on the savage power of the natural world, and storytelling as a means of survival.
GETS ME: A song that is literally me and a book that is me in book form
Song: Bachelorette. A song by Björk, with a video that incorporates elements of nature, fairy tale, and literature, is basically all my favourite things colliding.
Book: Other than of course relating to Hermione Granger’s book-swat ways, I’ve never really been one of those readers to ‘find’ themselves in fiction (*sigh*). So, the only way I could think to answer this was to pick something that epitomises my favourite qualities in a book: gothic, atmospheric, immersive, mysterious, and beautifully written. For me, that’s Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
WUT: A weird song that you liked anyways and a unique book that stuck out to you for some reason
Song: Vessel by Zola Jesus. The vocal delivery in some of Zola’s early work is so deliberately skewed that you can’t even make out a lot of what she’s saying, and yet she creates so much atmosphere and feeling that I still love it.
Book: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa is a recent unique read that really stood out, not least because it’s narrated in part by a cat. It was a charming, bittersweet, and surprisingly human tale about finding family, and making peace with the past.
LET’S GO: Pick your best pump up song and a book that inspires you
Song: Alive by Sia. This song makes me feel POWERFUL.
Book: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley inspires me, in that any writer longs to pen something as intelligent, layered, and timeless as it has proven to be.
CHILL: Your best chill or relaxing song and a book you’d curl up with on a rainy day
Song: Aventine by Agnes Obel. (Or anything by London Grammar.)
Book: A rainy day read, for me, should be something gripping and pacy that can sweep you up, but with a timeless, cosy quality. That said, I’d opt for something like And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
ADDICTING: A guilty pleasure song and a light, trashy read you can’t help but love
Song: Still Alive by Lisa Miskovsky. I don’t feel guilty per se, because I think it’s a genuinely good song, but I suppose the theme from a video game is a fairly random pick – and this video for it is pretty cringe in fairness.
Book: I wouldn’t describe it as ‘trashy’, but a light read I found very charming is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. It’s about a somewhat stilted, middle-aged governess who ends up inadvertently drawn into the glamourous life of a socialite/club singer, who teaches her to let loose.
NOSTALGIA: A throwback song you look back on fondly and a book you read and loved when you were young
Song: I’m a big fan of Annie Lennox, and despite winning an Oscar, the song she did for the Lord of the Rings soundtrack is supremely underrated. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. (Also, it’s a song linked to a book; I am quietly smug about that train of thought.)
Book: It wouldn’t have been a tag if I hadn’t mentioned Harry Potter somewhere, so here it is!
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There we have it! Since I wasn’t tagged myself, I’ll leave it open to anyone who’d like to take part.
Thank God I’m over 30..lol! I was too old for an Avril angst phase. 😂😂
I’m LOVING that cover of Famous Blue Raincoat!!… Do I feel a “who did it better?” music Monday in the future?? Hmm….
SO HAPPY you chose Bjork for the song that speaks to you!! I didn’t even think people still know who Bjork was! 😂😂
And “still Alive”?? One of the best songs EVER! 💖💖😍
Haha, lucky you! 😉
It’s a gorgeous version, isn’t it?
Björk’s my favourite music artist! She’s stepped away from the mainstream in recent years for sure, but she’s definitely still got her fans out there! 😊
Oh, I still love her!! 💖💖
Me too; she’s wonderful! ❤️
Haha Avril Lavigne was the ultimate soundtrack to my angsty tween years!
And definitely agree with chilling (and reading) to anything London Grammar.
Same! It’s funny how certain artists just define a whole era of your life! 😂
Ah yes, their music is so ambient; perfect to chill to.
I’ve not seen this tag before and it looks really fun – I think I’ll be giving it a go sometime soon!! 🙂
Yay; I look forward to seeing your answers! 😊
I love Agnes Obel!
She’s amazing, isn’t she? Perfect chill out music 😊
Awesome answers! Oh man, Sia’s “Alive” is so powerful! It’s such a beautiful and inspirational song. Oh my gosh…my punk days…Avril Lavigne…I was OBSESSED with her when I was in high school…oh the good ol’ days.
Same! Asking if someone was obsessed with Avril or not in their teens is a pretty surefire way to tell what generation they were part of 😋
Yup…oh boy ha-ha!! Or if they were fans of 7 Club, Spice Girls, Aqua, N*SYNC, or Backstreet Boys 😉
For sure! 😂
An additional treat to these tags I enjoy so much, some music to check out! I’ve always had a strange relationship with music because my tendency is to lean towards silence when my brain is so full! I do enjoy music, and have songs that are so wrapped up in memories I’m instantly transported in time, so I do get the magic. I just need to get better at actually tuning in! 🙂
I know what you mean about certain songs being attached to specific memories – not unlike books! 😊
Indeed…and films! So many are intertwined 🙂
I LOVE Bachelorette and Alive. I just listened to the rest (except Complicated because I do not need that stuck in my head all day) and that Leonard Cohen cover is insanely amazing.
Wise move 😉 YES, Eivør is amazing!
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