Taylor Swift’s “folklore” Book Tag (Original!)

Happy Book Tag Sunday! This week, we’re trying out a lil something different: our first original book tag! Ever!

We are such huge, enormous fans of Taylor Swift, and we thought it would be fun to create a book tag for her latest album, folklore! So much of this album was inspired by stories, by fiction, and fans have already been scrambling to assign all their fave songs to their fave books, characters, relationships, you name it—she just makes it so easy. This album is so dark, atmospheric, lyrical, beautiful…it’s practically a book in and of itself.

So! We thought what better way to join in on the hype than to create a book tag related to each of the songs and their themes? Here are some prompts for all 16 songs (+ the as-of-now unheard “the lakes”) and little graphics you can feel free to use along with them!

And if you just can’t get enough…our evermore book tag is up!

RULES

• Link to the original creator: Paige @ YA Books Daily
• Tag at least 3 people.
• Declare the rules and prompts in your post!
• Thank whoever tagged you and link to their post!

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the 1: a book you wish had ended differently

“Information is power. You can never know ahead of time which pieces will be worth the most.” // “In my defense I have none, for digging up the grave another time. But it would’ve been fun if you would’ve been the one.”

The Fixer is one of our favorite books, but let’s be honest, the ending of The Long Game was a big ol’ confusing letdown. And the fact that the series ended there didn’t help its case! With some serious out-of-character moves and a lot of plotlines that were hurriedly wrapped up, this series is in major need of a third book. We can only hope that one day there is one, and we can finally get some answers about WTF went on with this one.

cardigan: a book that makes you feel like home

”I can see her and she’s teetering on the edge and she’s looking at me and she’s asking me to save her. Save her like she saved me.” // “I knew you’d come back to me.”

Chaos Walking is one of the book series that made me the YA fan I am today. It’s complicated, it’s messy, it’s experimental, and most of all, it showed little eighth grade Paige that YA can be really, really good, really, really fun to read and still really, really challenging. It’s nearly singlehandedly responsible for my wanting to work in YA Fiction for a career. It’s always had a super soft spot in my heart, and picking up this trilogy will never not feel like home to me. Even if it’s an often disturbing read.

the last great american dynasty: a book with perfect storytelling

“People don’t change. They just get better at hiding who they really are.” // “Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits.”

Between the podcast storyline and the actual storyline, I seriously don’t think I’ve ever encountered better storytelling in my life than I did in Sadie. Or ever will again. Every moment of this book was engaging, terrifying, emotional, heartfelt; it was so, so well-written. It took me on an absolute journey, and the last moments of this book are forever lodged in my brain. It absolutely blew me away, and I know it will continue to.

exile: a book to movie adaptation you hated

“Taking a deep breath, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life.
I walked away.” // “I think I’ve seen this film before—so I’m leaving out the side door.”

Ah, the good old days. When it felt like all your favorite YA novels were being quickly adapted into movies. Some of them absolute hits, and some of them major flops. And not in a fun and sexy (see: Beautiful Creatures) way.

I loved the Vampire Academy book series, and especially loved—and still love—Bloodlines. But this movie was…oof. It wanted to be a campy, fun teen movie, but it only ever really dipped its toe into those elements, and was just a mess as a result. No cult classic status here.

my tears ricochet: a book with ghosts, or that left you feeling haunted

“We were alive. I remember it that way.” // “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace.”

The Walls Around Us fits both sides of this category, and for good reason. It’s one of those books that I still think about even years after I’ve finished it, and it also features actual ghosts, so—score.

Nova Ren Suma is one of my favorite authors, and based on this book alone (still need to get around to reading some of her other books…eventually. I promise.) Not only does her prose have such a lyricism to it, but her stories feel like breaths of fresh air. They’re original, spellbinding, emotional, and intimate. And this is one genuinely perfect novel, if you ask me.

mirrorball: a book you saw yourself reflected in

“We’re all looking glasses, we girls, existing only to reflect their images back to them as they’d like to be seen.” // “I want you to know, I’m a mirrorball. I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight.”

I have a tendency to project onto nearly all the books I read. Oops. But the first time I felt ~seen~ by a YA book was in the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray. Gemma’s desire for More, her passion, her dramatics, her anger, and her fierce love were all things I connected with immediately. I loved seeing her grow, and though I felt a great sense of loss when these books closed out, I’ve held them close ever since.

seven: a book you love from childhood

“Before I learned civility I used to scream—ferociously—any time I wanted.”

I think everyone has that one book series they read as a kid that they’ve never forgotten, for whatever reason that may be. And mine is The Doll People. I remember this middle-grade series clear as day, the book series as a whole and weird vivid memories of certain scenes and elements, and I remember it being one of the first series I felt impressed and attached to as a kid. Honestly, I’d read this again at 21, and I think I would still love it as much.

august: a book with a fleeting summer romance

“The person she liked best didn’t like her enough to want more of her, and she didn’t want to pretend that wasn’t awful.” // “Wanting was enough; for me, it was enough.”

What’s better than one book about a summer romance? One book about twelve summer romances. As someone who doesn’t read too many contemporary romance novels, and who genuinely scoured her own brain to think of a straight-up summer romance novel she read, I finally settled on the Summer Days & Summer Nights anthology. I absolutely adored this when it was published a few years ago.

From highs to lows, from long-lasting loves to the most fleeting of them all, these stories all delivered the perfect bite of romance. They were so easy to lose yourself in and want more from, and this book was the perfect pick for “august.”

this is me trying: a book you keep trying to finish, or that took you forever

“I didn’t know if you’d care if I came back. I have a lot of regrets about that.”

Not YA, but it’s time to fess up—I haven’t picked up Ducks, Newburyport in months. At 1,000 pages made up almost entirely of one single sentence, it’s been hard to feel a desire to read it, even though I love what I’ve read so far and I’ve really been Getting It.

I’ve always struggled with enjoying stream of consciousness, so this is a bit of a doozy when I think too hard about it in the big picture. But I swear, before the year is up, I will have conquered this book. As soon as I get back to my daily twelve pages of reading.

illicit affairs: a book with a forbidden romance

“Blue,” he warned, but his voice was chaotic.” // “You taught me a secret language I can’t speak with anyone else.”

Forbidden romances are just too good. There are so many layers to a forbidden romance, and so many different avenues authors have explored. But I’m sticking with a classic for this pick: The Raven Boys.

Blue Sargent has been told she can’t kiss her true love or he’ll die. And when she meets Gansey, that suddenly seems like a pressing problem. What’s more forbidden than that? The tension between Blue and Gansey is so good, and there were so many moments between the two of them in this series that seriously made me feel, I’ll be honest, like swooning. That scene in the car in Blue Lily, Lily Blue still gets me. It was practically Taylor Swift-approved.

invisible string: a book you never expected to love, but did

“This is it, then? Just for now.” // “And isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?”

When I received an ARC of Analee, In Real Life I actually grimaced and questioned why I had requested it when I looked up the summary on Goodreads. When I checked NetGalley to read its copy there and realized I had wanted to read it because it mentioned fake dating, I decided to go ahead and still give it a try. And oh my god, I am so unbelievably glad I did.

I was initially put off by the video game elements in this book, but they ended up being practically nonexistent, and this book became an almost immediate favorite as soon as I got into it. It remains the best fake dating story I’ve ever read, and I cried—no, sobbed—solidly through the last 30 pages. I recommend it to everyone I meet, and I still get weepy when I think about it.

I’ve never been happier I took a chance on a book in my life.

mad woman: a book featuring a vengeful female protagonist

“They picked the wrong girl.” // “You made her like that.”

I’m pretty sure when Taylor Swift wrote “mad woman” she was fresh off reading Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin. A Macbeth retelling with Lady Macbeth at its center, this book is bloody and brutal and vicious and the kind of feminist revenge fantasy you can only dream of.

But it’s also so much more than that. The prose in this book shimmers and glints and gleams, both beautifully and dangerously. It lures you in like prey. It’s just connected enough to its source material to be effective and engaging if you’re familiar with Shakespeare, and also so original you don’t need any prior knowledge at all. It’s a book for survivors. It’s a book that lets your anger fester and rage and heal.

It’s one of my favorite books of all time, and I can only hope more YA authors start taking the kind of risks Capin took here.

epiphany: a book with a non-linear structure

“I tell her everything I wish I had ever known.” // “And some things you just can’t speak about.”

All Our Yesterdays could just as easily been my pick for “invisible string.” I don’t necessarily love reading sci-fi for pleasure, unless it’s really impressive, but Meg forced my hand in reading this years ago, and I’m so glad she did.

While I don’t want to say too much and give this book’s secrets away, the way it shifts between timelines and characters is amazing, engaging, and by the end of it, so emotional I was kind of stunned to find myself crying. It’s criminally underrated, and I will be forever salty that the sequel from Finn’s POV never panned out.

betty: a book with a sapphic romance

“And even though there’s a crowd around us, and bodyguards and other royals, it feels like it’s just us.” // “Will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends?”

Listen. I know Taylor is never going to confirm this song (and um, practically this entire album) is about women. But this song is about women, and I think me and all my fellow Swifties are in agreement here. Hence, we’re prompting any kind of Sapphic romance for this one.

And one of our long-time favorites is Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins. One of the happiest, most feel-good LGBTQ+ romances out there, and one of the best royal romances, this sequel to Royals (also known as Prince Charming) applies so perfectly to “betty” it’s unreal. We can practically see Millie and Flora singing this song to each other.

peace: a book that makes you feel wild

“He’s flint, you’re tinder.” // “But I’m a fire and I’ll keep your brittle heart warm.”

“Give you my wild” is maybe my favorite Taylor Swift lyric of all time now. The sentiment of it is practically palpable, and it so perfectly encapsulates this album, its mood, its imagery, everything. The idea of giving someone your craziest, your most insane, your hardest things, despite everything, despite reservations and fears—gifting that. It’s beautiful. It made me cry the first time I heard it.

While this prompt is absolutely ~up to interpretation~ I wanted to selfishly honor that line a bit. And if there’s one book that makes me feel a bit wild and unhinged, it’s The Cruel Prince. Raw desire roars through the veins of this book, and I don’t know if I’ll ever know a relationship so heady in a YA book ever again.

hoax: a book that made you sob

“The scariest thing of all is never knowing what you’re suddenly going to believe.” // “Your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in.”

When I picked up this book, I did so because I loved Neal Shusterman’s Unwind series with every bit of my soul. I didn’t know what to expect from it, but I can promise you I didn’t expect to cry my eyes out the way that I did. One of the most confusing and beautiful books I’ve ever read, it was the author’s note at the end that really did me in emotionally. But even without it, Challenger Deep made me bawl like a baby in the way it portrayed the most difficult of mental illnesses with care, concern, and love. No spoilers here, but I have a feeling you’ll cry as much as I did.

the lakes: a book you can’t wait to be released

We haven’t heard “the lakes” yet, but I promise, when one of my many folklore CDs arrives in a few weeks, I will be popping one into my car so fast so that I can listen to it I’ll probably break something in the process.

So what better way to spotlight an upcoming release we’re excited about! 2021 can’t come soon enough—for many reasons. And one of them is the release of She’s Too Pretty to Burn. Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, a thriller filled with danger and murder, an LGBTQ+ romance—we cannot think of more perfect elements to find wrapped into one book. Even if we have to wait longer to read it than we have to to listen to “the lakes.”

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Thank you all so much for checking this out! If you’re interested in doing this tag yourself, here are all the categories listed for convenience! And make sure to tag us so we can see all your fantastic picks!

1. the 1 // a book you wish had ended differently
2. cardigan // a book that feels like home
3. the last great american dynasty // a book with perfect storytelling
4. exile // a book to movie adaptation you hated
5. my tears ricochet // a book with ghosts, or that left you feeling haunted
6. mirrorball // a book you saw yourself reflected in
7. seven // a book you love from childhood
8. august // a book with a fleeting summer romance
9. this is me trying // a book you keep trying to finish, or that took you forever
10. illicit affairs // a book with a forbidden romance
11. invisible string // a book you never expected to love, but did
12. mad woman // a book featuring a vengeful female protagonist
13. epiphany // a book with a non-linear structure
14. betty // a book with a sapphic romance
15. peace // a book that makes you feel wild
16. hoax // a book that made you sob
17. the lakes // a book you can’t wait to be released

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We tag!

• Twisted in Pages
• Sofii @ A Book. A Thought.
• Not-So-Modern-Girl
• Reading with Rendz
• The Bookish Chick
• Nina @ The Enchanting Books
• This is One for the Books
• Jill @ Jill’s Book Blog
• Katelyn @ From Cover to Cover
• And anyone and everyone else interested!!!