Songs Influenced By Books That Might Get You Reading

If you live life with one earbud always in, listen up! Self-proclaimed music addicts who never know what to read (or listen to next), this is a list made especially for you! For a song for a book, here are five books recommended from five songs we love. 

“Like Real People Do” by Hozier 

Looking for love? Aren’t we all? If you’re a fan of Hozier’s beautiful, albeit complicated, lyrics, you are sure to be a fan of Salley Rooney’s prose. Hozier’s melancholy chorus, “we could just kiss like real people do,” clung to my ears as Marrianne and Connell’s love story unfolded before my eyes. For entangled relationships and so many feelings check out Normal People. Don’t blame me for the tears and, when the inevitable book hangover hits, there’s always Hozier. 

“Trouble” by Cage the Elephant 

Cage the Elephant’s “Trouble” takes a very literal meaning in Leigh Baradugo’s Six of Crows. Kaz Brekker, criminal mastermind and leader of the Crows, always seems to be in some sort of trouble. Whether it’s chasing down debtors or stealing jewels, Kaz is entrenched in mischief. When listening to Cage the Elephant’s hit, it’s almost like you too, have been facing trouble all your life. Read Six of Crows.  

“Freakin’ Out on the Interstate” by Briston Maroney

You know that screaming at the top of your lungs to your favorite song in the passenger seat of your best friend’s car type of feeling? In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chobsky called this feeling infinite. Briston Maroney called it “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate.” I don’t really know what to call it. All I know is that I’d like to bottle it up and drink it when I’m sad. But, since I can’t do that, reading it will have to do. Check out The Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

“Mad Woman” by Taylor Swift 

There’s nothing like a mad woman. Taylor Swift and Madeline Miller know how to fuel feminine rage into magical art. In Miller’s novel, Greek goddess and legendary sorceress Circe uses her magic and her madness to defeat foes and defend friends. If you’re looking for a book that equally enchants and enrages, Circe is for you.  

“Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac 

In the 1970s, rock was all the rage. Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the tale of iconic band Daisy Jones and the Six, spilling secrets and stories decades after their split.  Much like Fleetwood Mac’s ethereal and addicting character Rhiannon, Jenkins’ Daisy Jones bewitches and beguiles readers. Check out Daisy Jones and the Six.  

For more great music recommendations check out our Music Discovery story on Leá Sen.