The Library of Kat
Looking through old posts & there is a major part of my life that I realize I have not shared as much as I would like. That is the world of books & reading.
If I could, I would quit everything & open a bookstore. I believe that is probably my purpose in this life. Share my love of reading & books with the world. Reading and books are the great love of my life. My most beloved artistic form. From a very young age, thanks to the adults in my world, I fell in love with reading & was given the support system (& the funding) to fill my world with grand adventures & a never ending list of characters that made me laugh, cry, angry, etc. It was & is my greatest comfort. There is nothing that makes me happier than when the people in my life tell me about the books that they read.
As I have gotten older, it is so amazing to see how people gravitate to certain genres & slowly get back into reading. As the world gets more chronically online & attention spans shorten, the resurgence in reading is one that brings my soul so much joy.
Within the last few years I have been forcing myself to explore different genres that I either haven’t explored in a long time or haven’t read at all. Growing up there was no genre that I loved more than fantasy. As I got older, I slowly began reading more contemporary fiction & then shifted into romance & then I returned to the world of fantasy. Now, I’m in a very big classics phase & sports nonfiction (shock!).
This is all very long winded, but I need you all to know where I am coming from. Outside of sports, this is the one topic I could spend hours upon hours writing about. Again, if I could drop everything right now & open a bookstore right now, I would.
I am someone who believes deeply that the arts are all so interconnected & that they build each other up and help in their quests to make connections with their audience. There is nothing I love more than a movie soundtrack. That is another blog. Stay focused Kat.
Over the last few books I have read, I have been making playlists once I am done reading them. I have found that this helps me digest the themes & emotions that happen within the books. Because I bounce around genres so frequently, it has definitely helped me find common connections between them. Also, if someone ever asks me for book recommendations, sometimes it’s easier to tell them, “this playlist is how I felt the story played out & it has this energy if you’re at all interested,” instead of just giving them a summary.
The way I go about creating them is actually quite simple. I go through Spotify & add a lot of songs that I think fit the thematic arc of the characters or the novel itself. I try to pull a lot from what I felt the characters may have been feeling or about the general actions of what is happening in the story. Once I think I have enough, I sort the songs in order to closely match the book to help really give a general emotional flow of the storylines.
These books I am sharing the playlists are being told from the female POV & as a result there are so many songs by strong female artists across the playlists that have songs that are essential to these characters stories. Girlhood, you know?
So, here are the playlists I created for some of the last books I read. I cannot recommend any of them more. Especially to all my girlies out there.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Messy by Lola Young
ballad of a homeschool girl by Olivia Rodrigo
Falling Behind by Laufey
Beautiful Stranger by Laufey
Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
love is embarrassing by Olivia Rodrigo
Lovefool by The Cardigans
All I Ever Asked by Rachel Chinouriri
we can’t be friends (wait for your love) by Ariana Grande
Writing’s On The Wall by ROLE MODEL
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan
Julia by Sandra Newman
Two Ghosts by Harry Styles
Casual by Chappell Roan
mirrorball by Taylor Swift
No One Noticed by The Marías
Swan Upon Leda by Hozier
Halley’s Comet by Billie Eilish
All Things End by Hozier
Foreigner’s God by Hozier
favorite crime by Olivia Rodrigo
Karma by Taylor Swift
Can’t Catch Me Now by Olivia Rodrigo
invisible string by Taylor Swift
Fine Line by Harry Styles
Oscar Winning Tears feat. the Flames Collective (Live at Royal Albert Hall) by RAYE
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
Man I Need by Olivia Dean
Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish
Let Alone The One You Love by Olivia Dean
No One Noticed by The Marías
Sign of the Times by Harry Styles
I, Carrion (Icarian) by Hozier
Ice Cream Man. by RAYE
this is me trying by Taylor Swift
When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus
Work Song by Hozier
Something, Somehow, Someday by ROLE MODEL
Matilda by Harry Styles
Hopefully, you think about these books next time you go to pick your next read. I am always open to book recommendations so please leave me some. I hope you enjoyed this blog because it means a lot to me & I am so elated to share my love of reading with you.
Please take this as a sign to read this week, make a playlist, & have a beautiful week.
Talk soon.
