folklore Original Book Tag

Because I’m fully obsessed with Taylor Swift and loving the whole vibe and aesthetic for the surprise TS8 album, I made a book tag! Feel free to use the graphics and tag me because I’d love to see your answers! (I also included the text for the prompts at the end!)

This is also an excuse for me to talk about my initial impressions of the album so enjoy reading my thoughts.

If you want to check out Ilsa’s really fun folklore book tag, you should definitely check that out HERE if you want a different interpretation! It’s so cool seeing different prompts inspired by the same songs because this album resonates in so many ways to so many people!

This song just had me feeling like I was sitting near a window while it rained and I was thinking about the one that got away and what could’ve been as if I’ve ever actually had a real love or something.

For this, I think I’ll say The Fault in Our Stars (or really any John Green book) because I did fall into the bandwagon hype around his books. Funnily enough I only really liked TFioS and An Abundance of Katherines but whenever I think about his books now, I remember the time I had enjoying the books but know I could never enjoy it now.

Cardigan is easily one of my top faves. The music video was absolutely gorgeous, like stepping into a fairytale and being transported into a beautiful world and escaping from the hurt and anxiety of the real world. It was the perfect escape. It really gave me the perfect vibe for when you’re in a slump and then you rediscover one of your childhood favorites and all is well again because you’re in your happy place.

For this, I’ll always choose my forever love, Percy Jackson. It’s the series that made me a passionate reader. It’s the series I always go back to. It’s the perfect comfort read for a cloudy day.

Can we talk about the amazing storytelling in this song? From the first note up to the last, it’s like a gripping drama and I loved every second of this! I kind of just want a whole book about these two characters and the chaos they caused.

And what better book to put for this than City of Brass? It’s chaos in the best possible way!

My first thought when listening to this was that it was like the Last Time 2.0. It’s just so stunning and beautiful. The harmonies?! The lyrics? EVERYTHING. Like I can’t even describe how gorgeous this song is. A perfect duet. Easily a fave. The lyric “I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending” captured my attention the most, bringing about this prompt!

For an ending I didn’t like, I’m going to say Wildcard by Marie Lu. Warcross was absolutely phenomenal, but after a wild ride like that, the sequel just didn’t have the same oomph (though it was still good and honestly I know there probably wasn’t any better way for it to end anyway). I can also say that this song, especially the chorus, gave me JuneDay (from the Legend series) vibes and now I’m hurting all over again.

A perfect track 5. Probably one of my favorite track 5’s. This was haunting and beautiful and gave me too many feelings for me to understand what to do with them. Like from the moment those background vocals came on I was a mess. It was haunting and sad and beautiful and tragic.

~~(Not gonna lie, I want to say We Free the Stars and then just leave it without any explanation but if I only mention that, I’ll really want to talk about everything that happens so…)~~

This one took a lot of thought but a book that truly broke my heart was A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews. And bonus, it’s about music. And it HURT. A LOT.

I was intrigued by the title of this song and thought that this song would be one of those that would grow on me, but surprisingly I vibed with this right away. It just really spoke to me and I truly didn’t expect it to be a favorite. It just felt like I was dancing in the dark, hazy dream, prom lights, no care in the world.

This is the perfect place to talk about one of my all time favorite books, Love From A to Z. I have never related so much to a character than Zayneb. The whole story was wonderful and beautiful and it truly has my whole heart and soul.

This song gave me “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” vibes of a time that’s long gone and a time when I was young and innocent and carefree and ignorant of the whole rest of the world. But most importantly, my initial vibe was that it reminded me of Bridge to Terabithia in the beginning when everything was magical and new and beautiful.

I’m going to say Malik from A Song of Wraiths and Ruin for this prompt. Soft boi must be protected at all costs!

This song is one that’s meant to be played on blast while driving with the windows rolled down and your hair (or in my case, hijab) flying. It’s easily the best vibe for the start of a new season (since August usually marks the start of school/uni in the South). This was pure serotonin!

I’m going to say Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen because all of her stories are great summer stories. BUT also Ten Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon works a lot! It’s a great summer rom-com!

For me, this song hit me way too hard. It felt like the Archer because it played on all my fears and anxieties and it was just hard to listen to because I felt every lyric deep in my mind.

The Weight of Our Sky is the perfect book for this prompt because it’s a historical fiction book about a girl with OCD that has to fight her inner demons while trying to find her mother. It takes place in Kuala Lumpur during the race riots.

This was such an interesting song especially because this is connected to the other songs relating to the love story. This was such a different approach to infidelity and I really don’t even have words because the lyrics were so beautiful??? And the way she would do that one note that was higher than the rest and the repetition of the words “and it dies and it dies” like… wow. speechless.

This kind of heartache and pining and secret clandestine affairs can only describe Laila and Severin from The Gilded Wolves. Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby fits with Laila calling him majnun all too well I think.

As soon as I heard this song it felt like I was reading a soulmate AU fanfiction full of fluffy happy content that hits just perfectly at like 2 am under the covers.

The idea of strings connecting people works very well with Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. I also want to add Elias and Laia from An Ember in the Ashes to this one because I think it just fits so well.

This is such a powerful song because she sings it with like a deadly calm voice but then she’s over here dropping the f-bomb it’s truly glorious. Definitely an anthem!

My first thought was definitely Daevabad (like all the women in this tbh), but I’m also going to say Marcella from Vengeful by V.E. Schwab!

THIS. SONG. IT TRULY HURTS. As someone in the healthcare field, this one resonated with me and I immediately sent it to all of my friends because i knew they would understand the heartache and pain too.

There’s a loss in the Hunger Games trilogy that still hurts. Every time. All the time. Mockingjay truly had a death that always has me wonder WHY. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT.

I mean as soon as that harmonica came on I was in love with this song. It gave me Love Story/You Belong With Me + How You Get the Girl vibes and it was glorious. The storytelling was top notch and this was just a BOP.

Kind of want to say Girl, Serpent, Thorn for this not gonna lie. Doesn’t match the bop part of the song, but oh well!

Not gonna lie, this song immediately became my percabeth song for the album. This filled me with the perfect feeling I get whenever I read about my favorite couples. It reminded me of when I think back about hanging out with my friends in the cafeteria during lunch in high school or the found family I made during university.

How can I do a book tag without mentioning my zumra? Obviously. Together, they can accomplish anything *sobs*. I could have made We Hunt the Flame work for any of these prompts not gonna lie. I would have forced it if they didn’t haha.

This was such a stunning closing to the album. I don’t know how to explain it but finishing it off with this gave the exact feeling of closing a book and knowing you’re going into a huge book hangover. It makes you crave more time in the story and really just makes you think about everything that just happened.

What comes to mind for me is Red Queen which I only ever read the first book for. And also Warcross.

My overall thoughts for the album: This was such a different album but I really enjoyed it! It was perfect for book lovers, to be honest. It was like stepping into a story book and forgetting where you are and then you come out and you remember that life exists. I’ve always loved Taylor’s acoustic songs the best and so this fed me! I truly can’t believe that this album just came out of nowhere. It took me by surprise and pulled me into this gorgeous tale like all my favorite stories tend to do.