You know that feeling when you get enthralled with an enjoyable book, cozied up with a blanket and a steaming cup of cocoa or tea? I was super into The Deal by Elle Kennedy, and after reading a good section, I suddenly thought it would be so good to see the book as a movie. As a joke I decided to research the title in my Spotify Search Bar. I ended up finding multiple playlists for this book and more to listen to when they read, and it was so interesting. I know as a writer people make playlists to associate with their characters but never the book in its entirety.
After doing some research, I realized most people made these playlists based on books that have been super popular through TikTok. Some examples would be Song of Achilles, The Twisted Series, It Ends with Us, Beach Read, or Daisy Jones and the Six. These are books that people have posted repeatedly. These are also everyday people who try to connect with the story and what it is about. It is unique and up to interpretation but uses mainstream artists that we listen to such as: Taylor Swift, The Weekend, Harry Styles, Halsey, or Arianna Grande.
Now coming back to school, I realized I wanted to do participate in the trend and tried it with the book that I am currently reading. I am working on reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins, so I found a nice playlist with some Lana Del Ray, Harry Styles, and Connan Grey. I am not usually the type of person who likes listening to music when reading, just because I like to get into the story. However, I put the music on whenever I was walking to class or doing errands around my dorm. As an English major who reads a bunch of books, it was nice to use the music to really focus on the book that I was reading. It was nice to focus on the portion of the
story that I was reading even just for a little bit. It was good to really think about the character and what was going on with her story.
The only downside is that it does not feature any other types of literature that, for example, I would be reading for class. It would feature only mainstream books that have gotten popular due to the media. So, if your favorite book does not have a Spotify playlist, feel free to make one! It helps you connect your favorite music to your favorite piece of literature. For next time when you want to connect with what you are reading daily, pull out your Airpods and listen to some music.