In celebration of the release of “The Eras Tour” movie and “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on October 27th, 2023, please enjoy this carefully selected list of reccomended reads to go with each Swift Era, from her debut country album to her most recent pop hits. Our resident library Swiftie, Jolee, has selected Young Adult and Adult titles to pair with and to hit you right in the appropriate feels for each of Swift's "Eras." Happy reading and listening!
Debut:
Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks - This is a country romance centered around two musicians, one who gave up his dream, and another who moved to Nashville to pursue her’s. Simultaneously, a third character is on a different mission, also ruled by love: to flee her abusive husband and keep her child safe. All three lives come together to tell this story about love and music from the best-selling author of “The Notebook.”
Check it out HERE
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli - This book makes it onto the list, specifically under the Debut category, not only because it’s about a young, unconventional high school girl with amazing musical talent and her first love, but also because Taylor herself has spoken of her love of this book, stating “Some people call [the main character] weird, but no matter how much they make fun of her, she continues to be herself.”
Check it out HERE
Fearless:
Sam by Allegra Goodman - The Fearless album is largely about the experience of being a young high school girl growing up and learning about herself and love, and what love isn’t, similarly to the main character, Sam, in this book by Allegra Goodman. In this story, young Sam struggles with her home life, not fitting in at school, and receiving inappropriate attention from her climbing coach, the one person she wants to notice her most.
Check it out HERE
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter - If you’re wanting something more light-hearted, this book by Lynn Painter largely reminds us of this album’s, arguably biggest, hit song “You Belong With Me,” with the main character Liz determined to make her lifelong crush notice her.
Check it out HERE
Speak Now:
Before I Do by Sophie Cousens - This book is a perfect read for lovers of “Speak Now,” the title track for Taylor Swift’s third studio album because, similarly to Taylor’s love interest she’s addressing in this song, the main character Audrey is suddenly forced to make a decision between her soon-to-be husband and the one who got away, just a day before her wedding. (Plus the cover is purple.)
Check it out HERE https://search.mclib.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=Before+I+Do&qf=AUTHOR%09Author%09Cousens%2C+Sophie%09Cousens%2C+Sophie+%7C%7C+Cousens%2C+Sophie%2C+author.%09Cousens%2C+Sophie%2C+author.&rt=false%7C%7C%7CTITLE%7C%7C%7CTitle
Stardust by Neil Gaiman - This classic YA tale by Neil Gaiman reminds us of “Speak Now” first and foremost for it’s fantasy theme, but more specifically it reminds us of the song “Enchanted,” due to young Tristan’s love for the beautiful but cold Victoria, whom he sets out on this magical adventure to steal the heart of after witnessing a falling star with her while walking her home one night.
Check it out HERE
Red:
Normal People by Sally Rooney - This novel is about two young people, Marianne and Connell, weaving in and out of eachothers’ lives over the course of their most formative years, following them from high school through college. It’s a book about class, mental health, love, and friendship, and it appears in this list mostly for the way Connell and Marianne constantly find their way back to each other, reminding us of classic songs from Red such as “Style” and “This Love.”
Check it out HERE
The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen - Although it’s not the entire focus of this book, the romance in this story, in which the main character Emma, also known as Saylor, reunites with her childhood best friend, Roo, when she’s unexpectedly sent to spend the summer on North Lake with her deceased mother’s family, undeniably reminded us of the song “Everything Has Changed” from the “Red” album.
Check it out HERE
1989:
Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton - Just like the first track on this album, “Welcome to New York,” this book is all about the magic of New York City, and more importantly, the people who reside in it, everyone there for a different reason, everyone having a different, unique story to tell. The Humans of New York started as a blog created by author Brandon Stanton, in which he photographed different residents of New York City and interviewed them to get their stories. This book is a collection of similar photos and stories, and I think it captures the essence of this famous track very well.
Check it out HERE
Queen Bee by Amalie Howard - In this novel by bestselling historical romance author Amalie Howard, “blood runs cold” when Lady Ela Dalvi is betrayed by her best friend Poppy over the son of a duke. Three years later, she is determined to get revenge by whatever means necessary, but might rekindle an old flame along the way. Obviously, this book has similarities to Swift’s song “Bad Blood,” but it also has the theme of romance and heartbreak, like many other songs on this album.
Check it out HERE
Reputation:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - If you’re a fan of Swift’s Reputation, and you somehow haven’t read this New York Times bestselling thriller, it is a must read. Without giving too much away, the twisted love story, suspected crime, and revenge (maybe taken a little too far) in this book make it channel all the energy of songs like “Getaway Car,” “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “I Did Something Bad.”
Check it out HERE
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - For our YA fantasy/dystopian loving friends, something a bit less dark, but still juicy and full of betrayal and revenge, is “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard. In this novel, seventeen year-old Mare, is a “Red,” an impoverished commoner, ruled by the “Silvers,” a powerful group that can manipulate elements, but, once it’s discovered that Mare has a power even stronger than any of the Silvers possess, they claim she is one of their own, and crown her a long-lost princess. As she makes her way up amongst the high class, she simultaneously works to take down their regime.
Check it out HERE
Lover:
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks - Although “Lover” is, for the most part, an upbeat album, there are some more somber tracks hidden underneath the glittering, pastel exterior, such as “Soon You’ll Get Better,” a song written about Swift’s mother’s battle with cancer. This devastating romance novel by Nicholas Sparks tells a beautiful love story, while touching on some of the same subjects as Taylor does in this song.
Check it out HERE
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han - Not only did author Jenny Han write to Taylor Swift herself and get her direct permission to use her music as the soundtrack to the TV adaptation of this book series, but the messy love triangle pairs perfectly with Taylor’s Lover album, with the songs “Lover,” “False God,” and, of course, “Cruel Summer” all being included in season one of the show.
Check it out HERE
Folklore:
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney - If you enjoy Taylor’s song “Illicit Affairs,” you’ll enjoy this debut novel from Sally Rooney, in which two college aged, ex-lovers turned best friends, Frances, the main character, and Bobbi, are noticed by a slightly older artist named Melissa while at a poetry reading, and she invites them into her home, where Frances sparks a scandalous connection with Melissa’s husband and actor, Nick, who is, coincidentally, played by Joe Alwyn in the TV adaptation (if you know, you know.)
Check it out HERE
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - Just like Swift’s song “Seven,” this beloved classic is a tale of two childhood friends and the innocence of playing in the forest, swinging through the trees, and making up imaginary worlds, but, like the song, this book has a theme of sadness and loss, and remembrance of a lost friend. It feels like Swift got her inspiration for this song from this very book, and that is why it appears on this list.
Check it out HERE
Evermore:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - Although quite a bit older than any of the other books on this list, this classic Gothic piece of literature is included for being Taylor’s inspiration for the song “Tolerate It.” According to Taylor herself, “When I was reading ‘Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier, I was thinking wow, her husband just tolerates her. She's doing all these things and she's trying so hard and she's trying to impress him and he's just tolerating her the whole time...there was a part of me that was relating to that, because at some point in my life I felt that way, so I ended up writing this song ‘Tolerate It,’ which is all about trying to love someone who is ambivalent.”
Check it out HERE
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong - Similarly to the couple in Swift’s song “Cowboy Like Me,” this YA novel tells the story of two outlaws from rivaling families who fall in, and out, of love, and, once members from both gangs start to die under mysterious circumstances, the two characters must put their past and their grudges aside to save their families.
Check it out HERE
Midnights:
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Daisy Jones and the Six is a story told as a series of interviews with each member of one of the biggest rock bands from the seventies and all their different accounts of their legendary rise and fall. It lands on this list, not only because it has the same retro vibe as the album art for Midnights, but also because the main character, Daisy, and her self-destructive tendencies and pride reminds us a lot of Taylor in her song “Anti-Hero.”
Check it out HERE
Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson - The “Midnights” album is all about the magic that can occur during the midnight hour, just like this new fantasy novel. In “Midnight at the Houdini,” Anna lives in Las Vegas with her performer sister, Emily, for whom she is the stage manager, but when they have a falling out one night, Anna runs away and finds herself in the magical Houdini hotel, where she will be trapped forever when the clock strikes midnight, unless she escape, but will she leave the mysterious boy she meets behind? Besides, doesn’t the cover just remind you of the “Bejeweled” music video?
Check it out HERE