Are you a Taylor Swift fan and a reader? You’re probably waiting until The Life Of A Showgirl is released, so what to do in the meantime? Read books of course! And what better than our Taylor Swift albums as books to kick off your TBR!

Taylor Swift (2006)

Taylor’s debut album was released in 2006 when she was just 16. This album has a very country sound and the songs tend to lean more towards teenage drama and angst. I have to start with recommending a great YA series; My Life With The Walter Boys by Ali Novak. A city girl moving to a ranch? Sign me up! If the southern vibes are your thing, then I recommend Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain. Finally, if you like the vibe of breaking into the music industry, then I recommend On The Come Up by Angie Thomas. It’s a totally different genre of music (rap instead of country), but deals with the emotions around being a young musician.

Fearless (2008)

Next up for our Taylor Swift albums as books- it’s Fearless. This album contains the classic “Love Story” amongst other songs embodying the feeling of falling in love. For book recs here I think it’s all about the headiness of falling in love for the first time. First off, the classic teen insta love story that was super popular in the 2000’s, yes I’m talking about Twilight. You can’t tell me Bella Swan doesn’t embody the Fearless motto! I also have to recommend a Jenny Han series; The Summer I Turned Pretty. The series is all about first love and loss. Finally, in a nod to my favourite song on the album, I’m recommending These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong, another Romeo and Juliet retelling.

Speak Now (2010)

Speak Now is Taylor’s first adult album- and reflects on her transition from adolescence to adulthood. We start to get some classic Taylor breakup songs and confessional tracks. My first recommendation for this album is An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. This book is about a boy who has been dumped by multiple Katherines. I’m sure he’d connect to Speak Now! Next up I’m suggesting Happily Never After by Lynn Painter. Our main character hires a professional objector to break up her own wedding- something I’m sure the characters in the titular song “Speak Now” would be on board with! My final recommendation is The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood. Our MC isn’t trying to breakup the wedding this time, but is dealing with being in the wedding party with her ex, and his new girlfriend. I feel like dealing with exes is a theme throughout Speak Now.

Red (2012)

Next up we have Red (one of my favourite albums!) Featuring so many incredible songs including “I Knew You Were Trouble”, “All Too Well”, “22” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, this is a classic break up album dealing with themes of grief and putting yourself back together after a break up. First up, I’m recommending Normal People by Sally Rooney. This book shows the ways love can shape and challenge individuals over time- which gives me “All Too Well” vibes! Next up, I’m suggesting Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton which explores themes of youth, friendship, and self-discovery. Finally, a fantastic book about getting back out there after our relationship has ended I’m recommending Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey. This is about a 20 year old who’s marriage has broken after just 608 days and how she is really good, actually.

1989 (2014)

Next up in our list of Taylor Swift albums as books is 1989. This album is Taylors deviation from country to pure pop. This album is also a celebration of moving to New York, so first off I’m suggesting In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer. One of the themes of 1989 is resilience and overcoming adversity- particularly shown in “Shake It Off”, and I think Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman fits this vibe. Eleanor overcomes previous trauma to find connection and happiness. Finally, embodying the vibes of “Bad Blood” and the cutthroat world of the music industry, I think it has to be Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Reputation (2017)

Reputation is much darker, and the theme for these Taylor Swift albums as books is morally grey; unlikeable characters. We’re starting off with another TJR rec: Carrie Soto is Back. Carrie is single minded in her ambitions which makes her come across as unlikeable- but really she’s just a strong woman, just like Taylor! My next suggestion is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Taylor Swift may handle her break ups by writing a chart topper single; Amy in Gone Girl chooses a different route… (IYKYK). Finally a YA series that is so messy, but so much fun- Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. This series follows a group of teenagers who were friends until one of the group disappeared, but now A is back…or is she?

Lover (2019)

Lover is described as a “love letter to love”. So of course the Taylor Swift albums as books recommendations for Lover tend to be romances. First off, One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. In this book our main character has been in love from afar with someone since the summer when she was 17. Next, the OG romantic meddler: it’s Emma by Jane Austen. Emma spends the whole book trying to match make her friends and relatives. Finally, in a nod to “London Boy” and “You Need To Calm Down”, I’m recommending Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The love story between a Brit and an American seems to fit perfectly here, and of course Lover cemented Taylor as a queer ally.

Folklore (2020)

Folklore is the epitome of cottage-core, and honestly, of all the Taylor Swift albums as books, this is the one that I think is most literary with the use of fictional characters featured throughout the album in a narrative style. Taylor is quoted to say that when writing Folklore, she pictured herself as “a ghostly Victorian lady wandering through the woods with a candle in a candlestick holder.” This image leans to my first recommendation of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. My next recommendation is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. This book references the themes of loneliness, nature and isolation that are in the album. Finally, I am recommending The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. This cosy cottage-core fantasy could have been the inspiration for the Folklore set on the eras tour!

Evermore (2020)

Evermore is the sister album to Folklore, and continues the whimsical, fantastical vibes. This album is slightly more nostalgic and gothic than Folklore, so my first recommendation is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. This classic gothic novel was the inspiration behind “Tolerate It” and embodies the themes of obsession, jealousy, and the lingering presence of the past, mirroring the emotional intensity of the album. On a similar vibe, I am recommending The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book is a classic tale of love, loss, and the American Dream. It also shares the focus on yearning for something just out of reach and the pain of unrequited affection. My final recommendation is Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. A story of sisters whose family have been blamed for everything to go wrong for 200 years this book has similar vibes of love and loss.

Midnights (2022)

Midnights is about nocturnal ruminations inspired by Taylor’s sleepless nights. There is a dreamlike quality to a lot of the songs, featuring regret, self-criticism, fantasies, heartbreak, and infatuations that run through your head in the middle of the night. My first recommendation is A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas. This book includes themes of recovery, trauma and of course a dark and sexy atmosphere! Next, as anyone with insomnia knows, sometimes you spend the whole day in bed, so my next recommendation is My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. This novel features a protagonist who isolates herself and attempts to sleep through a year. This book gives me vibes of “Anti-Hero”. Finally, I’m recommending Happy Place by Emily Henry. This book is a second chance romance that gives the vibes of “Maroon” with themes of a lost love, and what-if’s.

The Tortured Poets Department (2024)

Her last album, TTPD contains a lot of themes discussing celebrity and heartbreak. As this is a double album, I’m starting off with a double recommendation: The Secret History by Donna Tartt and Babel by R F Kuang. Both of these Dark Academia books delve into the dark side of academia (echoed by the dark side of fame) and consequences of obsession, which is reflected in songs like “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”. The album also covers themes around ending a long relationship, and my rec for this theme is Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. This book follows a couple who break up after life delivers multiple blows . Finally, this is the album that introduced us to Taylor and Travis, so I have to include a sports romance on this list! The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams is an American Football romance between America’s favourite star quarterback and his childhood best friend.

The Life of A Showgirl (2025)

Finally, the album we’ve all be waiting for! We don’t know a lot about this album, but I have a couple of recs based on vibes from what we know already. Taylor posted a playlist on Spotify which features upbeat and fun songs from her previous albums, so I’m starting off my recs with a fun and upbeat book: Whiskey Business by Elliot Fletcher. This book follows an actress who moves back to her childhood home on the Isle of Skye. It contains themes of celebrity and love which I feel fits with the vibes.

Next I’m thinking the vibes of Showgirls. When I think of the word Showgirl I’m thinking of Moulin Rouge; singing, dancing. So I’m suggesting The Favourites by Layne Fargo. This book follows figure skaters who drop out before the Olympics. I think this book also has Reputation vibes- and a lot of the songs on the playlist above are from Reputation.

Finally my last rec is my third TJR of this blog post: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I think The Life of a Showgirl is going to be about celebrity and celebrate love. And at its heart, those are the themes of Evelyn Hugo.

If you’ve made it all this way, thank you! Let us know if you’re excited for TS12, and what you would recommend as Taylor Swift albums as books.