GRAMMY Song of the Year Nominees As Books

If this song ISN’T about Bella and Edward, then I don’t know any song that is. Ed Sheeran couldn’t be reached about the validity of my claim, so we are going with it. Who knew that Mr. Sheeran was a Twilhard? If you want to get inside the song “Bad Habits,” then you need to go no further than opening The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer for the first (or 40th time) and dive right in.  

From the opening of “A Beautiful Noise,” I was brought not into a moment but a movement. The screaming from the oppressed is saturating our world, and it’s turning into a beautiful noise. United we stand. If you want to find the good and help pave the way for progress, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is the book for you.   

First love and getting your license is a vibe. Getting your heart stepped on is like a car wreck, you just can’t turn away and the song “driver’s license” captures that period in your life perfectly. Whether it was a decade ago or just last week, get the book When We Were Them by Laura Taylor Namey, get into your mom’s Honda Odyssey, blast the stereo and find the perfect reading spot to get over your breakup, whether it’s the end of a relationship or a friendship. 

The song “Fight for You” is more like an anthem, a calling to come together and fight in a world where injustice is the only sure thing in the world. While it’s easier to just play dead, at some point you need to stand up and say no more. The book that gives you a platform for standing up for what’s right even when you’ve been beaten repeatedly is Wings of Ebony by J. Elle. Find hope where you can and protect it with all you have.  

Hoo boy! “Happier Than Ever” is that song you crave to hear blasting out of the speakers when you are finally over that certain someone who did you wrong and you’ve moved on. Maybe not moved on enough to not want to have the song blasting, but you get the idea, and the book that you want to immerse yourself in while you’re getting to that point is (and this is a bit of a spoiler alert if you haven’t read the first in the series of A Court of Thorns & Roses) A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. 

Love, true love, is what brings us together, and what doesn’t bring us together more than the magic of kissing? Not to get too romantical, but kissing done right is real, real nice. The song “Kiss Me More” gets in that space of how magical it really can be, and this romance, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, gets you right in your nether region. 

You know what they say, you find love when you’re not looking, and with “Leave the Door Open,” it’s not exactly love that is keeping Bruno Mars’ door open. This pulsing song seems a strange fit for the new book Lease on Love by debut author Falon Ballard but if you read between the lines, we know that love can’t happen unless the doors are open. 

Listen, are we a little on the nose with “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” by picking Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name? Perhaps! But, again, who is to say that Lil Nas X wasn’t inspired by this incredible love story.  

Where do you get “Peaches?” In Georgia, of course! And where should you learn how to fight vampires? That’s right, Georgia too! Georgia has it all and, in The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, you’ll be able to sing all the lyrics to “Peaches” while kicking some vampire booty.  

Regret is a drink best not served but, in the song “Right on Time” and the book You Deserve Each Other, regret is a character that isn’t named. If you’ve ever loved someone and just couldn’t get it together fast enough for the love to work out, you’ll find reflections of your life in each, along with a little bit of hope for your love life in You Deserve Each Other.