Anyone who has had the chance to visit the shop in person can attest to the love held by Team OTB for the one and only: Ms. Taylor Alison Swift. American songwriter, pop culture icon, cat lover, the list goes on. We love how TSwift is able to capture emotions in a way that makes you feel them so acutely. To tide ourselves over until the Red (Taylor’s Version) release this fall, we asked our team for some book recs inspired by some of our favorite Taylor albums. Enjoy!

Fearless (2008) / Instructions for Dancing (2021)

With songs such as “Love Story” and the title track “Fearless,” this album will always remind me of the duality of first love: caution vs. recklessness, optimism vs. timidity. A recent release that gives me similar emotions is Nicola Yoon’s Instructions for Dancing. When Evie, a young woman still working through her feelings regarding her parents’ recent divorce, is given the mystical ability to witness couples’ romantic futures, will she be willing to take the fearless risk to give love a chance anyway? Yoon’s writing is charming and poignant and the ending of this YA release left me surprised and wishing for more. -Shannon

Lover (2019) / The Bareknuckle Bastards (2018-2020)

Lover is one of my all-time favorite albums because it is rainbows and butterflies and every song on there is unapologetically fun. I like poppy bops. So which books vibe with this for me? I would be remiss if I didn’t say Sarah Maclean’s Bareknuckle Bastards series. A series set in Regency London featuring three brothers bound by a secret, who fall head-over-heels for strong, independent women. It steps out of the ballrooms and takes us to Sarah’s vision of a seedy London underworld in Covent Garden. I mean I can absolutely picture Lady Felicity and Devil dancing to “Paper Rings” at their wedding or Lady Henrietta singing “The Man” in her room as she planned her scandalous year of Hattie. It is the whole vibe. -Jen M.

Reputation (2017) / Realm Breaker (2021)

If you love strong female characters who don’t care about being likeable or burning bridges, run - don’t walk - to pick up the first installment of Victoria Aveyard’s newest YA fantasy series, Realm Breaker. Without spoiling any plot points, I’ll simply state that the Reputation tour vibes within the female-identified members of this ensemble cast are *immaculate*. Pirates, assassins, monarchs, oh my! -Shannon

Folklore (2020) / Beautiful World, Where Are You? (2021)

Cozy up with Folklore and Sally Rooney's forthcoming Beautiful World, Where Are You? They make a romantic, somewhat moody pair. Rooney’s new novel follows Alice and Eileen and their dealings with fame (or lack thereof), friendship, and love. I can see the characters (in their cozy cardigans?) listening to Folklore in Alice’s converted rectory on the coast of Ireland. -Ally

Blog contributions by Ally Kirkpatrick, Shannon McCarthy, and Jen Miller.
Edited by Shannon McCarthy.