Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Remind Me of One Direction Songs

Hosted weekly by The Broke and the Bookish.



Well, here's my confession for the day: I love One Direction, and earlier this year, for a solid three months, I listened only to One Direction. (This brief habit started completely by accident, I promise.) And during those One-Direction months, I began to connect songs with books I had read (some making better matches than others, admittedly), so even though it's a little goofy, I couldn't think of any list I'd rather share for this audio-themed TTT. Enjoy (because I sure did)!

"18": Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth K. Vogt

"I have loved you since we were 18

Long before we both thought the same thing

To be loved and to be in love"

This song easily reminded me of second-chance couple, Vanessa and Logan, who elope their senior year of high school but divorce when their lives go different directions in college. Years later, they happen to cross paths and discover that their teenage chemistry still exists, despite all the challenges they've faced.

"Back for You": Just a Kiss by Denise Hunter

"Lately, I've been going crazy

So I'm coming back for you"

Riley joins the military so he doesn't have to watch his best friend Paige date other men. When her latest relationship ends, he determines to return home and win her heart, which reminds me of the "coming back for you" mentality of this song. (That is, before an unfortunate turn of events complicates his plan.)

"End of the Day": My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

"All I know at the end of the day

Is you want what you want and you say what you say

And you'll follow your heart even though it'll break

Sometimes"

When Samantha begins a relationship with boy-next-door Jase and his family, who her mother vehemently does not like, she encounters a series of difficult choices to make. Through it all, caught between her family and the Garretts, she tries to follow her heart and do the right thing.

"Half a Heart": Remember to Forget by Ashley Royer

"I'm half a man at best
With half an arrow in my chest

I miss everything we do

I'm half a heart without you"

The death of his girlfriend leaves Levi mired in depression and doubt, definitely feeling like "half a man at best." When he relocates to live with his father, he begins to learn how to heal and move forward, even as he misses that relationship. 

"Heart Attack": The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 

"I'm trying to be okay, I'm trying to be alright, 
But seeing you with him just don't feel right." 

This song choice is for Tariq, the left-behind childhood sweetheart who absolutely does not like seeing his beloved Shahrzad with the monstrous Khalid. He has the hardest time letting go of her love and the possibility of a future with her and, hoping to save her, causes all kinds of trouble.

"I Should Have Kissed You": The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

"'Cause you were right here and I should've taken the chance

But I got so scared and I lost the moment again"

The Rosie Project is full of will-they-or-won't-they moments as both Don's search for a wife and friendship with Rosie progress. Don does not always read social interactions well, so he mistakes opportunities, especially with Rosie, and later realizes his regret.

"I Want to Write You a Song": P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

"I want to write you a song" 

The explanation here is really quite simple: this song about writing a song reminded me of P.S. I Like You's Lily, an aspiring songwriter with a secret pen pal inspiring her lyrics. Besides songwriting, nothing else about the two are necessarily similar.

"Over Again": Married Til Monday by Denise Hunter 

"And I can lend your broken parts

That might fit like this

And I will give you all my heart

So we can start it all over again"

To me, this song suggests giving a relationship another shot, so it reminds me of another second-chance couple, Ryan and Abby. They have plenty of baggage between them when they end up on a road-trip together and need to pretend to still be married. As the situation allows them to confront their brokenness, they see if staring over again could be possible.

"Stand Up": Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

"So put your hands up 
'Cause it’s a stand up
And I won’t be leaving

‘til I finish stealing every piece of your heart"

Of course a book with a main character held up while traveling by train and taken hostage for an outlaw's daughter makes me think of "Stand Up."   

"Through the Dark": Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers 

"And you don't need, you don't need to run 

And you will see it's easy to be loved  

I know you wanna be loved" 

Having experienced only a life of mistreatment and prostitution, Angel is wary when Michael offers a new start with love, healing, and truth. Yet, despite her denials and rejections, Michael never gives up on her and continues to love her, pursue her, comfort her until she understands the truth of her worth. 


So... any book that makes you think of a certain song?