Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13th, 1989 at 5:17 am in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Now, I might identify as a Swiftie, but I didn’t actually know the exact time she was born, nor the location. I had to Google it. In honor of Miss Americana’s 33rd birthday, I, with the assistance of some friends here at the library, will be curating a list of books which, we believe, embodies 13 of Taylor Swift’s songs. Now, you might be wondering “Ashley, why 13 and not 33?” And I would say that that is a great question! The answer is that the number thirteen is Taylor Swift’s lucky/favorite number! Also, collecting book recommendations for 33 songs would far surpass the word count limit placed on this blog! (But I could most certainly be persuaded to continue in a future post!)

We are starting out with Taylor Swift’s biggest hits and/or singles from each of her ten studio albums (plus her two re-recordings). In chronological order, from the most recent, we have: “Anti-Hero,” “All Too Well (10 Minute version),” “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” “willow,” “cardigan,” “Me!,” “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Shake It Off,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “Mine,” “You Belong with Me,” and “Tim McGraw.” In addition to these 12 songs, I’ll be including my personal favorite song, “gold rush,” bringing the total to magic number 13.

Song: Anti-Hero

Released nearly two months ago, Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album Midnights, produced an astounding 20 Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers! That is every single song on the extended version: Midnights (3am Edition). This album is more biographic than any of her previous albums, with each of the 13 songs on the original release being influenced by sleepless nights that she has experienced. Midnights gets personal about anxieties and insecurities that Swift experiences.

Book Pairings

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Song: All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

An absolute fan favorite, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” from Red (Taylor’s Version), which is a re-recording of her 4th studio album, Red, broke the Guiness World Record for the longest song to reach number 1 on Billboard Hot 100. A beautiful tale of heartbreak, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” is relatable and engaging. There is also an accompanying short film directed by Swift starring Sadie Sink, of Season 2 of Stranger Things, and Dylan O’Brien, of The Maze Runner.

Book Pairings

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Song: Love Story (Taylor’s Version)

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s first re-recorded album. “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” was the first re-recorded track released, which began the journey to Swift owning her masters.

Book Pairings

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Songs: willow + Gold Rush + cardigan

Sister albums folklore and evermore deviated from Swift’s more diaristic writing and instead moved more towards story telling. Of the song “willow,” Swift said that it “is about intrigue, desire, and the complexity that goes into wanting someone. I think it sounds like casting a spell to make someone fall in love with you.” “cardigan” was a surprise gift from Taylor, as previous to releasing folklore with little pretense, she had indicated that there was “not a lot going on at the moment.”

Book Pairings

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Song: Me!

Lover is Swift’s first album of which she owns the masters to with her new record label. “Me!” is listed as her first directing credit. In the Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swift describes the “Me!” music video as having “dancers, cats, gay pride, people in country western boots […] everything that makes me me.”

Book Pairings

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Songs: Look What You Made Me Do + Shake It Off 

“Look What You Made Me Do” is the lead single of Swift’s sixth studio album, Reputation. This marked the start of Swift’s comeback after a year hiatus after facing immense public scrutiny of her personal relationships. An extraordinarily catchy dance hit, “Shake It Off” from 1989 was used in the musical comedy Sing. This was Swift’s first pop album, and the start of a new era.

Book Pairings

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Songs: Mine + You Belong with Me

Even during Taylor Swift’s country music days, she continued to top charts. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” from Red, and “Mine,” from Speak Now, are no exceptions. “You Belong with Me” from second album Fearless, won MTV’s Best Female Video award and was the stage to a decade long tumultuous relationship between Kanye West and Taylor Swift.

Book Pairings

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Song: Tim McGraw

Taylor Swift’s debut single, “Tim McGraw” from her self-titled debut album, immediately pushed 16-year-old Swift into the spotlight. Her first charting single, this country hit was the beginning of one of the biggest musicians in the world today.

Book Pairings

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Main image by Jovan Vasiljević