I had fun with my 2020 Christmas Playlist so I thought I would do a Valentine’s Day Playlist for 2021. It’s less involved because I used my Christmas Playlist also as a way to think about the year in review (despite also having a year in review post…hehehe). It may be Valentine’s Day but these aren’t all happy love songs. Sawry! The complete playlist can be found here.
Track 01: The Bellas – Flashlight
“I’m stuck in the dark but you’re my flashlight / You’re getting me, getting me through the night”
book with a strong friendship
I cheated on this and couldn’t pick so I chose three books I like that highlight the bonds of friendship.
Track 02: John Legend feat. Jhene Aiko – U Move, I Move
“I can’t believe I found someone like you”
a book I really loved
Written in Red is my favorite of Anne Bishop’s The Others series. This is one of the books that help me get out of a very long reading slump. It has a cute wolf shifter kid in it and his relationship with Meg, the heroine, is my favorite part of this book. This is also one I pick up and read again once in a while.
Track 03: Taylor Swift – Begin Again
“on a Wednesday in a cafe / I watched it begin again”
book I enjoyed by an author who is new to me
I recently read Fable in preparation for Namesake. It’s the very first book I’ve read by Adrienne Young and it was so good. I couldn’t stop reading it. Don’t the books look great next to each other? Since I couldn’t link them with the covers, here are the
Goodreads Summaries:
Fable / Namesake
Track 04: Gabby Barrett – The Good Ones
“he’s one of the good ones / and he’s all mine / he’s one of the good ones”
a book with a love interest I adored…one of the good ones
When I first came across this title, I avoided it because I wasn’t a fan of the title. I know, I know. Now, I reread it once in a while because Shane Beckett grew on me. He is a hot fireman in love, looking for a second chance with the girl he regret letting go in high school.
Track 05: Lenny Kravitz – Again
“Where have you been / I wonder if I’ll ever see you again”
a book I didn’t finish but am considering reading…again
I’ve liked all the books I’ve been able to read by Zapata but I didn’t have a chance to get very far into this one. It’s pretty long at 493 pages so I temporarily let it go to concentrate on other things. I’m hoping to pick it up when I have more time. This one is about a figure skater who decides to switch over to pairs skating.
Track 06: Himala – Ace Banzuelo
“Hahanapin, sasabihin, aamining ika’y mapapasakin”
(I will find you, I will tell you, I will admit you will one day be mine)
an upcoming book I’ve been wanting to read
For lyrics and translation please click here. If you like “Himala,” check out this OPM playlist. I’ve been listening to this on repeat.
I talked about it in December but I’ll point it out this month too. Ha! It feels like I’ve been waiting for For the Wolf for ages. Maybe someone from Orbit will see how much I want to read it and have some mercy on me.
Track 07: Park Hyo Shin – Wildflower (with Han/Rom/Eng lyrics)
“Only until I can forget you, until I will be alright /
I’ll swallow my tears and at the end of my wait / I will bloom once again”
a book I finished but took a while to let go
The highlight of this song comes at around 3:57 and it’s beautiful. Park Hyo Shin’s vocals are magnificent. My favorite is this version here with just him and the piano.
You know that book you can’t help flipping through again once you’re done? The one that leaves you in a coma? I was okay it ended, because the ending was a satisfying one, but I brought this along with me everywhere just so to read my favorite parts again. This went on for almost a week.
Track 08: Pink Sweat$ – At My Worst
“I need somebody who can love me at my worst/ No, I’m not perfect, but I hope you see my worth”
a book I loved but not many people did (on average)
I tried to do this as scientifically as possible, which is to say it wasn’t at all. I compared the average rating on Goodreads with my personal rating (difference of 1.37 stars). Apparently I liked this erotica retelling of Cinderella more than the average reviewer. (Hmm…what does that say about me? Heh…) When I first read it, I thought this was such a different Cinderella retelling, and the erotica was an unexpected bonus. It introduced me to Bettie Sharpe. I haven’t been able to find very much by her though, which is a shame because I would love to see what her full-length novels would have been like.
Track 09: The New Basement Tapes – When I Get My Hands On You
“When I come home to you / Hold you in my arm all night“
a book on my shelf I can’t wait to read
My copy of We Free the Stars, the second half of the Sands of Arawiya, finally came in, and I’m almost too excited to read it. It’s in my room, on my desk. Sometimes I look at it longingly because I want to know what happens to Altair, Nasir, and Zafira but I can’t get my hands on it just yet. I have a lot of work I need to finish first. It’s just not fair.
Track 10: NIKI – Around
“But even though this ain’t pretty and simple like a bed of roses /
‘least I know my hope is / That you stick around ’til the end / ’cause you’re my best friend”
my most recent favorite friends-to-lovers book
NIKI is one of my favorite artists. Her music was my much of my 2020 soundtrack. I wanted to put one of her other songs on here but decided I should end with a sweet number instead. It is a Valentine’s Day playlist, I guess.
Okay, we can end it the playlist with Wendy and Noah, friends who realize maybe they’ve always loved the other person. I adore this book, and now I’ll want to go reread my favorite parts. My full review is here.
I’d love to hear what’s on your playlist! I’d also love to hear what books you think pair well with the prompts! Happy Valentine’s Day!
koosreviews.com 
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