Intro
Hi. I listen to a lot of kpop. Here, I’ll be matching books with kpop songs I like. Some pairings might be for the general feeling, while others could be for the video itself. Really, there’s no set criteria for this. My explanations as to why I chose each book for each song won’t be too great because, well, I’m bad at explaining things. Sorry. Anyway, let’s get started.
For the first match, let’s go with Beautiful Beautiful by ONF (온앤 오프) paired with The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow. Both of these have a futuristic feel to them. Plus, they’re both just lots of fun. Sure, not everything in their respective worlds is perfect; danger lurks around every corner. But there’s a sense that things will improve.
About the Song/Book
The song itself is about not being controlled by anyone and standing up for yourself. For example, here are lyrics from the official English version of the song: “Wide awake, who are you to control me? No, I’m my own master, my own master.” In the same way, the book also has this message in regards to the aliens who have taken over. However, while there’s the briefest hint at a romance in the beginning of the song (“You and I, the time I spend with you expands my universe”), the book is all about romance.
(Sound of Stars CW: bigotry, racism)
Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity? This road trip is truly out of this world!
Blurb via GoodReads. Check out our review of The Sound of Stars here.)
Now here’s Dumb by BVNDIT (밴디트) matched with The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso. To me this song is basically saying, “I don’t have time for hesitations,” which immediately makes me think of Tali. She has such a no-nonsense attitude but can also lack some common sense at times. To put it bluntly, she can be dumb too sometimes.
About the Song/Book
The song is about a person who tries to make it obvious they like someone. But after seeing the other person hesitate for too long, they’ve moved on. And they’re not looking back. Although the book has a different focus, I get that same energy from Tali (the protagonist). She doesn’t have time for games.
(The Wolf of Oren-Yaro cw: violence)
A queen of a divided land must unite her people, even if they hate her, even if it means stopping a ruin that she helped create.
Blurb from GoodReads. Check out our reviews here, here, & here.)
Alright, so this pairing is based purely on feeling: Parting by ONEWE (원위) with The Miracles of Ordinary Men by Amanda Leduc. Both of these evoke that feeling that’s like a nostalgic sadness. Honestly, I don’t quite know how to describe it.
About the Song/Book
The song was written by the band’s guitarist after a dream he had of an asteroid falling to Earth. The song itself tells the story of two people drifting apart who were once close. However, the protagonist (of the song) doesn’t want the relationship to end. It’s a pain that isn’t visible to most. In much the same way, The Miracles of Ordinary Men is about drifting relationships between friends and siblings.
There’s a thread of melancholia drifting through it. Sam is in near-constant pain from his newly-sprouted and growing wings, but most people don’t see those wings. So he gets the, “Well you don’t look sick” treatment. Then there’s Lilah, who’s determined to salvage the breaking relationship between herself and her brother — while also finding herself trapped in a toxic, manipulative romance with her abusive boss.
(The Miracles of Ordinary Men cw: toxic, abusive relationship, depression)
A haunting story about rapture and grace Amanda Leduc’s stunning novel is the tale of two unlikely dreamers: Sam, a man who wakes up one day to find himself growing wings, and Lilah, a woman who has lost her brother to the streets of Vancouver.
Blurb from GoodReads
Here we have Flashback by NC.A (앤씨아), TIKITIK (티키틱), Yoo jun ho (유준호), & Jian (지안) paired with The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia. Again, this pairing is more based on feeling. I also> like the idea that the people singing the song are singing together but are more caught up in their individual thoughts. That’s the vibe I get from this book as well. Yes, they’re working together and exploring this strange world where people-turned jackdaws have disappeared into. Yet they each have their own, individual reasons for doing so.
About the Song/Book
The song is about the morning after a restless night. While it’s not explicitly stated, there’s the sense that a relationship is ending. There’s a feeling of mutuality on both ends. Neither side necessarily wants it to end. But although they seem bothered by it, they both also seem to accept its inevitability. The book, meanwhile, is about a strange occurrence of people turning into jackdaws and disappearing. One of the protagonists loses her sister to this. She and some others find themselves in a mysterious world (through the reflection of an open door) they must traverse through to try and figure out exactly what’s going on.
Every city contains secret places. Moscow in the tumultuous 1990s is no different, its citizens seeking safety in a world below the streets — a dark, cavernous world of magic, weeping trees, and albino jackdaws, where exiled pagan deities and faerytale creatures whisper strange tales to those who would listen.
Blurb from GoodReads
Finally, let’s end on a happy note. For the last kpop song matched with a book, I’ve gone with Say Yes by Jeong Sewoon (정세운) paired with The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole. These are, again, just both lots of fun. Whenever I think of either, I can’t help but smile.
About the Song/Book
The song is mainly about just accepting yourself, flaws and all, and throwing any cares out the window. And the book has a theme of accepting others for who they are — even if they happen to be an A.I.
Trinity Jordan leads a quiet, normal life: working from home for the Hive, a multifunctional government research center, and recovering from the incident that sent her into a tailspin. But the life she’s trying to rebuild is plagued by mishaps when Li Wei, her neighbor’s super sexy and super strange nephew, moves in and turns things upside down. [But] Li Wei isn’t just the hot guy next door—he’s the hot A.I. next door. […] It’s up to Trinity to help him achieve his objective of learning to be human, but danger is mounting as they figure out whether he’s capable of the most illogical human behavior of all…falling in love.
Blurb via GoodReads
Outro
So there’s 5 kpop songs matched with 5 books. Hopefully, you had a good time. I was bored and had fun making this list.
