What Are Bookish Playlists?
You’ve probably seen them all over YouTube by now: bookish playlists dedicated to villains, unrequited love, confessions made in candlelit corridors, and heroes who triumph—and fall from grace.
In short, bookish playlists are dedicated to themes, genres, and even tropes from all our favorite novels. Some bookish playlists are dedicated to whole fandoms, too, such as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and other popular YA novels.
And other playlists—perhaps my favorite of all—are comprised of bookish sounds, such as the crackle of fire, the scratch of quills across paper, the low scuff of books and people in a library during a storm…
Is it surprising to anyone that fellow book appreciators would find a way to merge our love of stories with a mutual love of music? That some genius found a way to take that visceral aspect of reading and make it audible?
I want to say no, but the truth is, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to find these playlists in a little corner of YouTube. It was such a magical moment of omg-someone-actually-made-the-playlist-I-was-dying-for. Maybe it’s because, for so long, music hasn’t been included as a medium of storytelling—not by many reading circles, at least. It’s only a recent phenomenon that other kinds of stories (and other definitions of reading) have been embraced by our community.
Regardless of how they came to be in this world, I hope bookish playlists are here to stay, because I am absolutely in love with them. They’re a great way to set the mood for writing or to play low in the background as you read. Music has kind of become my mantra and mood-setter, helping me to relax as a new day begins. This is important to me because it’s been such a relief to my anxiety as well. I love using them as burnout buffers, too, as I consider it a way of listening to another medium of stories…
Anyways…enough of all this chatter. If you want to learn more about bookish playlists, the Nerd Daily has a great article on them!
For now…I want to share 5 of my favorite bookish playlists, which are magical, full of feels, and worth a listen. And, like I said, they’re amazing ways to motivate your morning…
1.
Nostalgic For A Fairytale You Were Once In by Yuecubed
This one is a smidge more cheerful than I usually enjoy—I’m a sorrow and wist kind of gal—but I found myself unable to turn it off the other day. It was familiar, comforting, and inspiring.
2.
Anastasia: Ethereal Ambience by Somniare Sounds
This playlist brought back so many memories for me. Anastasia was my favorite film as a child, and I used to sing Once Upon a December to my sister when she couldn’t sleep. It’s got that mysterious and historical vibe, like listening to some thing long gone from the past.
3.
Lord of the Rings: The Shire by Ambient Worlds
To be honest, I have a deep appreciation for Lord of the Rings, and that’s my only excuse for why I enjoy this playlist so much.
4.
Rainy Night At Hogwarts by Ambient Worlds
There’s so much nostalgia here, but I’m also in love with the creator’s use of a stormy, windy night here with lower notes of music.
5.
Ancient Library Room + Thunderstorm by New Bliss
I’ve recently started getting into this sort of ASMR mixed with rain kind of vibe. It’s soothing to me with its sound of pen against paper, the low crackle of the fire between rumbles of thunder. It truly is an experience I’ve come to enjoy, and I hope you will, too.
That’s it for today, Valkyries! These aren’t all the playlists I love, but they’re the ones I’ve had on replay all week and I haven’t been able to get over them.
Have you heard of bookish playlists? Do you have a favorite?
I love ambient worlds! This was such a good post 🥰 I love warm uplifting sounds in the morning and darker brooding ambience in the evening (totally stereotypical I know). My favorites are study with me asmr where it feels like your reading or working along side some one.
Much love!
-steff
Oh my gosh, these playlists are AMAZING! I have chronic insomnia and have recently been trying to fall asleep to the sounds of thunderstorms and rain, but I think that library room one will have to be added to my rotation. ALSO ALSO, Anastasia was one of my faves as well, and Dmitri was my first crush other than the Goblin King/David Bowie.
Kal @ Reader Voracious recently posted…All things read & hauled in July 2021 | adventure log
Aren’t they?! I found them when I was stumbling around YouTube for atmospheric music to listen to while writing. I absolutely love how they sound in headphones, too. You hear every little noise <3 YES! Dmitri was one of my favs as well. I actually had him and Anastasia barbies when I was little.