Without further ado...
The Top Ten Books I'd Give a Theme Song
1. Divergent by Veronica Roth = "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse
I can just imagine Tris kicking serious butt to this song. To be fair, when the guitar solo starts, I'm pretty sure I could dismantle a brick wall with my bare hands. The chorus "No one's gonna take me alive / The time has come to make things right / You and I must fight for our rights / You and I must fight to survive" could be she and Four's anthem!
2. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins = "Uprising" by Muse
Okay, so clearly I have a minor obsession with both dystopian novels and Muse. Who doesn't love Matthew Bellamy and his power to fire up? Truthfully, these lyrics fit this entire series perfectly. A sampling:
Interchanging mind control
Come let the revolution take it's toll
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye
You'd see that we should never be afraid to die
So come on
Rise up and take the power back
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack
You know that their time's coming to an end
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend
3. Hate List by Jennifer Brown = "All These Things I've Done" by The Killers
A fantastic novel and even better song (I sang it at my wedding, that's how crazy I am about it!). The messages of both forgiveness and accepting our shortcomings run through the song and novel. I can see Valerie reminding herself, "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier."
4. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers = "Hammerhead" by The Offspring
This novel is a fantastic story about a soldier and what it means for him to serve his country - the ideas of brotherhood, loyalty, and blind compliance all come into question, just like in the song. For example, "I'll take a life, that others may live / Oh, that's just the way it goes / I shut my eyes, it hammers in my head / where it'll end nobody knows" fits any battle. Plus, the overall intense nature of the song is perfect for any gripping scene.
5. Looking for Alaska by John Green = "Bohemian Like You" by The Dandy Warhols
Both the novel and the song share a sense of kinship between two misfits. Plus, Alaska's car came to mind with the opening lines: "You've got a great car / Yeah what's wrong with it today / I used to have one too / Maybe I'll come and have a look."
6. The Immortals series by Alyson Noel = "Yellow" by Coldplay
Devotion comes across in this song, and save perhaps the Twilight series, no other series expresses eternal devotion quite like The Immortals. Ever and Damen's love has spanned lifetimes - how more devoted can you get?
7. Fire by Kristin Cashore = "Molly's Chambers" by Kings of Leon
Partly this pairing was inspired by the fact that both the song and novel are borderline inappropriate (certainly the song more so). After all, the main character, Fire, is someone who is physically desirable and able to control other's minds. The song describes someone very similar, and speaks to me of female power.
8. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green = "An End Has a Start" by The Editors
This is another pairing where it's too difficult to pick a section of lyrics to share! The theme of hope even in the face of inevitable loss is what came across strongest in Green's novel, as it does in the song. If you will:
I won't disappoint you
As you fall apart
Some things should be simple
Even an end has a start
Someone hit the lights
'Cause there's more here to be seen
When you caught my eye
I saw everywhere I'd been
And wanna go too
You came on your own
That's how you'll leave
With hope in your hands
And air to breathe
You'll lose everything
But in the end
Still my broken limbs
You'll find time to mend
9. Fracture by Megan Miranda = "Passenger Seat" by Death Cab for Cutie
I'm probably just giving a theme song to this novel because I finished it last night (stay tuned for a review... get it? Tuned? Because I'm making theme songs? :), but two ideas stood out to me. One is the nighttime, wintry mood that both the novel and song project. The second comes at the end of the song, which speaks to someone's companionship and closeness with someone else, be they friends or something more...
"When you feel embarrassed / Then I'll be your pride / When you need directions / Then I'll be the guide / For all time"
10. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor = "Resistance" by Muse
I just couldn't let the list end without an appearance by my new favorite book and my favorite band! Love in the face of extreme fear, disapproval, and discrimination drives Taylor's story, as embodied by the following:
Is your secret safe tonight? And are we out of sight?
Or will our world come tumbling down?
Will they find our hiding place? Is this our last embrace?
Or will the walls start caving in?
...
Love is our resistance they'll keep us apart and they won't stop
breaking us down and hold me
Our lips must always be sealed
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