Sweet Tunes Thursday: Book LPs—#2 Sweet Filthy Boy

From Book to Vinyl: LPs Inspired by Books

One part book review. One part music curation. One part packaging design.

I love books, music, and design, so I came up with a way to combine them all: book mixtape LPs. I read a book, create a mixtape inspired by the book, and then design a cover for the mixtape in the style of a vinyl record. I don’t aim to create a better design than the book cover. I’m using the book as an inspiration for a musical playlist, which I use as inspiration for packaging for a vinyl record. That might sound convoluted, but oh well. I enjoy making mixtapes inspired by things, and I enjoy making album art for my mixtapes, so that’s how we got here.

This week’s book: Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren

[image source]

Review of Sweet Filthy Boy

Abridged version. Full review on my Goodreads.

I found this book on an NPR list of best romance novels. I was looking for a few good romances to read for research for a novel I’m trying to write (it’s got some romance in it). Romance is often terribly written, but it can also be really fun to read (and write). Two friends who co-author under the pseudonym “Christina Lauren” wrote this book and I could tell they had a lot of fun writing this book. It was everything I want out of a romance: unbelievable tropes (met in Vegas then flew to Paris, he’s foreign and rides a motorcycle, she’s got a broken past, etc.); cheesy lines; and the unneccessary “will-they-won’t-they” plot (all romances require a happily-ever-after ending for publishing). I love that the authors included an equal number of male and female friends so they could write a series on this group. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Playlist for Sweet Filthy Boy

Most of this book took place in Paris, and I know nothing about France. Well, nothing except that I love 60s French pop (which, BTW, is impossible to find on vinyl). 60s French bubblegum pop meshes well with the junk-food fun of this book.

“Sweet Filthy Boy” playlist on Spotify

“Sweet Filthy Boy” playlist on YouTube

Album Art for Sweet Filthy Boy

Admittedly, this art misses the mark in terms of the art going with the music, but I think the art definitely fits the hedonistic fun of the book. I would expect to hear electronic music—not 60s French pop—with this artwork. I could make it work for both if I softened it up with some script or florals. Maybe I’ll revisit this one.

Browse All My Books to LPs Posts

1. A Beginner’s Guide to Vinyl
2. Sweet Filthy Boy

//

Name the last book you read and a song that would go with it. Go!

OR

Do you read romance? Can you recommend one?