Aesthetics and Vibes: My Books as Mood Boards

Every book has a vibe. Some feel like long summer evenings with friends, others feel like cold, sharp breaths in the dead of winter. The best books don’t just tell a story—they create a feeling, an atmosphere that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.

Since I’m the kind of person who sees stories in colors, textures, and moods, I thought I’d translate some of my favorite books—aka, the books I’ve written—into aesthetics. Think of it as a way to visually capture the soul of each story.

So, if you’ve ever wondered what my books feel like, here’s a look at the vibes behind OUT, Brambles and Wire, and Not Your Cowgirl.

OUT

Aesthetic

Graffiti-covered walls, the hum of neon signs, the warmth of a borrowed jacket, candlelight flickering in a dark room, the distant wail of a train in the night, bruised knuckles and soft hands, the smell of rain on pavement. OUT is the flicker of a streetlight at 3 AM, the weight of an old sweater that still smells like someone you miss, static on a radio playing a song you half-remember, a love note scrawled in the margins of a well-worn book, a broken heart that keeps beating anyway. Rain dripping from fire escapes, city lights blurred through tears, the taste of copper and salt. The way light catches on a broken bottle, turning something sharp into something beautiful.

Vibes

Gritty, raw, but full of heart. The kind of story that makes you feel like you’ve been through something—like you’ve lived it alongside the characters. A mix of survival and tenderness, with just enough light to keep the darkness from swallowing you whole. OUT feels like the sting of cold air on your face after running too hard, lungs burning but alive. It’s a cigarette shared between shaking fingers, the ghost of laughter in an empty alley, the kind of silence that holds both comfort and grief. It’s about nights spent curled up on a too-small couch, hands brushing but neither of you moving away. It’s heartbreak that lingers in the bones, but also the quiet, stubborn act of choosing to keep going. Painful and sharp, but threaded with moments of unexpected softness—like a calloused hand tucking a blanket around someone’s shoulders or a stolen smile in the middle of the storm.

Soundtrack

If OUT had a playlist, it would be full of songs that ache and songs that rage. A mix of indie rock and raw acoustic ballads, where every lyric feels like a confession or a wound. It's the kind of music that feels like driving through the city at night with nowhere to go, just moving forward because stopping isn’t an option.

A Sample OUT Playlist

Hozier – Cherry Wine

Mitski – I Bet on Losing Dogs

The National – Pink Rabbits

Phoebe Bridgers – Scott Street

Daughter – Youth

Gang of Youths – Persevere

Brandi Carlile – The Eye

Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out

Noah Gundersen – The Sound

Bon Iver – Blood Bank

Radical Face – We’re On Our Way

Gregory Alan Isakov – Second Chances

Julien Baker – Turn Out the Lights

Keaton Henson – You

Lord Huron – The Night We Met

Ben Howard – Oats in the Water

Leon Bridges – Beyond

Sufjan Stevens – Mystery of Love

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires

The Lumineers – Stubborn Love

Mt. Joy – Silver Lining

Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate

First Aid Kit – Emmylou

Sleeping At Last – Saturn

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Into My Arms

Mood Board

---

Brambles and Wire

Aesthetic

Brambles and Wire is concrete overtaken by vines, rusted metal fences, bloodstained fingertips, distant city lights blinking through the smog, the sharp taste of adrenaline, the weight of a blade in your hand, whispering wind through abandoned streets. Crumbling buildings strangled by ivy, neon signs flickering through the smog, the hum of a city that never sleeps but is always watching. The weight of a knife strapped to your thigh, the burn of a fresh wound, dried blood crusting in the creases of your fingers. The heavy silence of abandoned streets, where every sound is a threat. The way dawn looks after a sleepless night—ashen, fragile, but still a promise. A single flower breaking through concrete, defiant. The tang of rust on your tongue, the sharp scent of rain before a storm, the glow of fire reflected in a pair of determined eyes.

Vibes

Tense, dystopian, and brimming with quiet rebellion. It’s about fighting for more than survival—it’s about demanding to exist. The kind of story that pulls you in with its desperation and keeps you there with its hope. Brambles and Wire is the feeling of holding your breath in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. It’s the raw scrape of knuckles against stone, the bite of hunger and the sharper ache of hope. Every step forward is a risk, every whispered plan a rebellion. It’s about fighting for more than just survival—it’s about daring to carve out a future in a world that wants to erase you. This is a story of desperation, of stolen moments of warmth between battles, of hands clasped tight in the dark, swearing they won’t let go. It’s the slow burn of revolution, the kind that starts in the marrow and spreads like wildfire.

Soundtrack

If Brambles and Wire had a playlist, it would be a mix of haunting instrumentals and dark, cinematic anthems. The kind of music that makes you feel like you're running for your life but also ready to burn down an empire.

A Sample Brambles and Wire Playlist

• Woodkid – Run Boy Run

• Aurora – The Seed

• Florence + The Machine – Seven Devils

• Ruelle – Monsters

• Of Monsters and Men – Crystals

• Zack Hemsey – The Way

• Ethel Cain – American Teenager

• Son Lux – Easy

• MS MR – Hurricane

• Bastille – Things We Lost in the Fire

• Tom Odell – Another Love

• The Last Shadow Puppets – Sweet Dreams, TN

• Kings Elliot – Call Me a Dreamer

• London Grammar – Wasting My Young Years

• Daughter – Medicine

• Emilie Nicolas – Pstereo

• Novo Amor – Terraform

• Sleeping At Last – Saturn

• Siv Jakobsen – Shallow Digger

• Natalie Prass – Short Court Style

• Florence + The Machine – Dog Days are Over

• The Oh Hellos – This Will End

• First Aid Kit – Wolf

• Dustin O’Halloran – Opus 23

• Radiohead – Exit Music (For a Film)

Mood Board

---

Not Your Cowgirl

Aesthetic

The smell of hay and leather, sun-warmed wood, dusty boots on a porch, hands brushing against each other, the glow of headlights on an empty road, the soft strum of a guitar, the bittersweet taste of whiskey. Not Your Cowgirl exists in the space between—where sun-bleached wood meets glass skyscrapers, where dusty boots step onto concrete sidewalks, and where the hush of an open highway fades into the hum of city traffic. A vintage truck beside a sleek sports car in a valet lot, and the slow twang of a steel guitar through an open loft window.The hum of an old ham radio, the feeling of déjà vu that makes you pause. The weight of a borrowed flannel draped over your shoulders, a quiet conversation under a sky so big it makes you feel small, and the pull of something unfinished just beneath the surface of it all.

Vibes

Nostalgic and bittersweet, but full of warmth. A story about figuring out where you belong and realizing that home isn’t just a place—it’s the people who make you feel like you. Not Your Cowgirl feels like a long drive down a dusty highway with the windows down, the air thick with memory. It’s the ache of returning to a place you swore you’d never call home again, only to find pieces of yourself still lingering there. It’s warm hands on weathered wood, the hush of the wind through tall grass, the quiet comfort of being seen. There’s something almost dreamlike about it, like the past and present are always brushing against each other—never quite touching, but always close. It’s a story of finding love in unexpected places, of reckoning with what you left behind, and of learning that home isn’t just the place you ran from—it’s the people who make you feel like you belong.

Soundtrack

If Not Your Cowgirl had a playlist, it would be full of indie folk and soft country. Songs like the sound of open roads and open wounds, like love and loss wrapped up on a melody. Rich harmonies and the lyrics that settle deep in your chest—the kind of music that makes you miss a place you've never even been, like you've lived a whole life in the span of a song.

Sample Not Your Cowgirl Playlist

• Mazzy Star – Fade Into You

• Phoebe Bridgers – Scott Street

• Sade – By Your Side

• Iron & Wine – Naked As We Came

• Imogen Heap – Hide and Seek

• First Aid Kit – My Silver Lining

• Lana Del Rey – Ride

• Fleetwood Mac – Silver Springs

• Bon Iver – Holocene

• The Paper Kites – Bloom

• Angus & Julia Stone – Big Jet Plane

• Norah Jones – Come Away With Me

• Daughter – Youth

• The Civil Wars – Poison & Wine

• Gregory Alan Isakov – The Stable Song

• Maggie Rogers – Fallingwater

• Sharon Van Etten – Every Time The Sun Comes Up

• Weyes Blood – Andromeda

• Natalie Prass – Short Court Style

• Adrienne Lenker – Anything

• Lord Huron – The Night We Met

• AURORA – Runaway

• Ray LaMontagne – Jolene

• Brandi Carlile – The Story

• The Lumineers – Ophelia

Mood Board

---

Each of these books carries a different kind of energy, but at their core, they all explore what it means to belong—to a place, to a person, to a community. That’s the thread tying them all together.

What are some books that have a vibe you’ll never forget? Drop your favorite book aesthetics in the comments!

Until next time,

Oregon J. Sinclair