Summer Reading List | Jenna McIlwrath
Summer Reading List | Jenna McIlwrath
Superache
Conan Gray
“I’ve been living life in fiction” — “Movies” from Superache, Conan Gray
Conan Gray’s second album, Superache, is a masterpiece of pop perfection. Conan and his co-writer/producer, Dan Nigro, have created an album that invites listeners to indulge in fantasy within a lush sonic world. As a writer, I share a major muse with Conan: falling in love with a fantasy. We both have written song after song about the same person, who we loved, but didn’t receive love back from. And the funny thing is, we broke our own hearts. It feels lonely to be in love alone, but even lonelier when no one else understands it. I get myself in trouble by attaching feelings to a fantasy. I get so wrapped up in the book I’m writing in my mind, that the real world is hard to live in. And Conan has been writing music about the same thing for years. This newest album of his is a heart-achingly gorgeous encapsulation of the sorrow that comes with living your life in fiction. And it’s a damn bop.
Our Crooked Hearts
Melissa Albert
Melissa Albert is a weaver of intricate, deeply disturbed, dark fairy tales, and her latest book is here just in time for summer. Our Crooked Hearts centers on a girl named Ivy, her mother, Dana, and the dark and magical secrets they share. Melissa Albert is one of my favorite authors, and Our Crooked Hearts has been one of my most anticipated books of 2022. I’ve been searching for books with sweet, twisted tales since I read Michelle Harrison’s Thirteen Treasures trilogy way back in middle school. Melissa Albert’s bestselling Hazel Wood books satisfied my dark sweet tooth in delicious ways, and I have no doubt that her newest book will do just the same.
Jenna McIlwrath
Jenna McIlwrath is a recent Music & Sound Recording graduate from the University of New Haven. A singer-songwriter with experience interning in the music industry, McIlwrath is passionate about sustainability, the environment, and mental health. Specific fields of interest include singing/performance, songwriting, music publishing, creative writing, and environmental sustainability in the music industry. McIlwrath is also the co-owner/editor of her own creative blog, The Grass Elf Collective. Her debut album, Emotions Gallery, is coming out on September 30th, 2022. Follow her on Instagram here.
