Book Review: Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham

So, I finally finished this book. It took me ages, mostly I think because I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to remain in the world of Lena Dunham for much longer than the pages of the book would allow. The book is basically a collection of essays, each very different but just as quirky as the next. I’ve already done a post about Lena Dunham and how much I love her, so I won’t gush again. I really just want to focus on the book for this post.

Like I mentioned before, the book is pretty much a collection of essays. There isn’t a set flow to them, such as chronological order, but for the most part I didn’t feel like it was too disjointed while reading it. I will say that this book isn’t for someone looking to read a straight up autobiography or memoir. I found the times when I felt a little discombobulated were when I probably wasn’t paying as much attention to the book.  

Some of the stories may be a little confronting for some people, particularly some of the sexual ones, but I didn’t really have a problem with it. Anyone who has seen her TV show ‘Girls’ knows how explicit and honest she is. In fact, there are a few stories that you might recognise as being storylines or scenes in the show. The fact that she is able to be so very candid and real about her experiences is the main reason I loved this book. She doesn’t sugar-coat or glamorize her life. In fact, she can be a little self-deprecating. Personally I don’t think it’s so much that she comes across as being secretly up herself. She’s very honest about being quite self-centred (which is not as awful as it may sound).

All-in-all I don’t think this book will be everybody’s cup of tea. I’ve heard some negative comments about it and some of the stories that I personally don’t agree with, but others obviously take different things away from her stories than I do. If you’re up for a quirky journey through Lena’s mind and memories and have an open mind I would definitely recommend this book to you (if you haven’t already read it yet). If you prefer memoirs and autobiographies that follow a certain structure and prefer less… shall we say ‘personal’ or ‘graphic’ content from the people you admire and want to learn about, then possibly this isn’t the book for you. This book is mostly funny, sometimes serious and always real. I absolutely loved it and would read it again (once I finish my plethora of other books I have waiting to be read)!

Christmas Haul Part 1.2: Christmas Presents

Okay, so this post contains my thoughts on the final lot of presents I got this Christmas. As I said in my last post, I am so very lucky to have been given all of this stuff. A lot of thought went into each and every present and I appreciate every single one of them and the family and friends who gave them to me! 

Steampunk Belle Print:

Can we just… ugh! I can’t even describe my giddy little girl joy when I opened this very extra special present from my gorgeous bestie. This is created by a local (Brisbane) artist. It’s absolutely beautifully done and every time I look at it on my wall I smile. I’m an intense Disney fan and Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favourite movie. I just love this picture and can’t get over what an amazing choice my bestie made in getting me this!

Southern Vampire Mysteries Books:

My wonderful tutoring clients got me a couple of the Southern Vampire Mysteries books. I know, I know, I am so late to the party with these, but oh well. I got the sixth and thirteenth books and already had books one to three. I haven’t really started the series yet since I’m on a bit of a biography kick at the moment (reviews to come), but I can’t wait to get stuck into the series.

The Big Bang Theory Clue Boardgame:

This was a gift from my cousin who is my kindred nerd spirit. He, my sis and I all love boardgames and having boardgame nights, so this was a perfect gift. We’ve played it a few times since Christmas and it’s a lot of fun. I think I like it better than the original Cluedo (Clue in America).

Gift Cards and Money:

I got a few different gift cards to different places and some money for the Boxing Day sales from various family members. I know a lot of people think that these kinds of gifts are impersonal, but not for anyone who knows me. Anyone who knows me knows that I love picking out my own things (it’s possibly a control thing) and that is something that is just as special to me as getting an ‘actual’ gift. Besides, without these presents of money and gift cards, my trip to the Boxing Day sales would have been a hell of a lot less fun.

That was it for the Christmas present I received. The next instalment will be sharing what I picked up during the Boxing Day sales. I think that will be another two parter, because, if I'm being real, I bought A LOT of stuff (well for me anyway, it may not seem like a lot to other people). 

Christmas Haul Part 1.1: Christmas Presents

Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!!

This was supposed to be up on Monday, but I'm running behind schedule. I had every intention of getting two posts up today (yesterday actually, since this is currently being uploaded at 1 in the morning), but that didn't happen either. Fingers crossed I'm a better blogger today and am able to catch up to the schedule I created for myself!

This is part one of at least two posts (more if they end up being too long). I got quite a bit of stuff over Christmas. Some of it was presents and other stuff was bought in the Boxing Day sales (partly using money and gift cards I got for Christmas). So to not use up too much space let’s just jump straight into it. I’m staring out with the presents I received for Christmas. I was a very lucky girl and I’m very appreciative of all the love and thought that went in all of my presents.

Too Face Melted Kisses Pack:

This one’s from my awesome little sister. It’s a pack of four mini versions of the Melted lipsticks. The shades included are: Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuchsia and Melted Berry. I’ve been wanting to try these for ages, but at $26 a pop and with so many colours to choose from, I never took the leap. Thank goodness my baby sister knows me so well, because this little pack is the answer to my Melted dilemma. I really like all four shades in the pack, but Melted Berry and Melted Peony are probably my favourites. They are fairly longwearing and feel really nice on the lips. I can only imagine how long it would take me to get through a full-sized on of these because I can’t see me using the mini ones up all that quickly. Not when you through them into the mix of all the other lip products I have. As I’m typing this I’m thinking I maybe want to do a full review on them, with lip swatches and everything, so stay tuned for that!

Gold Knot Earrings:

My other wonderful gift from my sister. I love these so much! My usual earrings are a pair of gold ones with crystals in them. They’re really nice and I rarely change them, until Christmas came that is. I opened these and put them in before I even cracked open my lipsticks. I absolutely love these earrings. I haven’t taken them out since (except for the odd wash and photo). I’m not really into bling on jewellery or anything else really, a fact which my sister is aware, thankfully. These earrings have just the right amount of pretty without being ridiculously girlie.

Versace Bright Crystal:

I mentioned this in my October Favourites video, and decided that it is my favourite perfume of all time. So, naturally I was pretty much beyond stoked to get a big arse bottle of this for Christmas from my lovely parents. I can’t even describe the scent of this stuff, except to say once again that it is intoxicating and amazing. I can’t imagine liking another fragrance better than this one.

Photo Finish Makeup:

I can’t say I’ve ever heard of this brand, but from just swatches I can say that I am pretty impressed with the pigmentation of the eyeshadows. They’re all pretty shimmery, but from a little swirl of the finger in the product I got a lot of colour payoff. This is another thing that I want to do a full review on and create a bit of an eye look with. I’ll have to mull over what kind of look to create, but that post will be coming up soon too! I haven’t played with the lip glosses yet, but they are pretty darn cute in their little cupcake shapes.

Okay, so that wasn't everything I got. The post was becoming waaayyyy too long so I decided to split the present post into two. After the next present post I will be doing Part 2, which is the haul from the Boxing Day sales I got. 

I hope you all have an amazing day! Until next time! xx