I have been terrible at reading lately; I've been preoccupied with work and.. uh.. playing The Walking Dead relentlessly until I know how it ends. But that counts right, because it's horror..? Flavorwire came to my rescue and shared 50 of the Scariest Short Stories of All Time including links to where you can read some of them online and I got stuck into quite a few of them.
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
year: | pages: | rating: 2/5
I didn't find this book very funny or interesting or clever, it was just meh. Sometimes I think Lena Dunham is trying too hard to appeal to the type of crowd she's always marketed herself to.. other times, I simply just don't care. I wasn't that into Girls and although I thought it was refreshing to see such a jarringly bold female character on the screen, I wasn't always that bowled over by the privileged upper middle class white Lena Dunham. So maybe the appeal of Not That Kind of Girl was lost on me, I don't know, but I don't think this book is as amazing as everyone expects it to be or will say it is without even reading it.
Out of Skin by Emily Carroll
In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates
Casting the Runes by MR James
Miriam by Truman Capote
The Landlady by Roahl Dahl
Silent Snow, Secret Snow by Conrad Aiken
The Babysitter by Robert Coover
Oooooh, thank you for that link to the scariest short stories - I LOVE scary short stories! That's me sorted for a bit.
ReplyDeleteI've started to read a sample of 'Not That Kind Of Girl' on my Kindle and must admit, it hasn't bowled me over... yet. Still in two minds whether to purchase. A little disappointed as I'm a fan of Girls and Dunham herself.
ReplyDeletedanielletc.com
While I enjoy watching Girls, I've never really been a fan of Lena Dunham. She just doesn't come across as genuine to me. Have you heard of Mindy Kaling's book? I think it's the same sort of concept as Lena's book, but it's supposed to be pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, this book was nowhere near as good as it was hyped up to be. I'm not a fan of Girls, but thought I should read the book as it seemed everyone was (I'm a sheep, I know). Lena is made out to be so controversial and ground breaking, when in reality, you're right, it's all just a bit meh. Definitely read Mindy's book though, from the first page I was crying with laughter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the Scariest Short Stories, can't wait to tuck in.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little disappointed by your thoughts on Not That Kind of Girl as I had sort of high hopes for it, having read a few of her NY Times columns and really liking Girls I thought it might be worth it.
I do get what you mean about Lena Dunham trying to appeal to her market, even if I watch more than one episode of Girls it can become a little grating so to read a whole book might get a little grating.
Ha, I just reviewed Dunham's book today, too. I'm a fan of the show and of her independent film, Tiny Furniture. For me, it's about escape and I like getting a glimpse of a life so different than mine. I think people either love or hate her, and that's totally fine. She actually reminds me of Sofia Coppola, who focuses on the lives of wealthier people, but in a much quieter way. I think Dunham has done so much in her life already and her work will only get better. Plus, Girls seems more realistic (to me) than Sex and the City ever did.
ReplyDeleteI like Lena a lot but I'm not sure i'm on that same 'OMGILOVEEVERYTHINGSHETOUCHES' train that a lot of people are on. I think I'll still enjoy her book, but I doubt I'll be blown into the stratosphere by it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honest review!
Dejhana | Waite a Little
I'm dubious about this book because I'm not really sure how I feel about Lena Dunham. I don't particularly dislike her, but I'm not sure if her book it something I'll enjoy. Might try it at some point though.
ReplyDeleteI've never really felt like I could relate to Lena Dunham and my thoughts on Girls are exactly the same as yours. The amount of privilege really rubbed me up the wrong way. I was planning on giving her book a try to see if it changed my opinion any, but I probably won't bother now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a nice inspiration! ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you!! I thought I was insane for not liking the book, everyone else seemed to really enjoy it. Everywhere I looked on the internet people found it hilarious, except me :-).
ReplyDeleteJoyce Carol Oates is incredible. I truly she's one of the best authors of our era. I haven't read any of her novels, but I've been blown away by her short stories (and I don't even LIKE short stories!).
ReplyDeleteCat
http://oddlylovely.com
This book has cropped up so much lately on the likes of twitter and my instagram feed, I still don't really know what it is about. I'm super behind on the new releases despite working in a book store, I've being reading the same book now for over a month (I wouldn't care but it's not even a long one).
ReplyDeleteSometimes I get stuck on books, I tend to put them down and come back to them later because they hold up my reading!
ReplyDeleteNot That Kind of Girl is really hyped and it's totally not worth it..
I'm not really a huge reader of short stories but sometimes they are excellent
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people feel compelled to say they liked the book when really it was just "ok." It's received so much hype that it makes it awkward to say it's not so great.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find some books worth reading
ReplyDeleteYup, absolutely. I found it really grating in book form.
ReplyDeleteSame; I feel very indifferent to Lena Dunham and the tv series, Girls. I thought the book might be OK and it really is just OK, nothing special.
ReplyDeleteI thought the book was OK - not great, not spectacular, just OK. I think a lot of people will review it very kindly though because of the hype.
ReplyDeleteGirls is definitely more realistic than Sex and the City.. but I'm not really a fan of either, to be honest. Both have insane amounts of "first world problems" and I find it hard relate even though I fall into the target audience for Girls.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many great short stories on that list!
ReplyDeleteIt's OK - I read the book because I was curious about the hype, it's OK to read stuff because everyone is talking about it :)) You're totally right: it's not ground breaking at all.
ReplyDeleteI haven't, but I will check it out now!
ReplyDeleteHer advice videos were quite good.. but I feel there is something a little.. forced? with Lena.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many awesome stories on that list!
ReplyDeleteYou've stated my thoughts EXACTLY on Lena Dunham. It's a shame, because it's a book I wanted to read and like, but I've read so many meh reviews now that I keep pushing it back on my list in favor of other reads.
ReplyDeleteMorgan // www.blushingwit.com
I'm only 25% through Lena's book and I kind of hate it. That feels good to say actually. I really really don't like it.
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