Sarah Palin's Book

I know you all have been waiting with bated breath for Sarah Palin's new memoir but now you don't have to wait much longer. Her new book "Going Rogue: An American Life" is being released November 17 instead of its original release date which was spring of next year.

I especially enjoyed looking at people's comments to the above New York Times beat story. Quite amusing.

Rainy Days

Another rainy day in Pittsburgh. Really makes me wish I could stay home in bed with a steaming cup of my grandma's hot cocoa and finally finish this book..

"Heart of Darkness"

Well, I am about halfway through Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and don't really know what to think of it yet. It's very slow-moving and can be somewhat hard to follow, at least for me. Don't do too well with long paragraphs and lots of description..

I know it's a classic and I'm supposed to like it though. What are your thoughts on this book, or classics in general? Do you always love classic literature as much as you should?

William Fiennes's "Music Room"

This review by the New York Times caught my eye. I know that memoirs are all the rage right now, but this one seems to be a truly thought-provoking look at living with a disabled brother as well as growing up in an English castle. Interesting? I would say.

"Everyman" by Philip Roth

"Everyman"
by Philip Roth
2006
182 pages




This was my first time reading Roth and I have to say that I was not disappointed. At first, I wasn't sure which of the author's many works to start out with but was attracted by the stark cover and familiar literary title of "Everyman." The original "Everyman" was an English play from the 15th century that I remembered from high school literature as being about a man who has a conversation with Death. Interesting, I thought.


"Everyman" is told from the perspective of a man who has lived through a lot: three marriages and divorces, the birth of children and grandchildren, and the death of his parents and many friends. What's strange about the book though is that the first page tells you about this man's funeral, starting at the end of his story. As this short novel progresses, you learn more and more details about his life and begin to understand the inner workings of this character who is never named.


Roth's book is a masterpiece of a metaphor. Anyone can read it and identify with some small part of this man's life, whether it be in his complicated love life or his fear of dying. The main focus of the novel is death and how everyone must perish at some point. A part of the book I particularly liked was when the protagonist related something his father, a jeweler, had told him and his brother when they were young:

"It's a big deal for working people to buy a diamond," he told his sons, "no matter how small. The wife can wear it for the beauty and she can wear it for the status. And when she does, this guy is not just a plumber-- he's a man with a wife with a diamond. His wife owns something that is imperishable. Because beyond the beauty and status and the value, the diamond is imperishable. A piece of the earth that is imperishable, and a mere mortal is wearing it on her hand!"

Isn't it true that all most of us are looking for is something imperishable? Something that appeals to our infinite natures? This was the struggle of Roth's everyman, and it was evident right up to this excellent novel's last page.

Movies vs. Books

Have you ever looked around on the bus and tried to notice what your fellow commuters' reading material was? I did that the other day and, lo and behold, practically every woman with a novel in hand was reading The Time Traveler's Wife.

I might be the only one who thinks like this, so bear with me, but it pisses me off when the only reason people will pick up a book is because it was made into This Year's No. 1 Movie! Almost always, the movie version does no justice to the novel (with the exception of Wuthering Heights starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche).

What's your opinion? Are there lots of movies based on books out there that are better than the written version and I've just totally missed out on them?

And the journey begins...

Hello all! Well, this is my first blog as well as my first post and I have to admit that I'm a little nervous. I've already rewritten that first sentence about ten times. I'm hoping this gets better as I go along..

But that's besides the point. The point is to tell you what Scenic Pages is all about and what you can expect from it. So, first off, Scenic Pages is a book review blog which is all from the perspective of a 20-something-year-old who just loves to read. I'm that nerd you see reading a book while she's walking across the street about to be hit by a semi and as oblivious as can be. You can expect my opinion on all sorts of books as well as possibly articles about literature from other sources which I happen to find interesting or relevant.

Please let me know if there's a book that I just HAVE to read, or if you think I haven't covered enough of one genre, or if you just plain don't agree with my opinion. I would love to get feedback!