Kayla's Book Nook

Now that I finally have my dream job, I have little time to do much else. I am even finding it hard to find time to read outside of the reading I am assigning in class. It hurts to say that, but I now have summers off, so I'll be able to read then as well. Although, I'll never stop buying books, even though I'll probably never find the time to read them all until I am retired! Finally, to get to my point, the annual book sale in Binghamton, NY is here! I'll be adding the days and times here for any readers that would like to or can go to the sale. Stock up on books at the Penguin Group (USA) Warehouse Book Sale! NEW YORK STATE LOCATION This highly anticipated sale will be held on the following days: Saturday, November 12  —  1-8PM Monday, November 14  —  5-8PM Tuesday, November 15  —  5-8PM Wednesday, November 16  —  5-8PM Thursday, November 17  —  5-8PM Friday, November 18  —  5-8PM Saturday, N...

Finally, after all my hard work, worrying, frustration, anger, and sadness, I have achieved what feels like the impossible these days: I got a teaching job! I applied and interviewed for a position, and was unfortunately turned down. Yet again another rejection, but the teacher they originally hired for the position gained another job at another school. The school then asked me if I would like to take that position, and of course I said yes! This job is perfect for me, it's in a great location, it's near my family, it's teaching English, and it's with a great group of kids. I am finally happy, and working very hard at my new job. Of course I am overwhelmed, and frustrated on a daily basis, but it is definitely worth it. I am thankful that I never let myself give up in the face of so much rejection. In the end, things worked out perfectly for my husband and I, and even though we are extremely busy these days, we are also very happy. For all of you out there that...

It feels lately to me, that my life has been at a crossroads and I've really just been standing still. Yesterday, my college e-mailed me and told me that the program that I would be taking there starting this summer, is now being offered online. I flipped out! If I got into the online program, then I wouldn't have to move, spend all that money, and I could still work full-time while going to school online. It seemed like fate had stepped in! I immediately called the college, and applied for this new program. I am not sure when I'll hear back for it, but I will be staying where I am for a little while longer, till I know for sure. My coworkers at my job now were pretty happy that I was staying, and honestly so am I! So, I just wanted to take a minute and share this amazing program with others. The University at Buffalo is now offering the Library and Information Sciences Master's degree with a concentration in School Library Media Specialist all online. As long as you ...

My mom, me, and my sister at my top ten banquet This is a true story from my childhood, about one of my favorite people, my Grandma. When I was a little girl, I spent everyday with my Mom's parents. When I was two, my Grandpa died from a heart attack during his sleep. Some people dispute the fact that we have memories from that age, but I remember my Grandpa. I remember the way he smelled like smoking tobacco, the way that he tickled me every time I saw him, I remember the night that he bought a speaker phone and called me, and I remember the way it felt when he hugged me. After my Grandpa died, I spent even more time at my Grandma's house. Later, we found out that my Grandma had cancer, and my mom tried to let me know that she was sick. This is the true story of the last day that I heard my Grandma sing (they loved music), and why Happy Birthday means more to me than most people. I want to share this writing with you, even though it's a day past Mother's Day, becaus...

http://www.suite101.com/content/digital-e-readers-the-books-of-the-21st-century-a369676

Recently, I became a staff writer for a website called Suite101. There I will be able to write more seriously, using sources, about topics of interest to many people. I have written my first article, and plan to write one weekly. Check it out, it'll be a little bit different from how I write on here, but I'll continue writing here as well. http://www.suite101.com/content/the-education-crisis-in-america-a369522

There are so many books out there that are already made into movies, but there are a lot of books that I would love to see on the big screen sometime. Here is my list of the top ten books I think should be made into movies. 1. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Such a great book, about a girl coming of age, dealing with the exact thing she tried to avoid throughout her whole life. 2. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCaffterty There are five books in this series, and I love each and every one of them. Jessica Darling is hilarious, and complex and it would be great to see a strong female character on the big screen. 3. If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan All of Han Nolan's books are amazing, but this one seriously touches my soul. It's about a girl who is seeing the world from her perspective, and gets a chance to see the world through the eyes of a woman who survived some of the worst parts of the Holocaust. 4. 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult This book might never make i...

Just recently, I was turned down for the Teach For America position, that I spent long months applying and preparing for. I can't say that I wasn't disappointed to read the generic "Sorry you did not get it" letter they sent me. It was hard to see my dream of working for Teach For America, and finally being a teacher get dashed, especially with a generic letter. I really had a great feeling about the process, and left the interview feeling like I nailed it. I guess that I didn't impress like I thought I did. I broke down at first from the shock that I didn't get my dream job, and then I cried because I realized how badly I did want it, and how wrong I had been. Later that night I talked to my mom about what had happened, she knew I was upset about missing this opportunity and offered some advice. She said like so many do, "Everything happens for a reason." At first I was annoyed, because I feel that so many people use this logic as a cop-out. But, as...

After careful consideration, I won't be posting book reviews on here as much anymore. I am going to focus my energy on writing about life again, and the struggles that I am going through right now. I will continue to update the site though, with the books that I am reading, because I am still avidly trying to get to 100 books by September. I will continue to write book reviews on the books I read which will be available through this link:  http://www.shvoong.com/ WebAgents/Redir.aspx?wID=5& tURL=http://www.shvoong.com/ books/romance/2143491-water- elephants/ .  This link is also available on my Related Articles and Links page as well. Please go on here and take a look at my book reviews from time to time. Thank you so much for continuing to read my blog throughout this year. I really appreciate all the support from my friends and family.

I was really in the mood to read a mystery thriller, so I read the book, The House of Thunder , by Dean Koontz. Dean Koontz is a fantastic writer, who can write about just about anything, and usually does! I enjoy some of his novels, not all, but he does have a great writing style, and a knack for writing interesting stories. This particular novel is about a women who gets in a severe car crash while on vacation, and wakes up from a coma in a hospital with people she has never met before. She works with the doctors to recuperate from her injuries, and time in the coma, but something freaky starts to happen. She stars seeing the four fraternity brothers from 10 years ago that tortured and killed her boyfriend then, but who also tried to kill her. She recognizes these men at the hospital, but no one believes they are the men that changed her life forever in the House of Thunder all those years ago. The reader watches the main character, Susan, fighting to keep her rational, ...

Over the past couple of days, I read the novel, Rooftop , by Paul Volponi. This is a book about a teenage boy, who lives in the projects and is struggling with substance abuse, gangs, and family trouble. The main character, Clay, struggles with smoking pot too much, and so he is sent to a day program like school called Daytop, where kids that have all kinds of issues, go to get better, and study for their GED. Clay is  really trying to make an effort  to get better, and get on the right track, when his cousin, Addison, comes to the program after getting caught selling drugs on the street. Addison and Clay start to becomes friends again, after their mothers fall out years ago. Clay finally has someone to talk to about everything, but Addison is only going through the motions to pass and not really change. Then, Addison is killed by police coming up on the rooftop to find out what is happening. Clay is left devastated, and has a hard time getting over Addison...

Thanks to a co-worker who lent me the book, and friends and family that told me how amazing this book was, I finally read, Water for Elephants , by Sara Gruen. I have been hearing rave reviews from friends, family, coworkers, online sites, and other blogs about this book, and I have to say that I agree whole-heartedly. This is a wonderful book about love, life, the circus, and how connected people can become with each other and animals in such a short time. It's a stunning tale of the carnival and circus people of a time long ago, and how their lives revolved around the circus, the performers, the workmen, the animals, and the crowds. I loved all the characters in this book, and it was really interesting going from the past to the present with the main character. The love between Marlena and Jacob is so wonderful, and pure that it's a great part of this book. I also love how involved and invested Jacob becomes with the animals and some people in the circus. It's a tale of...

Last December, while surfing the internet for teaching jobs or jobs related to teaching, I came across Teach for America. This is a non-for-profit organization that rigorously interviews teaching candidates, and if accepted are placed in schools around the country that are in high-need. The teachers are placed in areas where there is a high achievement gap, so that these very qualified educators can start fixing the problem that low budgets, low parental involvement, and a belief in stereotypes cause. Once I read the online literature, testaments from Corps members, and everything else, I decided to apply. This application process is long, and sometimes hard, there is a lot of information that needs to be provided as well deadlines to hit for certain aspects of the interview process. All this information can be found online at their website, for a better idea of the timelines. This last week I went to my final interview for Teach for America, and it was a great experi...

Over the past few days, I read the book, Holes, by Louis Sachar. This book is about a boy, Stanley Yelnats the third, whose family seems to always have bad luck. This story follows Stanley as he gets arrested for a crime, and then goes to a camp in the middle of the desert, called Camp Greenlake. There we follow him, as he discovers friends, how to dig, his own personal strength, and a confidence he never had before. I loved this book, and I would definitely recommend it to other people adults and young adults alike. It has some really funny moments, great characters, a quick pacing, and an easy to read but enjoyable plot. The book jumps from past to Stanley's great-great-grandfather and his travels, to the present with Stanley and his troubles. They are connected not only by lineage, and their solution is wonderful. There is a movie called Holes as well, that has Shia LaBouf, Sigouney Weaver, and Jon Voight in it as well. This is a great movie, it goes along really well with t...

Since I couldn't get in to work today, because we got about 12 inches of snow last night, I read the book, Dust , by Joan Frances Turner. This book is about a girl who dies when she is fifteen, and is reborn as a zombie once she is buried. This book explores the science fiction world, and pushes the boundary of conventional thinking about life and death. Once Jessica, the main character, becomes a zombie, she is pulled into a nearby gang of zombies, and sets out to live the rest of her undead life in peace with friends. Although, this does not happen, the world turns upside down, and a new species takes over, and it's all that Jessica and her friends can do to survive something no one saw coming. Lately, I have been a lot like everyone else, getting into this new zombie phase, for example my favorite game is Nazi zombies from Call of Duty. This new phase just like vampires recently, has seeped into literature, movies, music, and so much more. I admit that when I read the dust...