Lindsay's Blog

My last SSR post is about a book called The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen. It is about a girl named Macy whose dad died a couple of years before. She has kept all her emotions in, and now she feels lonely and lost. It is the beginning of summer, and her annoying boyfriend Jason left for “Brain Camp”. She quit her boring library job and joined the chaotic Wish Catering crew. This book has themes of finding where you belong and friendship. I really like this book so far and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. The picture I chose is a runner because Macy used to be a really good runner, until her dad died and she stopped running altogether. I’m also giving this book a blue flame because it is really good. Most teenage girls would enjoy this story.

coasthillsrunningclub.com

First, be warned: Cote d’Ivoire has a government travel warning issued on it. That is due to their intense civil war which just means you could be faced with a lot of violence. If you don’t consider that dangerous, there are actually some very cool things to see and do. It is definitely a great place to really get to know another culture. The Ivorian people are into traditional dances, rituals, and there nation is home to many historical artifacts. They also have cool animals such as monkeys, leopards, and some species unique to the area such as the white-bellied worm snake. Their cuisine is interesting too. They eat a lot of fruits like bananas and pineapples, and also French delicacies like snail. A common side dish is Attiéké, which is a grain similar to couscous. Aside from those attractions, the Ivory Coast has pristine beaches, many of which are accompanied by nice fishing villages.You could climb mountains like Mount Nienokoue. A great city to go to is Yamoussoukro which is home to a replica of St. Peters in Rome. I personally think it would be so awesome to go there if you could secure transportation and a quality hotel, but maybe I’ll wait until the civil war is over and the government warning is lifted.

http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_guide/africa/west-africa/ivory_coast.php

http://lntreasures.com/ci.html

news.bbc.co.uk

psu-ghana.org

Last week, I finished my book Hate List by Jennifer Brown. The main character was Valerie Leftman. She was in a relationship with Nick Levil who caused a shooting at their high school. She had no idea about it, and she tried to stop him. She threw herself in front of a bullet and it went through her leg right before he shot and killed himself. Afterwards, she realized everyone he’d killed was on the hate list they’d made together– she just hadn’t had any idea he was actually planning on killing them. When news of the hate list spread, many people blamed her for the deaths of students even though she didn’t shoot them herself. Throughout the book she tries to get forgiveness and tries to help herself forgive Nick and move on. Honestly I hated this book. It took me forever to read because I couldn’t get into it, but I kept reading for some reason. Anyway this book might appeal to some teenager, girl or boy, if they like long badly written stories about death. I picked a picture of a gun because I wanted to shoot myself after I read it. Actually, I just picked it because of the shooting in the book. This book receives a yellow flame because yellow flames are dirty.

sfappeal.com

For people who love rollercoasters, Hersheypark is a great place to travel to and it is just a few hours away. Hersheypark is great because besides all the rides, you can visit Chocolate World for a touring ride and see a lot of chocolate and singing cows. The park, in Hershey, PA is home to over 60 rides. There is a wide variety of rides; from mild to thrilling. One ride I love is the WildMouse. Many people probably hate it because you get jerked around and it feels like you’re about to be thrown out of the car. I think it’s really fun. A great thrill ride would be Fahrenheit. It has a 97 degree drop and goes 58 mph at maximum speed. Although I’ve never actually been on it, it looks really fun and exciting so it would be the perfect ride for a rollercoaster-lover. I love Hersheypark because of the fact that there’s a ride for everyone– and because they make really good chocolate!

http://www.ridezone.com/parks/pa/hershey/hershey02.htm

Currently I am reading P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. It takes place in Ireland, so it inspired me to write my travel blog on going to Ireland. Ireland is incredibly beautiful. There are many castles and ruins to visit, such as the Ashford Castle which is actually a hotel as well. It was built around 1228 so theres a lot of history which goes along with it and it is in a very pretty location. As well as castles, Ireland has many beaches to visit, many shops, bed-and-breakfasts, and of course, pubs. A fantastic place to shop is Grafton Street in Dublin. It is lined with many different types of shops such as the fashionable Brown Thomas. It also has entertainment, places to eat, and pubs. Streets around Grafton are also filled with a variety of shops. If you’re in Ireland, you must stay at a bed-and-breakfast for some time. Ireland is full of them and they are so cozy; it is a great way to really get to know the culture of the country as well as to get authentic foods. Ireland is all around a fabulous place to vacation to because of its beautiful scenery, historical sites, shops, and great places to stay.

http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/08/10/ashford-castle/

http://www.irelandexpert.com/dublin-places-toshop.htm

http://www.vacationkillarney.com/blue-flag.htm

This week I have begun to read Secrets of my Hollywood Life: There’s No Place like Home by Jen Calonita. It ends the series about a teenage celebrity in Hollywood, Kaitlin Burke. I just started reading this book, but so far the themes are of being a teenager and trying to learn who you are, and living double lives. This book has a strange twist that you will not expect. The rest of the series was pretty good but unfortunately the first book was the best, and the other ones were not as great. They are worth reading; though most likely for teenage girls who like reading about celebrities. The picture I picked for this book is of the Hollywood sign in Hollywood, because that is where the story takes place and it is all about celebrity life. This book receives an orange flame because it isn’t that good so far, but it’s not terrible either.

shrewdmammal.com

visitingdc.com

Italy! It is famous for being a beautiful land with strong culture and of course, good food. Those are some obvious reasons people love to travel there. In Italy, there is no shortage of things to do. There are many beautiful cities with lots of history to observe; Florence, Rome, Tuscany, and Venice are just a few. From the ancient Colloseum to the art of the Renaissance, there is much to see. You could visit Palazzo Te in the suburbs of Mantua and view its wonderful architecture designed by Guilio Romano, or the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence to see all the  beautiful art from hundreds of years ago, including art by Michelangelo. Mount Etna on the east coast of Sicily, the highest mountain in Italy, is an active volcano open to visitation. For great pizza, you could eat at Da Michele in Naples. Also, if you’re a Roman Catholic, the Vatican City in Rome is a huge attraction where you could even meet the Pope. Other than the listed attractions, there are many, many other places to see and plenty of other delicious food to eat. The shopping is great too, naturally! So, if Italy is ever an option in your travels, it definitely seems to be an excellent choice.

http://www.justitaly.org/italy/best-of-italy.asp
http://www.destination360.com/europe/italy/things-to-do

Since the last SSR update, I have read the rest of the Pretty Little Liars series written by Sara Shepard. The major themes of this series includes suspense, secrecy, fear, and of course, lying. These books are really good if you like huge twists and mysteries. This series was probably written for teenage girls. Most boys probably would not enjoy these books, but they might- you never know. I really enjoyed reading these books because the main characters were about my age and although nothing like what happened in the books has ever happened to me, some very general themes that apply to this story are relate-able to most high schoolers’ lives. For example, the girls in this book often struggled with popularity, fitting in with everyone else, and doing what other people want you to do. This series gets a blue flame because it was really good. The picture that i picked is of a cell phone because in this series the girls constantly receive texts from their unknown stalker, “A”.

hiptop3.com

A lot of people would rather travel out of the country than within it. However, that is more expensive (unless you are going over the border to Canada), so often Americans just travel to destinations in the U.S. This week I wondered where the most popular destinations within the country are, so I found a list of the top 25. The top 10 are as follows:

10. Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn./N.C.

8. Niagara Falls, N.Y.

7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA

6. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA

5. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL

4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA

3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C.

2. The Las Vegas Strip, Nevada

1. Times Square, New York City, N.Y

Personally, my top choices would be NYC and Disney World. Obviously most of these places are visited for different reasons. For example, a lot of people go to Washington D.C. to see our country’s monuments and of course, the capital city.

Times Square

One vacation that sounds pretty cool and a lot unique is travelling to Antarctica. Orion Expedition Cruises offer a trip to Antarctica during the middle of the summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This sounds like it would be cool because of all the wildlife that you would be able to view. These animals include penguins, Elephant Seals, Hooker Sea Lions, and Wandering Albatross. There is so much marine life that you could see on this cruise, which also includes dolphins, whales, and more sea birds. Icebergs are also a cool sight in Antarctica. It would be really cool to travel there because while visiting scientific sights, penguins are all around and very close to you. If you have an interest in wildlife and science, this trip could be a great experience for you. As an added bonus, you probably would be the first one of everyone you know to go there.

http://www.orionexpeditionspartner.com/amazingtravel/expeditions/antarctica/destinations_shorex

http://www.orionexpeditionspartner.com/amazingtravel/expeditions/antarctica/destinations_shorex