[Reading Road Trip: California Travel and a Giveaway]

 The Reading Road Trip was put together and created by Britta @ I Like These Books and Hafsah @ IceyBooks

In the words of Phantom Planet, "California, California Here We Come..."

Yes, that just happened and no I'm not sorry.  I'm actually really excited to be taking you on a literal road trip through my home state of California.  I tend to be a lover of road trips, or any other kind of trip and I end up in the weirdest places.  So, I've compiled a list of odd and interesting places to go if your looking for some of the good stuff in Cali!

 Mr. Toad's Tours in San Francisco, CA

Sure this looks super gimicky, but it's also a great way to see one of my favorite California cities in a short amount of time.  Plus you get to ride around in one of these awesome old school cars and they tell you terrible jokes.  On the other hand you get to see some of the houses that are in your favorite movies, historical sites and even a grave yard for military pups.  It's well worth the money if you're not familiar with the city, or even if you are!

Other SF suggestions:

Catch a musical at The Orpheum

Go to the Antique Penny Arcade on the Warf!

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA

This place gives me the creeps, in the best way possible!  There are doors that go nowhere, stairways that end at nothing, rooms to convene with the dead and some people even say that they have seen the ghost of old lady Winchester.  Basically she started working on the house because the souls of Indians told her to do it and she just kept building and building and building until she died.  This place has cool history and ghosts, what more could you want.

The Great American Melodrama in Oceano, CA

Yep, you read that right.  It's a full blown old fashioned Melodrama!  You sit in a small room and eat and drink while the actors give you a show.  Sure everything you see here is extremely campy, but who doesn't love that?

Other random things in the area:

The Sunset Drive In in San Luis Obispo, CA

Disneyland! Los Angeles, CA

Disneyland is my one of my favorite places in the whole world!  If you haven't been you are truly missing out!  It's just plain magical.  Sure this isn't the most campy place on my list and you most likely know all about it already, but as someone who had been to all of the theme parks in LA, I can honestly say this one is the best.  And what is tour of California without a theme park?

Well, there you have it, some of my favorite places all over California.  But this post is also about books and so I'm going to introduce you to The Last Academy by Anne Applegate.  What is so awesome about this book and is that the author is a local.  Plus I actually really really liked the book!  You can read my 4 Unicorn review HERE!

"The Last Academy"
Author: Anne Applegate
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Paranormal
Date Published: April 30th, 2013
Publisher: Point
Format Read: ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review

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Summary:

 What is this prep school preparing them for?

Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam—and readers—stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel.

-Goodreads

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Doesn't that sound good?!  Guess what?  You can get your hands on your own copy of The Last Academy by Anne Applegate.  And once the winner is picked, she will sign it with a personalized message to you!  This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residence only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wanna see the rest of the Reading Road Trip?  Click HERE!