2012 is finally here! That means third quarter is starting as well. That also means a new book! I really had no idea what kind of book I wanted to read, so I just went with one. A classmate told me it was good, so I chose Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King. I honestly thought I was just going to have to suffer through it, but I ended up absolutely loving it. I agreed to the book after I read the back cover because it had to do with first loves and losing someone you love, both of which I have experienced, thankfully not together. So the book did interest me, but I kind of had the impression it was just going to be another teen romance novel that would be hard to get into and enjoy. How wrong I was! I finished reading it last night, it took me about a week and a half to get through. My first quarter book was one of those sort of books, and my second quarter book was based off a true story. I am really excited that I'm getting a taste of everything by this blogging assignment. Next quarter I hope to get another book based off a true story. But anyways, my third quarter book is officially Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King.
The novel is set in a small Pennsylvania town. The town is a mix of run down neighborhoods, middle class neighborhoods, and rich neighborhoods. You only really know this because Vera, the main character, is a pizza delivery "technician" for a pizza place in town. The book is mostly in Vera's point of view, but transitions between four people's viewpoint: Vera, Charlie, Vera's dad, and the pagoda. Vera and Charlie grew up together. They have been best friend's virtually their whole lives and only woods separate their houses. Then when the transition to high school came, that's when everything changed. Vera stayed the same: responsible, quiet, undercover, and determined. Charlie stayed the same in the sense that he was still wild and free spirited. However, he did this the wrong way. He started hanging out with the wrong crowd. This eventually led to his death three years after high school started. The book switches from present time to a time in history--flashbacks really. So Vera is left with the unresolved feelings of losing her best friend after he continually hurt her in many ways and in some ways hating for him, all the while being in love with him and he now being dead. So throughout the whole book, you are left trying to figure out how Charlie dies and the dark secrets he left behind. It was a fantastic book that capture's your attention instantly and keeps it until the very end. I highly recommend it!
