Oryx & Crake is the first book, the second is The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam is the third, coming out this fall.

So I am early in Book 2 Insurgent, and I have a bit of a complaint/mini-rant I really dug Divergent. I liked the paced and I was really involved with the story. I think I dug the world building and the thought about how this society was organized and how Beatrice was going to thrive/survive in it.

Now that Book 2 focuses a bit more on romance, I am less interested. I think is is because I don't like how her relationship with Four is being written. I think is is possible for a (YA or not) romance to reflect more "reality" than what some authors seem to do. Four suffered at the hands of his father and has a particular philosophy about human nature and the world. Why couldn't this be reflected in his relationship with Tris? The author seems pretty good about relaying behavioral responses to the 5 groups, but less about how situations may also affect behavior and attitudes. And further what this might mean in a romantic relationship. Four was beaten by his father ROUTINELY and saw his mother beaten. He is only 18 and he probably should have a lot of barriers in communicating in a relationship. This isn't really addressed (so far). I don't mean to hammer on YA or this author specifically. I have seen the same problems in adult lit. I just feel like having a mini-rant about how poorly some authors seem to write relationships and it takes me out of the book.

Snap Judgment had a program over the weekend where a man had to share a jail cell with his father, who he previously had not known. In about 6 months, he felt very close to his father because of the amount of time spent with him and how much communicating they did being in close quarters. It is hard for me to see how much time went by, but I would guess 6 months of training and perhaps 1 month of relationship? I think some of these barriers to communication should be negligible while others (currently) unaddressed would have cropped up.

Maybe I will change my mind when the book is done.

Amy, Kate answered more succinctly than I would have. I don't know that is has fancy trilogy name. I read it out of order and only partially at this point. I keep trying to finish Oryx and Crake and never get around to it.

The Giver was also part of a series, right? Lois Lowery has been really slow about releasing the related books though?

The fourth Giver book came out this year, although I'm blanking on the name. I think the second was Gathering Blue and then another one, and then something about ... The Son? Sara's school librarian was so excited to read the fourth one.

I read so much Atwood years ago, pre- Handmaiden's Tale, when she was writing more general fiction. I loved Bluebeard's Egg and Cat's Eye. I still have Robber Bridegroom to read, though.

Love her. Some people say she invented Chick Lit in the sixties, which she's not that crazy about.

I finished Insurgent and my comments about the portrayal of the main relationship stand (and there was a section in the book that could have been removed or rewritten, there was no point to it), but I really liked the end of the book, so on balance I liked it. I like Divergent a lot more than Insurgent. I am hoping the 3rd book brings home the bacon.

What I found interesting in Insurgent was -- Amity DRUGS their members to keep them complacent??? I mean, did you get that, or did I read it wrong?

You aren't wrong. I thought it was very interesting how each of the five (more or less) had problems with authority and control and they did so through different means. I liked that the author portrayed the downside in each set of personalities.

I liked that the author portrayed the downside in each set of personalities.

Me, too, because when I started Divergent, I was all, Go Team Erudite! Until they turned out to be so uncool. And then I thought, aww, Amity seems so niiiiiiice. And then we found out why.

Personality wise, I am probably Abnegation, Amity, Erudite mix. Candor and Dauntless are much too much for me. I probably would have ended up Factionless before too long though. Eating out of cans.