Falling behind in life… but not in reading books!

I never like to admit when my husband is right, but it's true, it didn't take much time for me to go silent on this blog.  Since no one is following this blog, I suppose it doesn't really matter, but let's pretend it does for a minute….  ;)

Last month I moved to a new city.  With that being such a big life event, I have fallen behind in a lot more than updating this small corner of the internet.  One thing I haven't neglected, though, is reading books!

After reading The Alchemist, I gave in to popular culture and picked up Divergent, by Veronica Roth.  It came highly recommended by friends of mine, but I must admit I wasn't too interested in reading it until after I saw the movie.  Yes, it's true.  I really did just admit that.  Here I call myself a book lover and I saw the movie before reading the book it's based upon.  (For shame!)  But I can't take it back now, and maybe it's a good thing after all, since I am now enjoying this trilogy quite a lot.

The book is a dystopian novel, set in Chicago many years after society (as we know it) collapses and a new society forms.  The new order consists of five classes (or factions): the Erudite are the intellectuals, Amity consists of those who work the land, Abnegation are selfless and caring (taking the role as government leaders), Candor value truth and transparency, and the Dauntless are brave, providing protection and keeping order.

Beatrice ("Tris") Prior is the heroine, who must decide which faction to dedicate the rest of her life to on her 16th birthday.  She takes a routine aptitude test on that day, which is designed to reveal which faction she truly belongs to.  Instead of giving her clear direction, it shows that she has strong traits from more than one faction.  She is what they call Divergent.  With that knowledge --which she must keep a secret since the Divergent are considered a threat to society-- she goes on a journey of self discovery within the faction she chooses.

There is romance in the book (which makes me happy, of course) when she meets a boy named Four.  They soon discover a plot by the Erudite to usurp control of all the factions, conspiring against the Abnegation leaders.  Since her father is one of the Abnegation leaders, she takes a personal interest in stopping the plans of the Erudite.

It is the first book of three, and I am currently reading Insurgent, the second book.  I am a bit nervous about finishing the trilogy since there are such mixed reviews about the final book… but, of course, I must read it and come to my own conclusion (as everyone with an opinion on anything must).

I'll be sure to update this blog again once I finish reading Insurgent… which will be soon… since it was due back to the library three days ago.  :)