Welcome to the third edition of Quarter Talk.* For those of you who are not familiar with it, Quarter Talk is a feature that I started here on Fiktshun in Q1 2013.
It’s a quarterly post – hence the name – where I check in with five to ten bloggers to see how they answer the following five questions about favorite reads from the past quarter, anticipated reads from the upcoming quarter, recommended debuts, trends and covers.
(If you’d like to check out last quarter’s Quarter Talk post, you can find it HERE.)
Q1. What has been your favorite read during the third quarter of 2013 (July-September)?
Q2. What is your most anticipated book releasing in October-December 2013?
Q3. What debut book/author released in Q3 2013 would you recommend?
Q4. What genre/sub-genre/trend do you think was “hot” during the third quarter of this year?
Q5. What is your favorite cover of Q3 2013?
While the blogger participants may change, the questions will remain the same. And on or around the 15th of the month after each end of Quarter there will be a new post where the bloggers I’ve invited will share their thoughts.
I will attempt to include a somewhat diverse, but small, group of bloggers in order to get a representative sampling of what’s “hot” and what’s on their radars each quarter. Therefore not all titles will be YA.
*Credit for the name Quarter Talk goes to Rachel of Parajunkee Design who created the banner. She came up with this title when I drew a blank as to the name I’d originally decided upon and couldn’t come up with a clever alternative when put on the spot.
Q3 Quarter Talk Participants
Jaime from Two Chicks on Books
Donna from The Happy Booker
Reanna from Phantasmic Reads
Alba from BookPics
Daisy from Between the Pages
Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Lisa from A Life Bound By Books
Question 1
What has been your favorite read during the third quarter of 2013 (July-September)?
Jaime says…
I had 2: THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas – it’s a mix of High Fantasy and real world historical – it was FAB! And DESCENDANT by Lesley Livingston – I needed my Fenn fix and it was perfection although I wanted to kill her with that ending lol.
…Donna says
My favorite read this quarter was without a doubt OF BEAST AND BEAUTY by Stacey Jay. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a sci-fi twist surprised me. The writing was absolutely incredible and the author managed to bring something completely new to the story while still remaining true to the original fairy tale. I LOVED it and have been gushing about it ever since.
Reanna says…
I can’t pick just one! It’s not possible
FIFTH GRAVE PAST THE LIGHT by Darynda Jones – Charley is one of my favorite characters ever, and Ms. Jones did not disappoint this time. And that ending…ARGH!
THANKLESS IN DEATH by J.D. Robb – This is the 37th book in the series (not counting novellas) and one of my top five favorites. Excellent read!
SINS OF THE LOST by Linda Poitevin – I read the first two books in the series late last year, and I couldn’t wait for this one. I was completely blown away.
AN IMPERFECT WITCH by Debora Geary – This is the first book in a new series by Ms. Geary, but they still feature characters from her Modern Witch series. All the characters I fell in love with are still here, which is wonderful.
Honorable mention and lots of love needs to go to THE DEVIL’S TATTOO by Nicole R. Taylor, which was her first contemporary romance; the entire Off series by Sawyer Bennett (full of strong females and swoonworthy alpha males!); and the entire Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep.
…Alba says
Yay!!! I kind of did read a lot this quarter so I’m excited, while some of the books weren’t ones released in between July & September these ones were released this year so YAY!
First up:
(YA, Dystopian) UNRAVEL ME by Tahereh Mafi. OH MY FREAKING CLOUDS IN THE HEAVENS!!! This book was simply perfection incarnate, I didn’t think it was possible to top the amazing work and masterpiece that SHATTER ME was but apparently I was wrong because this book took my breath away. I don’t know why I took so long to read it (I wanted to reread SHATTER ME) but yeah, this is my top favorite!
(YA, Contemporary) Then of course comes HERE WITHOUT YOU by Tammara Webber. X_____X This book! Do you know how long I waited for this book?! Plus, Tammara had weekly teasers which didn’t help at all with my heart and mind well-being. This was the perfect end to one of my all-time favorite series! And I thank YOU (Fiktshun) for introducing me to the amazing Tammara Webber!
(YA, Fantasy?) GOLD by Talia Vance. AHHHH!!! AHH!!!!! AHHHHH!! T_T I don’t have words, this book ruined me, for life! This was just too much and I’m pretty sure I haven’t been able to forgive Talia for what she did to me and to some characters in this book… too much.
(NA, Contemporary) RULE by Jay Crownover and also JET by Jay Crownover. Both books are from the same series and while one was dark, gritty and oh so very very sexy the other was sad, mysterious, hot and all about rock The best part?! TATTOOS!!! I mean there’s a reason why the series is called Marked Men If you’ve never read NA and want to give it a try I’d completely recommend you start with these books, you won’t be disappointed.
Daisy says…
Oh gosh, where to start? I was jobless this summer, so I read TONS of books… My favourite read would have to be a tie between CROWN OF MIDNIGHT by Sarah J. Maas and BOUNDLESS by Cynthia Hand! With honorable mentions for THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas and FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund.
…Mindy says
I read a lot of really good books this quarter, so this one will be hard. I think that IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta isn’t getting the hype it deserves; THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS by Gena Showalter was freakin’ awesome; and THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN by Holly Black was purely brilliant!
Lisa says…
There’s no way I can choose just one, so a few of my favorites for the third quarter are…. THE ONLY ONE By: Magan Vernon, CHAOS By: Christine O’Neil and THE FORGOTTEN ONES By: Laura Howard. Three stand out titles that I highly recommend.
Question 2
What is your most anticipated book releasing in October-December 2013?
Jaime says…
THE IRON TRAITOR by Julie Kagawa and REVELATIONS by JA Souders.
…Donna says
I can’t think of anything I’m anticipating more than WORLD AFTER by Susan Ee. I read ANGELFALL back in 2011 and it remains one of my favorite post-apocalyptic books ever and I’ve been DYING to know what happened with Penryn, Raffe, & the end of the world as we know it.
Reanna says…
SKIN GAME by Jim Butcher; THE SPIDER by Jennifer Estep; THE FIRE WALKER by Nicole R. Taylor; and SHAMAN RISES by C.E. Murphy
…Alba says
(YA) I can’t wait to get my hands on ENDLESS KNIGHT by Kresley Cole. I fell head over heels in love with the first book because it was like no other book I’ve ever read and I hope with all my hopes hehe to get this one soon!
(YA) THE FIERY HEART by Richelle Mead. It’s no new news that I’m not a Dimka+Rose fan and more of a Sydrian ALL THE WAY kind of girl so I cannot wait for this book to come out!
(YA, Contemporary) JUST ONE YEAR by Gayle Forman. One of my favorite authors and I have put on hold my reading of JUST ONE DAY so I can read it plus this one back-to-back.
(YA) SNAKEROOT by Andrea Cremer. No need to explain here.
(YA) AFTERGLOW by Karsten Knight. -_-
(YA, Contemporary) CRASH INTO YOU by Katie McGarry.
I could go on and on and on and that’s not even including the novellas, like FRACTURE ME 2.5 I believe?
I can’t remember a NA adult for the life of me though :/
Daisy says…
I’m excited about SO MANY books! I’m reading one of them right now: NEVER FADE by Alexandra Bracken, the ending of THE DARKEST MINDS KILLED ME! The same goes for TASTE OF DARKNESS by Maria V. Snyder, I LOVE her books and OMG I need to know what happens next!! Though I’ll be sad to end this series…
I’m also really excited about PAWN by Aimee Carter, ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA by Diana Peterfreund and NO GOOD DUKE GOES UNPUNISHED by Sarah MacLean (I always devour her books the moment I get my hands on them).
…Mindy says
Hands down it’s ENDLESS KNIGHT by Kresley Cole, and I’m listening to the audio now! And it’s 100% living up to my expectations. I was also impatiently waiting THE FIERY HEART, and I’m thrilled to say that I’m reading that one now thanks to Jaime from Two Chicks on Books.
Lisa says…
This is such an easy question! There are a bunch I’m looking forward to none more than ALLEGIANT By: Veronica Roth.
Question 3
What debut book/author released in Q3 2013 would you recommend?
Jaime says…
Sherry Thomas’s THE BURNING SKY! She’s not exactly a debut since she’s a romance writer but THE BURNING SKY was her YA Debut so I’d have to say that!
…Donna says
GATED by Amy Christine Parker was fascinating. It takes place within a religious cult community that is preparing for the end of the world. I would highly recommend this and I’m looking forward to more from this author.
Reanna says…
Um…*scours Goodreads read shelf*…Wow. I didn’t read any debuts during the quarter. I can’t believe that.
…Alba says
Didn’t read any, I stink at this hehe.
Daisy says…
Definitely THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas! Every time I read a book like THE BURNING SKY, I’m reminded why I love fantasy so much! This book has everything I want from a good fantasy paired with a swoony romance and I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH!
…Mindy says
I didn’t read a debut that was released in the third quarter of 2013, but I did read IN THE AFTER in the third quarter which was released earlier this year as a debut, and I loved it! I totally recommend it to anyone looking for a really good post-apocalyptic, heading toward dystopia, book.
Lisa says…
This question for this quarter is rough for me because I haven’t read many debut authors this time around but there was one that stuck out. A YA title – CHAOS By: Christine O’Neil. It was such a great read! Looking forward to the sequel because that ending just about killed me!
Question 4
What genre/sub-genre/trend do you think was “hot” during the third quarter of this year?
Jaime says…
New Adult again ugh. (When is YA paranormal, sci-fi, and dystopian going to gain the lead again? *sobs*)
…Donna says
It seemed like everyone was talking about all things dystopic or post apocalyptic; a lot of zombies and end of the world scenarios. This worked out well for me since I LOVE reading stories of survival in extreme circumstances.
I think the trend is shifting toward sci-fi though, there are so many upcoming sci-fi themed books that sound incredible & I can’t wait to read them!! I think that much of the next 2 quarters will see an increase of sci-fi books.
Reanna says…
Contemporary New Adult. Every time I turn around, there are ten more being published. I’ve read a few this year, but I think it takes a special story to stand out in this saturated genre. Those special ones are out there, trust me.
…Alba says
I think that, finally, the NA boom is going down now and I can find other titles being read by my friends and followers on the blog at least at the end of September I saw a lot of YA Dystopia read by a lot of people. So I think this time I’ll go with YA Dystopia and a bit of NA & YA Contemporary Romance.
Daisy says…
New Adult is more and more present and I’ve seen a lot of YA mythology and fairytale retellings.
…Mindy says
I suck! I haven’t been good at paying attention to what everyone else is reading, but I’m noticing that publishers are starting to introduce New Adult with Paranormal. I think that genre is gaining a lot of interest.
Lisa says…
I still think that “New Adult” is going pretty strong, I know I’ve been enjoying more and more of these titles, but I think authors are starting to venture out from just contemporary, which I’m looking more and more forward to with each title that I read in this still growing category. Another that I think is picking up more steam would be High Fantasy, which I’m also looking forward to reading more of in this quarter and on into the future.
Question 5
What is your favorite cover of Q3 2013?
Jaime says…
THE BURNING SKY. I loved the old cover (I think Harper changed it because it looked too much like the TMI Posters and the 10th Kingdom Mini-Series), but the new one is just as stunning!
…Donna says
That’s SUCH a difficult question, there are always so many gorgeous covers that grab my attention and make me covet the book! Three of my favorites from this quarter would probably be WHITE TRASH ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, and DELIA’S SHADOW. There is just something haunting and gothic about DELIA’S SHADOW that I really like and it looks lovely on my bookshelf.
Reanna says…
THE DEVIL’S TATTOO by Nicole R. Taylor and THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas
…Alba says
Argh, this is my least favorite question because I’m a cover lover, always. So let’s see:
SHOOTING SCARS by Karina Halle was one of my favorites, INFINITYGLASS by Myra McEntire, I’m completely in love with the cover of BITING BAD by Chloe Neill It’s simple but enticing, THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas, THE WICKED WITHIN by Kelly Keaton, FRIGID by J.Lynn, OF BEAST AND BEAUTY by Stacey Jay, LAST BLOOD by Kristen Painter, ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS by Sarah McCarry. And a lot more.
Daisy says…
I can’t pick a favorite, so I’m going with three: THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales (because the typography is awesome), THE BITTER KINGDOM by Rae Carson (because all the covers look beautiful together and just LOVE) and CROWN OF MIDNIGHT by Sarah J. Maas (because it shows Celaena being the badass she is in the books).
…Mindy says
I love the cover of THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas as well as the cover of ALL OUR YESTERDAYS by Cristin Terrill.
Lisa says…
One of my favorite covers for the third quarter would without a doubt have to be FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell. A few others that should get mentioned are – BLURRED By: Tara A. Fuller, THIN SPACE By: Jody Casella and ALL OUR YESTERDAYS By: Cristin Terrill. There are so many great ones to choose from, but these all stand out as my favorites.
In Sum
The favorite reads seem to be all over the map in Q3 as are the most anticipated upcoming releases for the final quarter of the year. While New Adult appears to still be going strong, bloggers are noticing that the trend might be shifting to incorporate more than contemporary within that genre and they are starting to see new genres beginning to make a showing. There is some variety with the cover love this quarter, but most tend to be darker, more artistic. And hands-down, the most popular cover is Sherry Thomas’ THE BURNING SKY.
What Do You Think?
So that’s what these seven bloggers think. But what about you?
Do you agree with any (or all) of their picks? Would you answer the questions differently if you were asked?
Is there a trend or genre/sub-genre that you think is “hot” right now that wasn’t mentioned? Or do you think the blogger participants covered all the bases?
Leave a comment if you do. I’d love to know!
And if you’d be interested in participating in the next – and last – Quarter Talk, coming January 15th, feel free to CONTACT ME.