YA books have become the majority of what I read — I love them for so many reasons: how they tackle tough issues, how they embrace imagination, how gorgeous I find so much of the writing (and covers), the community that surrounds the books, and so on. And besides loving to read them, I love to talk about them. So it’s a real treat to be invited to Indigo’s preview events for teen books! Last night I attended one for books that are coming out in the fall and let me just say, there are some real big players coming up!
I don’t want to divulge too much into too many specific books yet as I have a separate post planned, but I can share some highlights. Two books I have been waiting for what feels like ages for — Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star and Jennifer Niven’s Holding Up the Universe — were there for us and it seriously felt like Christmas. I am itching to read them but alas I have some more pressing reads first! Another big get was The Thousandth Floor, which you will be hearing about a lot more from me in the near future.
There were about 25 or so bloggers in attendance, and guys, YA bloggers are the sweetest people. It’s so lovely to be able to interact with them IRL once in a while 😉 When we came in, we all got a seat which was already occupied by a bag full of books and goodies! After grabbing some snacks and oggling everything around the room, we sat down to listen to the teen and childrens category buyers from Indigo — the people who decide what books to stock in your local store — and what they’re really excited about coming up. It’s so much fun to watch them because they get so excited about all of the titles, which then makes everyone furiously scribble in their notes about which books to keep an eye out for. Later, the team asked the bloggers about what we’re excited about and what we’ve been reading lately that we love, which encouraged a lively discussion! Besides being the sweetest people, YA bloggers are also the most enthusiastic 😀
Oh and we also got to see new gorgeous decor and stationery items — so like, this is the whole package, my friends.
I’ve noticed that most of what Team Teen is excited about is fantasy, which is a massive percentage of YA book popularity these days. So, it makes sense. I am not the most interested in it, I just really love my contemporary, but I still find titles that I get really into, such as recently This Savage Song and Red Queen. And maybe I just haven’t found the right books to get me into the rabbit hole yet! I completely understand why fantasy is so popular within YA, and I’m fascinated in watching its growth in stores and online, so I like hearing about titles I could recommend to friends who would be interested. So for books that Team Teen mentioned in fantasy coming up this fall, I was interested in Three Dark Crowns; Stealing Snow (which I’ve already heard great things about from Raincoast, and do have a copy to review!); The Forgetting; Bright Smoke, Cold Fire; and Spindle.
Coming back to contemporary, titles I think you should put on your TBRs include — besides the aforementioned books — Girl Mans Up (I’ve read it, SO GOOD.), Girl in Pieces, Every Hidden Thing and The Female of the Species. But again, you’ll be hearing more from me about a lot of these books soon 🙂
Author EK Johnston — A Thousand Nights; Spindle; Exit, Pursued by a Bear — was a guest of honour at the event. She is hilarious and just jumped in to express her excitement about other books throughout the evening, as well as talk about the fact that she has THREE books out this year (Exit is already out). I grabbed a signed copy of Spindle, but I would like to read A Thousand Nights first! I have Exit and it’s still high up on my TBR.
Anyways, I want to thank Indigo for the generous invitation and the opportunity to share more information about upcoming YA reads! What books are you guys excited for this fall?
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I have been writing some blogs elsewhere lately! *gasp* Check out these posts on The Savvy Reader and Frenzy, which are part of HarperCollins Canada, where I’ve been interning for the last couple months. It’s been the most wonderful experience!
Perfect Pairings: Books and Songs
The Best Books to Read in Your Twenty-Somethings
The Best Places to Read in Canada this Summer
14 Books to Read This Fall (relevant!)
Another side note — I am behind on my Georgia Nicolson Readalong, yipes! I will have my update on Book 8 — Love is a Many Trousered Thing — next week instead.