I’m part way through Quartet 1 (there’s 2 books, similar to Genki) and I find them a lot more fun than the Genki books. Supposedly quartet 1 gets you to N3 and quartet 2 goes to N2 but take that with a grain of salt.
I’m also following along with the livestreams from TokiniAndi (you can find them on youtube, look for the Quartet LIVE playlists) where they offer a deeper dive into the grammar. I’ve found it super useful!
I think Tofugu covered this question when they reviewed Quartet. I might suggest Yoshi Sensei to use this textbook after we’re done with our Genki 2 lessons (although it will probably take a long while with Sensei’s recent health condition).
According to the review, looks like Quartet is best utilised in a classroom setting, especially with its Writing and Speaking sections.
if you are prepping for N3 jlpt I would recommend the 新完全マスター series. They have a book for each of the jlpt parts including grammar.
Oh gosh, nowhere near good enough to consider that at the moment. I’m early N3 level on BP, looking for textbooks at that level.
できる日本語 is also a good option and its around N3 level. Its all in Japanese though!
中級へ行こう is probably the smallest step up (this is what we used after Genki 2 in class but it may be old by now. It was all in Japanese too… )
Kanzen Master are great for practice… Just note that on Bunpro there is a lot more grammar points per JLPT level compared to books…
I actually passed N2 with just Tobira under my belt…
Disclaimer: Although Tobira was my main textbook for studying, I had already lived in Japan for 5 years (albeit in an English bubble) when I took the N2 and I have an abnormal penchant for standardized tests (to the level that the SAT’s got me a full ride scholarship). I also studied the book exhaustively, which means I memorized every word and kanji written in it.
That being said, I absolutely adore Tobira as a textbook and almost felt regretful when I finished it. It taught me a lot of useful stuff that I could immediately apply to my life in Japan.
I used Memrise and Skritter to learn the vocab/kanji and then I met with a private tutor once a week to read through the passages and practice the speaking prompts. I didn’t do anything to nurture my listening or grammar. Living in Japan took care of the listening, but my grammar was basically still at Genki 1 level.
Now that I’ve discovered Bunpro, I ‘m retroactively studying all the Tobira grammar and I love how much it’s helping my Japanese.
At this point, I’ve covered almost all of the grammar in the Tobira path with just 41 more grammar points to go.
EDIT: I just finished adding all the grammar points. Tobira covers 128/217 of N3 and 43/210 of N2. I skipped one point in ch 11 and one in ch 13 as they didn’t match the grammar being taught in the book.
TLDR: Tobira doesn’t cover all N3 grammar, but it’ll cover a little more than half and will give you a great foundation of vocab. and kanji on top of it. Definitely nothing to scoff at, but if you suffer from test anxiety or tend to perform poorly under pressure, I’d recommend you use Shinkanzen Master or something to fill in the gaps.
interesting! I was really curious where tobira leaves you at the end. So your comment was perfect!
I’m only 5 chapters in, but was planning to pick up kanzen master N2 if I wanted to continue with textbook study. It’s nice to know ahead of time to either pick up N3 as well or just fill in the gaps here. Thanks 
Mmm I’ve had a little flick through of the N4 kanzen master grammar book. I thought it was very sparse on the explanations, a little surprised to see this series recommended as a learning series - great for jlpt prep as it’s so condensed, but I’m happy I’m a bit conversant with what it’s covering and just need my tired brain cells prodded.
I’m going back to take another look.
I have questions.
How did you get your listening practice?
And also: really? 
I’ve given them a look though before and personally, I don’t mind the condensed/sparse grammar. I have the dictionaries of Japanese grammar anyway (100% recommend for anybody who doesn’t have them and think it’s something they would like).
But now you’ve got me thinking. I only wanted the kanzen master as a guide and prep, but that was before bunpro had become what it is now. I’ll have to look through them again before settling obviously but, following the bunpro path with the dojg books for details might be all I need grammar wise(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
not sure what the kanzen reading book is like, but maybe a kanzen path could be helpful here🔥
I do have one book like this (it’s not to hand at the moment) but I find that I never use it and look stuff up on bunpro instead. What’s the difference in your opinion? I found the explanations in my book very concise indeed.
My work flow uses them extensively 
I go through the textbooks and take notes from textbook and primarily the dictionaries, and then add them on bunpro. They just answer every question I have or I didn’t know I have in a way that makes sense to me. It helps me solidify it in my head. Use case, similarities and differences between grammar points. Yes, bunpro is getting to be a fearsome beast itself, but I personally learn better with the physical books in hand flipping though similar points that are referenced. Sometimes none of it makes sense, sometimes I come back later and it just clicks in an “ohhhhhhhhhh” moment. Anyway if you’re perfectly fine with just bunpro that’s okay🥳 we all learn different and what works for some doesn’t work for others. You say you have one somewhere, id assume the first basic one, try reinforcing what you go through on bunpro assuming it’s in the first book. you dont have to take notes or anything, just read through the entries. just for a week or two. If you haven’t really used it yet it might just not be your style, or maybe it is and you don’t know it yet✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧
Found it. A Handbook of Japanese Grammar Patterns for Teachers and Learners English Version. It has quite a lot of entries. For each one there are quite a few example sentences but a very terse explanation. I used it more when slogging my way through the first couple of manga book clubs I did (where it was recommended). Haven’t picked it up in a long time, though I guess if I was reading more challenging material than I am… 
Hey! I live in Japan so going to bars and talking to people. Also the listening on here, anime and YouTube videos. Going and speaking to people helps the most though. If you don’t live in Japan find a language exchange, use hello talk or look into other online things. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Good luck studying.
Judging by only the first review and a few tid bits here and there, it seems it goes into a little less detail, but overall it’s still great a great resource
also interested what did you do for listening practice?
Am I correct in thinking that Genki 2 takes you up towards end of n4?
I thought this as well when I started Genki 2, but now I don’t believe it’s the case. I used the Genki 2 deck from Bunpro and it only got me to about 1/3rd of the the grammar points from N4 plus a couple from N3.
I taught myself with Genki 1 and about halfway through Genki 2 before discovering this site, and at least for me, I’ve enjoyed this service far more than what I got out of textbooks. At least for me, I much prefer the way that BunPro explains grammar, and it provides (if not all, then) almost every grammar point around, so I wouldn’t imagine there’s anything found in textbooks but not here. And even though I don’t utilize it, I appreciate the fact that it sources other websites if you want alternative explanations.
With that being said, is there any reason in particular why you guys are looking for books covering grammar if you are already using BunPro? Do you not like how the teachings are structured, do you just prefer learning from a book instead of a screen, or is it something else?
It’s a topic that interests me, so I like books that cover it. Similar reason to why I read those cheesy isekai light novels…
Bunpro also more or less only does one thing - fill in the gap according to a hint in English. That’s not something that appears in JLPT, so JLPT focused series like 新完全マスター will have completely different exercises. They also have more context and will cover differences between similar expressions. It’s not just more of the same.
There also are resources that cover specific aspects of the language in more detail. E.g. there’s a series that I like called 日本語文法演習 (doesn’t really fit into an N3 thread though). And then of course there are topics that bunpro doesn’t cover at all, for example everything that isn’t modern spoken Japanese. It’s not like we have to stop learning once we’re done with the grammar on bunpro.
Just to follow on. It doesn’t have to be a binary choice - you learn grammar from this resource OR that resource. When I see the same grammar point explained in multiple ways with different resources, it finally starts to seep into my thick old skull.
Also I think I’m guilty of not really engaging my brain enough when using BP - I got into this ‘leveling up’ mentality from my gaming days. “Must do more grammar points because when I get the N4 badge it will mean I know all N4 grammar”.
Now I take it much more slowly, I add new grammar on BP when I encounter it elsewhere - it’s more exciting as I’ve caught some new grammar in the wild (I visual Ash and his pokeball - in this visualization I’m Ash and BP is the pokeball). I’m starting (!) to get a little weird so I’ll stop now.