The Pokémon Go Book Tag!

Pokémon Go Book Tag

Rules:

 Link back to my blog (Read at Midnight) is appreciated but optional. Feel free to use my graphics. Tag people, don’t tag people, whatever. Just have fun!

I really like Squirtle, but to give me a challenge I always started with Charmander. The first gym in the original game (Red/Blue), the Pewter City Gym, features Brock, a specialist in rock Pokemon. Squirtle always had an easy go, being strong against rock types, but Charmander always struggled. If I played again, and I am seriously considering it, i would pick Charmander. However, I picked Squirtle in Pokemon Go! 🙂

What sparked my love for reading was a series called Redwall. Full of adventure, adversity, and rodents, Redwall took me to a fantasy world where small mice can be heroes. I read the ENTIRE series, which at the times was 14 books (currently the series is 22 books long) and I remember liking all of them. Looking back, the plot was pretty formulaic – mice versus evil, usually a rat or some “vile” creature. A hero and a friend. A conflict, a death, and a happy ending despite a loss. This is pretty funny to think about because first off, I had a pet rat as a child and I adored that animal! And here I was reading about how evil rats were in the Redwall universe and would kill other rodents at the drop of a hat if there had the chance. Second, I pretty much read the same book with different characters in a different setting 14 times in a row 🙂 Anyways, it sparked my love for reading and in particular, my love for fantasy novels.

I still have my 14 Redwall books somewhere… maybe packed up in a box somewhere, probably in my parents’ attic. I hope I can introduce them to a young person in hopes they too will develop a love for reading.

I never liked Pikachu. I remember Pikachu the most from Pokemon Yellow… they was such a pain! Aways following me around, never evolving into Richu and getting jealous at my other Pikachu! In Pokemon Go! I have yet to catch (or even see) a Pikachu… And that is fine by me because WHO NEEDS YOU PIKACHU! Okay, I’m done.

My timeless classic I will always go back to is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The journey of Santiago is… riveting, transformative, a coming of age story set upon a beautiful backdrop. I finding it hard to articulate in words how much I enjoy reading this book. Every couple of years, I will pick it up, to relive the journey. This is one of the few books I can read over and over and it still feels fresh.

My partner also likes The Alchemist a lot and I can see this book being one of the ones I collect different versions and publications.. I mean it’s been published in 67 different languages and there has been multiple English printings. For a gift, I got the graphic novel version. I have yet to read it but I am looking forward to it!

 

I think it is pretty funny that Zubat is the representative from Pokemon Go! as the most common pokemon… After 3 weeks of playing it definitely should be Rattata or Pidgey. I have caught probably four Zubats and 10000000000000 Rattatas and Pidgeys (Okay, exaggeration, but still). I remember when I though it was cool when I caught a Rattata… Now they are just a nuisance that I do not care about. Although evolving them does give me 500 XP…

Now enter The Book Thief. This one came to mind because I remember hearing about this book ALL THE TIME when it was first released. It was said to be an instant classic, an inspired story, set in World War II. Now, at that time, there seemed to be a huge amount of World War II novels. In retrospect, maybe I was just exposed to the historical fiction genre a little too much. But ultimately I had zero drive to read The Book Thief.

I finally picked it up about two years ago as an e-book and it did not meet my expectations at all. I think all of the hype and exposure I had to the book tainted my expectations and views going into it. I do feel a little bad, because I remember it was a unique story. Maybe I will try to reread it, putting some of my biases aside.

Ditto. What a useless Pokemon in my opinion. A good idea for the universe, but I really see no reason why I would have a high powered Ditto on my Pokemon team. I have not seen one in Pokemon Go!, either in the wild or in someone’s gym. I wonder if they are pretty rare. I like the theme of this category despite not liking Ditto 🙂

The Ghosts of Nagasaki by Daniel Clausen is a brilliantly written story about a White guy living in Japan. Now, let me say this up front. I am usually skeptical about novels by White authors featuring White characters in communities of color. But Daniel Clausen has done his prep work with reading Japanese literature and familiarizing himself with true Japanese culture and what it would be like to be an outsider living in Nagasaki.

The reason why I chose this for the Ditto category is Clausen’s fantastic blending of Silence by Shūsaku Endō. The entire book reminds me of the great story telling of Endō and how the same themes of suffering are experienced by the main character in The Ghosts of Nagasaki. Endō’s novel is a central and necessary plot point for Clausen. We talk a lot about how White authors can write authentic characters of color… this is it. This novel is definitely on my reread list.

I have seen quite a few Snorlaxs hatched from 10K eggs in Pokemon Go! I have not seen them in the wild, but some of my friends have caught them. I do not have one myself… I remember Snorlax the best from the original version where you had to find that flute to wake Snorlax up.

The fact that 1Q84 was originally published as three separate books says everything. I love Murakami’s writing and I have read three of his novels so far (Kafka on the Shore, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle). Most of his novels I know about are on me to-read list, including this monstrosity  of a novel! I have heard so many different things from folks who have read 1Q84 and I need to discover it for myself.

1Q84 might not be my next Murakami, but it probably will be the next.

Gengar. Such a pain to get in the original games… evolved upon traded. I wonder if there will be a similar thing in Pokemon Go! Now, they have not implemented a trading mechanism yet, but I am sure it is in the works. The developers just need to figure out how it will integrate with the GPS populated Pokemon world. I have not seen anyone with a Gengar, but they might be out there or it may be possible to evolve it with candy.

When I first read this category, I immediately thought of horror and suspenseful books, like The Shinning or It by Stephen King. But those did not really keep me up at night. One of the only novels that has kept me up at night was Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala. Her story is devastating. There is a certain kind of of grief experienced by humans that does not go away. A grief that stays with you even after years have past. Wave, a true story, explores this grief in depth and gave me a piece of the grief to think about and chew on. This kept me up at night.

I cannot even begin to fathom the emotions I would feel (or not feel) in this situation. I cannot begin to imagine how I would deal with such grief, such tragedy. I think sometimes we are quick to want to ‘fix’ things, to want to ‘get over it.’ But some grief just sticks.

The Nidos are an interesting Pokemon. The only Pokemon as far as I know to have biological sex. Which is odd in my opinion. I wonder what the though was behind it… Marketing? I guess only the Nidos reproduce with one another and every other pokemon splits like an amoeba. This intellectual property was originally aimed for children, so I do not think their intention was to explain how biological sex is important to some pokemon but not others… But how odd.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Henry Lee and Keiko Okabe. Henry is Chinese, Keiko is Japanese set against the background of World War II, Japanese interment, and the phenomenal Seattle skyline. Their friendship and love is so innocent, traversing all cultural, racial, and social barriers. As their friendship grows stronger, the propaganda against Japanese and Japanese American people grows as well. Ultimately, the Okabe family is sent to an internment camp, but their friendship and love still persists. Now older, losing tack of Keiko due to interment, Henry happens upon left behind belongings of Seattle residents of Japanese origin.This triggers memories he hash not though of in a long time and sparks a quest to learn what happened to the Okabe family.

THIS HORSE IS ON FIIIIIRE! No Ponytas or Rapidashes for me in Pokemon Go! I must not be in a region where they spawn because I have seen none and no one I know has one, except for my friend who took vacation down in New York. Cool looking pokemon but not one of my favorites.

I did not simply read this Red Rising. I DEVOURED IT! I felt from the first chapter to the last I was so engrossed with all of the action – it seemed like it would never stop! For those of you who have not read Red Rising, it is a ‘young adult dystopian novel’ in the same vein as The Hunger Games series. The difference is, I think Red Rising blows The Hunger Games out of the water. Maybe it was because I was coming of Mockingjay and I absolutely despised that book, but Red Rising redeemed the genre of young adult dystopian. Surprisingly I have not read the other two books in the series but I will find time – I heard they are just as good!

Eevee! I have caught a couple of theses but not enough to evolve one into THE BEST Eevee evolution: Flareon! I have seen quite a few gyms having all three evolutions of Eevee… wow I am so behind in this game!

Orson Scott Card is one of those authors I fundamentally disagree with a lot of his views / what he puts out there, but I cannot get enough of his writing. Which I think puts me in a hard situation when I talk about reading for justice. I absolutely adored Ender’s Game and the entire Ender’s series, along with the Shadow series. Pretty much any spinoff book envolving this universe, I am up to read. I own the first book in the Formic Wars series and hopefully I can start it soon… not to mention another (final?) shadow book released. This world is so expansive, the technology introduced is very complicated at times, and I do think many of the books dive into deep philosophical questions such as, “What is a sentient being?” and “How does my spirituality impact a sentient being on a different planet?” Great writing and great storytelling.

Magikarp. One of the most useless Pokemon in the history of all Pokemon. But wow, does it get better. My goal in Pokemon goal is to evolve a Magikarp into a Gyarados. Then I will be the most awesome trainer around.

I got picked through a Goodreads giveaway to receive a copy of The Pomegranate King. It is a collection of non-fiction short stories from Nishta J. Mehra about race, sexuality, family, culture, art, grief… and more. I am not too much a non-fiction read and slept on this one for a while. When I did pick it up… WOW! It blew me away with her ability to story tell and share pieces of her identity and experience as a LGBTQ woman of color growing up in Memphis.

This is one of the few short story collections I think about on occasion and will pick up to read a selection – like the first chapter Mixed, about always having to explain her race to folks. These stories are so powerful and resonate strongly with me. I would recommend this collection without hesitation.

No legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Go! yet huh? I am pretty confident they will release them as events as a way to keep the hype going. After the initial month, although many people are still playing. I am seeing less and less trainers out and about. In terms of marketing, withholding the best and coolest Pokemon was smart!

Okay. I have made my peace with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I have to read it. Harry Potter was a part of my childhood. I remember when the first book came out. I was in third or fourth grade and I was instantly hooked. I even waited in line all day to see 7 part 2 at midnight… so who am I kidding. I did not go and purchase the book when it first released and I probably will not purchase it anytime soon. Since so many copies will be sold, I will wait until I see one at a used book store. I have to read it no matter what. It is exactly like Pokemon Go! Something from my childhood that has overhype, but I must be a part of that hype.

And if the legendary Pokemon are being held for special events, I wonder what Niantic / Nintendo has planned for Mew and Mewtwo. When the first trainer gets Mew or Mewtwo, the world will riot. I swear. Oh well, I probably never will achieve that in Pokemon Go!

I actually own this collection. My wonderful partner tracked down a set of the COMPLETE Calvin and Hobbes collection and I LOVE IT! I read them sporadically but plan to read them straight through at some point. Calvin and Hobbes was my favorite comic strip growing up and is the reason why I love tigers so much. This is a collection I will keep till the day I die.

I have hatched one 2k egg and it was a Pidgey. Yeah… I don’t play this game nearly enough to be competitive with hatching eggs. I have a 10k egg in the incubator and I think I am at 7k right now…

Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yaba is his debut novel that released earlier this year. This book made my most anticipated 2016 releases and it still is right up there in my excitement! It seems like it is a historical fiction piece interweaving he lives of seven individuals set in Seattle in 1999 during the WTO protests. Looking forward to diving right in!

Lunar modules. I have never set on. All I do is leech off of others… 🙂

Auto-Buy Authors: Haruki Murakami, Stephen King, Khaled Hosseini, Amy Tan

Luckily, I have not seen a server down screen on Pokemon Go! for a long time now. After the initial push on the servers, the activity seems to have leveled out. Sometimes the servers are slow when I switch from Wifi to data or vice versa but I can live with that.

I started A Song of Fire and Ice series this year and I am on A Dance with Dragons already. So yea… enough said about that.