After finding the Pokemon Go book tag, I found out that there was a gym/reading challenge in the works, and I wanted in. It’s the perfect excuse to pick up those older books on my TBR, and a really fun game as well. Check out the rules here at Read at Midnight!
I decided to make a trainer card through PokeCharms to keep track of my gym badges and pokemon evolution. You can see my starting, very empty, card above. The plan is to update the card as I read and collect points and badges. I’m so excited to participate in this, my first, read-a-thon! Here’s my starting pokemon ❤
Dratini – 10 CP
Name: Redd/Liz
Type: Dragon
Pokedex #: 147
Evolution: 3 Stages
And, here are the books I’m hoping to read to match the gym prompts during the read-a-thon in mid-August. What are you planning to read?
The Challenge/Gyms
There are 8 reading challenges within this read-a-thon, based on the 8 gyms that are in the Indigo League. Earn a badge every time you complete a book!
- Pewter Gym: The First Book In A Series
It’s a good thing we don’t have to earn our badges in order because I’ve chosen The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson for this Rock-type gym. It’s fitting because not only is it a first book in a series, but at 1258 pages, it weighs as much as a rock pokemon! 125 + 20 = 145 potential points
- Cerulean Gym: A Book That Might Make You CryGenerally speaking, books don’t really make me cry. So I’ve decided to read a book that could make me cry out in fright. I’m excited to read And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich because her book, The Dead House, was one of my favorites last year! And, 352 pages seems very doable after looking at some of my other selections for this challenge 🙂 35 + 20 = 55 potential points
- Vermillion Gym: A Book With Thunderous Hype
I’m extremely behind on the Mistborn series but so excited to read it (at least the first book for now). Mistborn is supposed to be a fast read, and that’s good since it has 659 pages. Brandon Sanderson seems pretty cool and has several series that sound awesome, which is why he’s taking up 2 of my 8 gym slots. 65 + 20 = 85 potential points
- Celadon Gym: A Book That Focuses on Diversity
Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis has been in my library for an absurdly long time, so I hope to read this one quickly and early on during the challenge to get it off my TBR shelf. At 464 pages, it’s pretty chunky and proves that I’m an overachiever when it comes to challenges. 46 + 20 = 66 potential points
- Fuschia Gym: A Book With A Great Romance
R. Garcia y Robertson’s Firebird is another book that’s been on my TBR far too long, and I’m happy to add it to this challenge’s line-up. It’s a little shorter at 320 pages. 32 + 20 = 52 potential points
- Saffron Gym: A Book With Fantasy/Supenatural Elements
Blades of the Old Empire by Anna Kashina is a newer title on my list, but matches the tone of other books I’ve been reading lately, like Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. It looks like this book might be a little light on the magical elements but not on page length (476 pages). 47 + 20 = 67 potential points
- Cinnabar Gym: A Book With A Red Cover
Time for another title that’s been on my TBR list way too long! Sign of the Crescent by Debbie Federici is the shortest book on this list at 302 pages, so I don’t know why it has taken me this long to pick it up. 30 + 20 = 50 potential points
- Viridian Gym: A Book With Post-Apocalyptic Setting
I’m going to bend the rules a little with this category 😉 Since I don’t have any post-apocalyptic books readily identifiable in my TBR list, I chose Impyrium by Henry H. Neff, which sounds like a fantasy world that has been through an apocalypse! And, it’s 592 pages long. 59 + 20 = 79 potential points
So, it looks like if all I do is finish reading these books, I could potentially end with 599 points. With all the other opportunities to earn points for my dratini, I’m well on my way to attaining my stage 3 evolution–dragonite. I’m so excited to get started on this challenge, and I hope life allows me to participate to my fullest. I look forward to seeing what other people are able to accomplish!