I am on a quest to read at least a book a month through all of 2023. For January, I was able to finish three books that I had started in 2022.

Monster Kids by Daniel Dockery
Monster Kids was a great read for this 90’s kid. It explores the Pokemon phenomenon from the late 90’s and also covers some other monster franchises such as Digimon & Yu-Gi-Oh. I really enjoyed reading about how the media of the time covered Pokemania and how so many thought it would just be another fad. The book was very well researched and if you are at all interested in the subject matter, I highly recommend it. If you are on the fence, you can check out this podcast episode from the excellent Memory Card podcast where they interview the author. That is how I discovered it.

Pure Invention by Matt Alt
Pure Invention was another really good read about how many creations from Japan have shaped not just the United States, but the entire world. From Hello Kitty, Karaoke, Tamagotchi, manga, & anime, this book delves deep on all of these and more. I’ve always been fascinated with Japan and it’s cultural relevance, and this book definitely delivered.

PlayStation Vita: Year One by Sandeep Rai
This is the first in a series of books on the history of Sony’s failed handheld, the PlayStation Vita. The Vita was a fascinating handheld that was ahead of it’s time in many ways, yet failed to catch on and was ultimately considered a failure. Between Sony losing faith very early in it’s life and the juggernaut that was the Nintendo 3DS, the Vita led a very short life. I & many others still have a soft spot for the Vita though and this was a great look at the first year of the PlayStation Vita when everyone was still pretty optimistic about it’s future. The author has two additional books in this series which I plan to jump into soon.
That’s a wrap for January of 2023. I’m very happy that I was able to finish these three books and am looking forward to more reading in February. Thanks for reading!