For the month of February, we’re celebrating 30 years of Pokémon with a slightly different, but very intentional, Book-to-Film selection.

This month’s read is Pokémon Adventures Omnibus, and we’ll be closing the month with a private screening of Pokémon: The First Movie at The Kress Cinema.

Typically, our Book-to-Film series focuses on books that were adapted directly into movies. This month flips that idea on its head. Pokémon began as a video game, was adapted into an animated film, and later expanded into a manga series making it a perfect opportunity to explore storytelling across different formats.

If manga is new to you, think of it as graphic novels that originated in Japan. Manga is read in a visual, panel-based format (often right-to-left), blending illustration and narrative in a way that sits somewhere between traditional novels and comics. Pokémon Adventures is known for being more story-driven and character-focused than the animated series, making it a great entry point for readers who may be unfamiliar with manga.

At The Midnight Oil, our goal is to build a community of curious readers while collaborating with local businesses to create shared experiences around stories—no matter the format they take.

Participants can pick up their copy of the book early in the month and read at their own pace. On the last Tuesday of the month, we’ll gather at The Kress Cinema for a private screening.

Doors open at 6:00pm for concessions and socializing.
The movie begins at 6:30pm.

Your name used at checkout will act as your ticket—we’ll have a list at the door if any questions arise the night of the event.

Please note:
No shipping is available for Book-to-Film selections. All books must be picked up in-store.

Book Club Book for February 25th @The Armory 

Two writers get a second chance at love in this romantic, sexy-as-hell New York Times bestselling novel.

Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer. Shane Hall is a reclusive, award-winning novelist. When the two meet at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their buried traumas, but the eyebrows of the Black literati. What no one knows is that when they were teenager, Eva and Shane spent one crazy week madly in love. They can pretend they've never met, but they can’t deny their chemistry—or the fact that they’ve been secretly writing to each other in their books through the years.

With its keen observations of creative life in America today, as well as the joys and complications of being a mother and a daughter, Seven Days in June is a hilarious starcrossed romance.

A Best Book of the Year: NPR • Kirkus • Marie Claire • PopSugar • New York Public Library • Bustle • Reader’s Digest • Literary Hub A Best Book of the Summer: Harper’s Bazaar • Oprah Daily • Shondaland • The Los Angeles Times • CBS News • PureWow • Good Housekeeping • BuzzFeed • theSkimmA Best Romance of 2021: The Washington Post • USA Today • Vulture • Goodreads • BookPage • BuzzFeed • Happy Mag