Tag: octopus

Top Ten Tuesday | Books featuring Octopodes on the Cover

Posted August 3, 2026 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 16 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Cover Freebie  

I’ve been seeing a lot of books and other media featuring octopodes in recent years and thought I’d feature them today. I’ve only read maybe two of the books featured and don’t know very much about the other ones, so if you’ve read them, let me know!

Top Ten Books featuring Octopodes on the Cover

  1. The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft – I’ve heard references to Cthulhu, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a single Lovecraft story.
  2. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – The only one I’m sure I’ve read. It was a bookclub BOTM and I quite enjoyed it.
  3. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne – I think I’ve read this, but I don’t remember if I read the actual unabridged book or if I read some abridged children’s version because it was so long ago.
  4. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery – This is nonfiction and I’m quite interested in reading it. I know octopodes are a lot smarter than we realized and I’m very curious to find out more.
  5. Kraken by China Miéville – I recently read a different Miéville book, Perdido Street Station, and it’s so good but so heavy. I’m a fan and I want to read this one too, but I’m scared!
  6. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler – I have seen this book featured in scifi circles but wasn’t interested at the time. I looked at the description while searching for books for this prompt and now I’m intrigued!
  7. The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden – This is a middle grade book that is more about growing up as a human than it is about an octopus but it sounds interesting!
  8. Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith – Another nonfiction about octopodes I’m curious to read!
  9. Three Blue Hearts by Lynne Kelly – Also a middle grade book; the young MC finds an injured octopus and cares for it while it heals.
  10. Beyond the Graves Waits Mist and Sea by Kathleen Kaufman – This one hasn’t been released yet, it’s only coming out in September 2026, but it sounds so mysterious and scary! I’m excited to read it once it’s out!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?

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Book Review | Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Posted February 23, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 10 Comments

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #8: Features the ocean)
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’ve heard wonderful things about it and I was intrigued by the premise. It also ended up being the first book chosen for my in-person bookclub.

The Quotes

“Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?”

“Secrets are everywhere. Some humans are crammed full of them. How do they not explode? It seems to be a hallmark of the human species: abysmal communication skills.”

“You can’t fix someone who is determined to stay broken.”

The Characters

Marcellus the octopus! I like that we get his POV, and I really like his personality too. Tova was also a main character and I liked her fine, and Cameron too, but sometimes he got on my nerves. I love the Knit-Wits; I love that they have their own idiosyncrasies but they genuinely care about Tova. Ethan was a real character too, even though he liked to gossip.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the story, but it’s not exactly what I expected, and I do have some issues with it. I wanted more from Marcellus and I thought it would be more Marcellus-centric, but it felt like he was just a side character in Cameron’s and Tova’s stories. I enjoyed their stories too, but I’m just disappointed it wasn’t about Marcellus.

Spoiler
I also got really frustrated and honestly, I’m in disbelief that it took so long for Tova and Cameron to figure it out. The whole thing, with all the little bit of hints and speculation, and yet still not reaching the conclusion, is a bit convoluted and unrealistic for me. Marcellus ended with saying humans can occasionally be remarkably bright creatures, and I was like, really? Tova and Cameron?

My Feels

I do love that this is literally a found family story, but it didn’t give me the feels, to be quite honest. It’s a decent story, and I like that there was warmth between the characters, but there wasn’t enough. I love Marcellus, but even the relationship between Marcellus and Tova wasn’t enough. I’m disappointed.

My Rating

3/5 stars. I had high hopes for this book because it was so highly recommended, but I’m disappointed with the prolonged runaround and the lack of focus on the octopus and I feel just meh about it in the end.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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