From the Bookshelf of Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge…

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Shelby Van Pelt

Start date: August 1, 2025

Finish date: August 31, 2025

Discussion: Current Monthly Group Read

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Showing 2 of 4 topics — 76 comments total

Current Monthly Group Read

September Group Read Discussion: Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
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last updated Sep 06, 2025 09:01PM

September Challenge--I finished!
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last updated Sep 04, 2025 04:57PM

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What Members Thought

Jan 23, 2023 Gina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, favorites

I LOVED LOVED this charming book! Tova is the lovely cleaning person at the aquarium who cleans with pride while greeting all the creatures with love. Her special bond with the giant pacific octopus, Marcellus, makes her (and the book) all the more delightful. Yes, Marcellus is one of the narrators - you have to embrace that part! He is smart and snarky and sad. And he loves his friend Tova. Cameron is a 30-year-old, a bit lost in life, who enters the story, complicating and completing it.
If yo ...more

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Mar 19, 2023 Kris Springer rated it really liked it

Sweet/bittersweet and satisfying. Characters to root for. The characters and plot effectively promote the idea that we (humans and animals) need each other—that our lives aren’t fully lived without caring for others, whether they’re related to us or not. Also strong thread about appreciation for different kinds of intelligence and that we shouldn’t discount those people or animals that we don’t understand.

A great read!

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Jan 18, 2023 Larissa rated it it was amazing

What a cute story! A book narrated partially by an octopus sounds absurd but the author not only made it work but those parts were some of my favorite parts of the book. I do love books about animals so I am sure that helped! The human characters too are are all so endearing. The story is an exploration of flaws and loss and love and family and hope! I loved it. This was a heartwarming and entertaining book I really enjoyed and would highly recommend for a happy escape in your day!

(Trigger warn ...more

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Feb 23, 2023 Kath rated it really liked it

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Mar 10, 2023 Judy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is such a heartwarming story. Marcellus and Tova felt like friends. I was sad when the book ended, because they would no longer be keeping me company. Great tie-ins, good storyline weaving etc!

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Jul 04, 2023 Cari rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-read

OMG I love Marcellus (the octopus) and Tova, his stoic, Swedish, older woman friend sooooo much. This is a lovely story that I devoured happily. One of the primary characters is an irritating "man child" who can't sort out his own life, but that's ok because MARCELLUS is the best. We all need an octopus philosopher in our lives. Or at least - I do. ...more

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Jun 17, 2023 Stacey rated it liked it

Shelves: read-with-jenna, pacific-northwest

Well, I see how people would find this story comforting. I also could see how someone could find this novel underwhelming. It has a bit of a Hallmark movie quality to me. It took me awhile to finish it as I read some other books in the meantime. Basically I thought it was just okay.

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Jan 29, 2023 Lindsay Russo rated it really liked it

I had no clue what this was about and almost stopped a chapter in in case it was all quirk; I’m so glad I didn’t. The building interconnectedness was a bit expected, but I really enjoyed every bit of it. Marcellus, Tova, and Cameron were messy and bright voices in a lovely read.

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