This has been Octopus Week at my house. I read two books where octopuses (Not octopi because octopus is an English word rising from Greek, so it doesn't take a Latin plural. plural-octopus) were the main characters.
Many years ago, when I was in Germany, I ordered seafood spaghetti. It came with several small, intact purple octopuses that were so unexpected and unusual my husband and I started laughing, causing a waiter to come over and check on us. I remember them being delicious, but Sy Montgomery's book The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness makes me sad to have eaten such an intelligent creature. I enjoyed listening to Sy Montgomery narrate her book. During her research, she interacted with four Pacific octopuses at the New England Aquarium and visited octopuses in the wild. As a naturalist and a writer, her big question was, does an octopus have a soul or consciousness? The book displays a depth of research and also sincere contemplation. She conveys the different personalities of the octopuses she has befriended and moves them from scary monsters to fascinating specimens to intelligent companions.
Octopuses are also amazing escape artists. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IveCcHnNGwo
🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙
It took a long time to read Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt even though it had been recommended by several significant people: my daughter, my sister, Anne Bogel, and finally, my writing mentor, and I wished I'd read it sooner. The writing is beautiful. The untraditional robust characters are endearing, wounded, and brave. The plot is unlike any other--it makes you long for a happy ending and lives outside the conventional formula enough to create the tension of uncertainty. It resembles A Man Called Ove, with an octopus playing the grumpy old man with a broken heart. As a child, some of my favorite books were about a connection between lonely humans and wise creatures, like Charlotte's Web and A Cricket in Times Square. Shelby Van Pelt has captured that element of magical realism those books contain. This might be one of the best books I've read this year.
🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙
Freebie: One of my favorite Sci-Fi writers, Adrian Tchaikovsky, has a space book featuring octopuses as astronauts. It is called Children of Ruin, and it's stunning.
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange was on a list of juicy family dramas, a genre I didn't know I liked. I enjoy observing family's struggles and wondering how, or if they will resolve them. I think juicy family dramas make me wonder what a happy ending would look like? There is a saying that our secrets make us sick, meaning the power of the things we hide and conceal poison our relationships. I was not surprised to discover Tracey Lange has a degree in psychology. Many of her characters have shameful secrets that, as they're revealed, lead to good endings. We Are the Brennans isn't moralistic about therapy, but optimistic about the difficulties of living and loving others wrapped up in a well-told, entertaining story.
🍀🍀🍀
No comments:
Post a Comment