Bistro Bookers
Next meeting: May 19, 2026
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Book title: The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
Author: Sy Montgomery
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Book title: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Author: Shelby Van Pelt
Discussed by: Carol Ann Sackett
Summary of The Soul of an Octopus from the publisher:
In pursuit of the wild, solitary, predatory octopus, popular naturalist Sy Montgomery has practiced true immersion journalism. From New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, she has befriended octopuses with strikingly different personalities—gentle Athena, assertive Octavia, curious Kali, and joyful Karma. Each creature shows her cleverness in myriad ways: escaping enclosures like an orangutan; jetting water to bounce balls; and endlessly tricking companions with multiple “sleights of hand” to get food.
Scientists have only recently accepted the intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees but now are watching octopuses solve problems and are trying to decipher the meaning of the animal’s color-changing techniques. With her “joyful passion for these intelligent and fascinating creatures” (Library Journal Editors’ Spring Pick), Montgomery chronicles the growing appreciation of this mollusk as she tells a unique love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about the meeting of two very different minds.
Summary of Remarkably Bright Creatures from the publisher:
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.
Event details
Date and time: Tuesday, May 19 @ 4:00 pm
Venue: Amherst Center for Senior Services (370 John James Audubon Parkway, Amherst, NY 14228)
Suggested donation of $2 per person is greatly appreciated. Your donation helps Bistro Bookers to continue to hold these reviews and donate back to our community literacy programs. Your donation also allows us to purchase the featured book(s) if necessary and give the reviewer a gift for their time.
You MUST reserve your seat by 3:00 pm on Friday, May 15 for this event by calling 716-636-3051 and providing your name and phone number. If you call to reserve for more than one person, you must provide each person’s name and phone number.
Coming up
Tuesday, June 9: Double feature of Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson and Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King, both reviewed by Robert Poczik
See you at the next review!