PVWC Book Club
January, 2025
Remarkably Bright Creatures
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today
“Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender.” — Washington Post
For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces 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.
January 2025 to June 2025 Books:
1/30/2025: Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
2/27/2025: Year of Wonder, by Geraldine Brooks
3/27/2025: Midnight Blue, by Simone van der Vlugt
4/24/2025: Midnights Children, by Salman Rushdie
5/29/2025: Horse, by Geraldine Brooks
6/26/2025: Trust, by Hernan Diaz
For the ambitious readers, the other recommended books are as follows:
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends, by Marisa G. Franco PhD
Other Rivers: A Chinese Education, by Peter Hessler
Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, by Jane Mayer,
The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon
A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan
The Secret War of Julia Child, by Diana R. Chambers
Disgrace, by JM Coetzee
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
Short url of the club homepage: http://tinyurl.com/pvwc-bookclub
Club Goal:
We read books and share our reading experiences to enrich our lives, gain knowledge, keep up mental stimulation, connect with and learn from each other, and just simply relax and have fun!
We invite you to join us on this wonderful journey of self-discovery, making friends, and learning about the world through reading and sharing.
Book types: classic literature, science fiction, popular science, award-winning literature, and No political books.
Meeting Frequency: 1 book/month
Meeting: 11am - 1pm, last Thursday of each month, at PV Library private room.
Format: Casual. You do not need to finish the book to participate in the discussion; if you find it difficult to finish a book, we understand - everyone has a different taste, and some times a book just does not work for you; no worries, you are still welcome to come and hear what others have to say about the book and why or why not they like it.
Movies: We may choose to view movies of the books we read before discussion.
Member Recommendations: Members are encouraged to recommend their favorite book to the club. While we are a small group, members could recommend up to 3 books
Moderator: Members of the club volunteer and take turns to be moderators for the monthly discussion.
Vote: A new poll will be posted on the Vote for Next Book page in June and December. Each voting period will choose 6 months' book.
Online Discussion: If you are not able to attend the monthly meeting, we encourage you to post on our online forum to share your reading experience.