Palm Beach County Book Club Announces This Year's Readings

Please note:

It’s like being in a giant book club in Palm Beach County
The biennial event kicks off Thursday with the announcement of this year’s book.
Community meetings and activities are planned leading up to the culminating event on November 18.

Thursday morning was really cool. We were able to announce to everyone on WPTV the title of this year’s Read Together book, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt.

“The Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition is working to get thousands of Palm Beach County adults reading the same book at the same time. This community reading campaign will inspire adults who can read, but often don’t, to get back into the habit of reading. It will also foster dialogue and community engagement as citizens come together to discuss key themes,” the Literary Coalition said in a statement.

You can purchase the book from the Literacy Coalition for a $20 donation, and there will be a finale on November 18 with Van Pelt. The free event requires registration, which opens October 1.

In addition, several meetings and activities are planned to discuss the themes addressed in the book. Click here to consult the list of events that will be active starting the afternoon of Thursday, September 19.

About “Remarkably Bright Creatures” (from the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition):

For fans of “A Man Called Ove,” a luminous debut novel about a widow’s unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus reluctantly residing at the local aquarium—and the truths she finally uncovers about her son’s disappearance 30 years ago.

After her husband died, Tova Sullivan started working nights at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, cleaning floors and organizing. Staying busy has always helped her cope, something she’s been doing ever since her 18-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously disappeared on a boat in Puget Sound more than 30 years ago.

While working, Tova meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who lives at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone, but he wouldn’t dare lift one of his eight tentacles for his human captors… until he forms an unlikely friendship with Tova.

Marcellus, ever the detective, deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. As his affection for Tova grows, Marcellus must use every trick his spineless old body can muster to reveal the truth to her before it’s too late.

Charming, compulsively readable, and witty, Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a beautiful exploration of friendship, reflection, and hope—a reminder that sometimes looking critically at the past can help uncover a future that once seemed impossible.

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