Mom’s Reading Corner: Remarkably Bright Creatures Review for Busy Moms
Reading Time: 15 minutes Is It Really About an Octopus?: Why Busy Moms Will Love This Audiobook
A reflection, a recommendation, and why I’m starting this…
There are certain things in life that connect people instantly.
Food does that.
Shared experiences do that.
And stories—good stories—do that in a way almost nothing else can.
Last month I was standing in a local bookstore, doing what I always do: wandering, browsing covers, and feeling slightly nostalgic for a version of myself who once had entire afternoons to read uninterrupted.
My daughter-in-law suddenly stopped in front of a display and said, “Oh! I loved this book,” pointing to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, sitting proudly on the staff picks shelf.
She immediately launched into why she liked it—what moved her, what surprised her, what stayed with her.
And I just smiled and said, “I loved it too.”
That moment—that easy, lovely, unplanned connection—is exactly why I’m starting Mom’s Reading Corner.
Why a reading corner? Why now?
I’ve written about books before, but if you’ve been around here for a while, you know I usually turn them into something else: a parenting lesson, a metaphor, a takeaway about family or faith or growth. And while I love that, I realized something recently—I also want a place where I can simply say:
This book was good.
This book moved me.
You should read it.
Every two months, Mom’s Reading Corner will be just that.
A place to talk about a book I loved, why it resonated, and why it might resonate with you too.
Some older posts may get dusted off and rewritten—not as parenting lessons, but as honest, glowing recommendations.
No pressure to “learn” something.
Just an invitation to enjoy a really good story.
Because sometimes, that’s enough.
“This will never apply to me—I don’t have time to read.”
If that thought just popped into your head, welcome.
You’re my people.
I was an English major.
I love books.
My entire major was about reading books.
Truly.
And when people used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my dream answer was always the same: I wanted to be the person who wrote the little paragraph on the back of the book—the blurb that convinces you this story will change your life.
Getting paid to read books and tell people why they should read them?
Heaven on earth.
Fast-forward to adulthood: husband, kids, house, schedules, responsibilities… and suddenly the idea of sitting down with a book feels almost indulgent. Unrealistic. Impossible.
Enter: audiobooks.
These are my friends.
Before you go signing up for another subscription, let me say this clearly: your library has so many audiobooks available for free through apps like Libby. Download.
Press play.
Done.
Every book I recommend here will be one I’ve “read” on audio—and because I’m incredibly picky about narrators, they will also be books that are beautifully voiced.
And no, this does not mean tuning out your kids with headphones in all day.
I don’t want that either.
But let’s be honest about how much time we spend alone doing necessary, mind-numbing tasks:
- cooking
- cleaning
- laundry
- exercising
- waiting (carpools, practices, activities—have you ever actually timed this?)
- pet care
- errands
- standing in line at the post office during tax season or the holidays (tell me I’m wrong)
When you’re listening to a captivating story, the drudgery of daily life softens.
You’re still matching socks—but you’re also somewhere else.
January’s recommendation
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Selby Van Pelt
🎧 Audiobook length: 11 hours, 16 minutes
📚 Genre: General fiction (a book club favorite for good reason)
💛 Best for: Anyone who loves character-driven stories that are funny, sad, poignant, and quietly hopeful
I chose this book for the simplest reason: people would not stop talking about it.
Specifically, people were talking about a book… about an octopus.
I did not believe them.
I saw the cover.
I heard the premise.
And I thought, There is no way an entire book centered around an octopus is going to hold my interest.
I stand corrected—but also slightly redeemed.
Because this is not actually a book about an octopus.
Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus, is a character—and a delightful one.
His voice in the audiobook is fantastic, his observations are sharp and funny, and his chapters were always a highlight.
But he is not the main character, and this is not his story.
Think of this book like a complicated model with many pieces.
Marcellus is the glue.
He holds everything together.
He sees what others don’t.
He helps the picture make sense—but he never steals the spotlight.
The characters that stayed with me
One of the reasons this book works so well is because every character feels real.
Even the minor ones.
From the “Knit Wits”—a group of aging women who are quite literally and figuratively falling apart—to Aunt Jeanne, whose comments make her nephew wish he could rewind time and un-hear them, everyone feels fully formed.
But two characters stand at the center: Tova and Cameron.
Tova is fiercely independent.
She is also deeply alone.
She has outlived her husband.
She lost her only son decades ago in a tragic boating accident.
Her friends—the Knit Wits—are slowly leaving town to live with younger family members.
And so Tova fills her nights working at the aquarium, where she meets Marcellus.
She talks to him as if he understands her. (He does.)
She gently returns him to his tank when he escapes nightly in search of snacks.
And Marcellus, in his own curmudgeonly way, decides that Tova is one of the very few humans worthy of his respect.
I loved Tova.
Not in a casual way—in a I want to gather you up and make you part of my family way.
I felt for her.
I worried about her.
I wanted her to know she was still wanted, still needed, still loved.
And then there’s Cameron.
I’ll be honest: I did not like him.
Which is actually a compliment to the writing, because he is so well developed that I could recognize him immediately.
He’s the kind of person who blames everyone else, believes he’s too smart to start at the bottom, and is always looking for the easiest way out.
He hit a lot of my personal buttons.
You may adore Cameron.
I’d love to know if you do.
His story begins to shift when one person believes in him—but also expects something from him.
Around the same time, Tova needs help, and Cameron finds himself working at the aquarium.
He stumbles.
He gets things wrong.
And more than once, the tough old woman he underestimated steps in to rescue him.
Even Marcellus might give him a chance.
Until everything starts to fall apart again.
Why this book works for moms
This isn’t a flashy, fast-paced story.
It’s reflective.
Gentle.
Deeply human.
It’s about grief—but not in a heavy way.
It’s about aging, loneliness, second chances, and the unexpected ways people find each other.
It’s about how much we need connection, even when we pretend we don’t.
As a mom, it made me think about the seasons of life ahead and behind.
About independence and vulnerability.
About how easy it is to overlook people—and how meaningful it can be when we don’t.
And when the story ended, I didn’t feel drained.
I felt… hopeful.
My invitation (And a Preview)
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Selby Van Pelt reminded me why stories matter.
Why talking about them matters.
And why sharing them—especially with other moms—matters.
So this is my invitation to you: every two months, pull up a chair here in Mom’s Reading Corner.
Let me tell you about a book I loved.
Let me help you decide if it’s worth your time.
And maybe—just maybe—let a story connect us too.
If you’ve read Remarkably Bright Creatures, I’d love to hear what you thought.
Did you love Marcellus as much as I did?
Were you team Cameron or team please get your life together?
And if you haven’t read it yet?
I hope you’ll add it to your list.
Next time in Mom’s Reading Corner, we’ll trade tide pools for small-town secrets as I share a gripping audiobook that kept me company through laundry, long drives, and more than one “just one more chapter” moment.
“It’s my favorite! Far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!”
— Belle, Beauty and the Beast