Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“With the bucket comes a sensation of total nothingness, which, in most ways, is more pleasant than the everything-ness.”
“Young humans would fail abysmally in the sea.”
“Hiding spots ought to be sacred.”
“’Conscience does make cowards of us all.’”
Remarkably Bright Creatures is about a woman who cleans an aquarium at night named Tova and a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus. Marcellus lives in a tank that Tova sees every night. We find out that Tova’s son disappeared years ago and she recently lost her husband. We are also introduced to Cameron who doesn’t seem to have his life together and is struggling. Tova and Marcellus strike up a friendship and from what Marcellus observes, there is something that needs solving. Will the mystery be solved? Will Cameron get his life together? How will Tova get along?
Shelby Van Pelt wrote a very interesting novel and it was different in a way I like. She intersplices chapters from the point of view of Marcellus. It does not come across as outlandish or too far-fetched. His chapters are funny and I could totally picture an octopus saying it. “It leads many humans to assume I am a squid, which is an insult of the worst sort.” His first chapter starts off extremely sad and adds an element of tension to the whole book. Marcellus’ chapters lend a depth and perspective to the story that is unique. I think he was my favorite character in the book. I did like most of the characters but at one point Cameron was not my favorite. He came across as creepy and whiny. He used the victim card one too many times. I love Vegas and whenever a book mentions Vegas I light up. Here the author has a character say “’Who spends a holiday in Las Vegas?” Well, me, I do. I spent my 40th birthday in Las Vegas at Christmas. There are subtle clues sprinkled throughout and whenever I read one, I got a little giddy like I added another piece to the puzzle. It had some good life lessons and the author made you think. “’No, the deal is never anyone’s fault. But you control the way you play.’” Some words/phrases that I pulled out are deadheading and incredulity. I found the ending very heartwarming. Even though I could kind of see what was coming, I think this was a well-crafted book and an enjoyable read. This is exactly the type of book I would recommend to a book club, anyone who loves octopuses, or dealing with grief.
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Tag: friendship
The Thief Of Focus And How To Decipher A 500 Year Old Manuscript
The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“There’s no worse thief than a bad book.”
“Strange thing, time. It weighs most on those who have it least.”
“There was an unspoken prejudice among book-learned people, a secret conviction they all seemed to share, that life as we know it is an imperfect vision of reality, and that only art, like a pair of reading glasses, can correct it.”
“The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong.”
“The greatest violence in the world was against art, against knowledge.”
The Rule of Four is about a manuscript that is about 500 years old and the people that are enthralled with it. The main character is Tom. He is the son of someone who was obsessed with this work and ended up dying in a car crash when Tom was younger. We also have Tom’s friends which include Gil, Charlie, and Paul. Paul has become enamored with this text and spends almost all of his time digging into the secrets. He purposefully became friends with Tom. We follow Tom as he navigates school and the quest to discover the secret of the Hypnerotomachia. He must manage his relationships with the book, girlfriend, and his friends, especially Paul. This work has been around hundreds of years, but no one has been able to figure it out. The group must dodge untrustworthy characters and death. Who will survive? Will the secret finally be revealed? Who will remain friends?
This book has two authors. Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason did a great job of coming up with an engaging and engrossing story. This is the type of story I love. I get to learn about history and cultural things as well as be a part of a kind of treasure hunt. The different pieces of information that are provided gives me a jolt of excitement like when belladonna, Procrustes, and the etymology of sarcophagus are described. There were also several platitudes sprinkled throughout that caught my attention. I know I start these posts with quotes but I also like to sprinkle some throughout the text as well like “never invest yourself in anything so deeply that its failure could cost you your happiness” and “a good friend stands in harm’s way for you the second you ask – but a great friend does it without being asked at all.” It is funny the way it appeared in the book. It is the main character relaying things he learned from his parents. One chapter ends with what his father taught him and the next chapter starts with something his mother said. Another is, “The two hardest things to contemplate in life…are failure and age.” There was a section in the book that discusses the concentration of geniuses in Florence, and that really struck me. I am like that seems like a good premise for a book. Some of the words I came across and took note of were Nilotic, crapulent, autodidact, steganography. and ersatz. Something that bothered me though was how the timelines seemed sort of muddled. It was hard to discern if something happened before or after the main storyline. The details and stories involving girlfriends and school seemed unnecessary. They didn’t add to the story, and felt like sections you had to sludge through to reach the exciting puzzle work. Paul was also sort of annoying and selfish. I also found the ending sort of lacking. It was anti-climatic and boring. No resolution. I wanted the treasure hunt to have a finale. I did fly through this book, somewhat thanks to a snowstorm. This is exactly the type of book to read if you like Dan Brown or art history or literature in general.
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dICEy Immigration And Realizing Love
“US citizens were getting thrown in cages indefinitely for not having their papers on them.”
“That anyone had that kind of power made me sick.”
“It wasn’t fair that people like him could get whatever they wanted by making threats. That kind of thing should have been illegal. Then again, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence that the law benefited people like them and not people like Han or Tatiana.”
The Broposal is about these two friends who are living together. Han is straight, undocumented, and has family both here and in Mexico. Kenny is bisexual but has a girlfriend. They are just trying to live life but a lot of things happen to challenge them. They were voted most likely to get married in high school and everyone still thinks that is the case. That is exactly what happens, but they are doing for a green card and not for love. Or are feelings there? They have known each other for a long time and have been best bros. Is there something more going on? Will they end up with different reasons for marrying? Will anyone or anything stand in their way?
Sonora Reyes wrote a book. It is an easy read. It is definitely a queer book but also one rooted in everything immigrant from Mexico. I did like how a lot of gay terms like shablam were used. It made me feel like an insider as I knew exactly to what it referred. I did also like how it touched on and really hit home on hard topics like immigration, racism, and being undocumented. I think the author did well to showcase the tension and fear of having to always be extra careful and look over your shoulder. With Han being undocumented, you could really understand his wariness and hesitation in a lot of situations. With that being said, I was not an overall fan of this book. I was rushing through to just get it finished as it was making me angry. Yes, I was angry about what Kenny and Han had to endure but what was worse was the teenage drama aspect of it all. I don’t know how many times Kenny said the word rebound in reference to Han. It was annoying. The internal dialogue and actions of the characters, like hugging and quickly forgiving, just made me roll my eyes and want to throw the book across the room. I didn’t think it was going to be that kind of book but I also didn’t think it would get as graphic in a few parts as it did. I was pleasantly surprised that it went there. Jackie was such an evil character, the boss was an ass, and Kenny was pathetic in my eyes. I made a note referencing his weakness twice in my notebook. I think I liked Han the best and then Leti secondly. Then, honestly, Cornelius. The little succulent they got as a “kid”. That was adorable and I loved it. I did also like the inclusion of a non-binary character. But one thing I really didn’t like was the reference to Destiny’s Child, Ciara, and Mariah Carey as oldies. That hurt. This is exactly the type of book that I am fine with reading once and forgetting about forever.
The Lyrical Life And Critiquing Love
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“I personally like to pretend the phrase ‘deep cut’ has a totally different meaning, one that has nothing to do with anyone else’s opinion. How deep does it cut? How close to the bone? How long do you feel it?”
“Why do we listen to those voices, calling from just outside our door, that tell us to reject contentment in search of something more?”
“’Am I allowed to be a person right now?’”
Deep Cuts is about music and life. We follow Percy Marks from college to adulthood as she navigates relationships and her place in this world. She is roughly the same age as me so I relate to a lot of the events. The time periods that were referenced really hit home. Percy went to college in the early 2000s and so cultural milestones, like September 11th, evoked vivid imagery and feelings in me. It spans many years and several cities. There is also Joe, who is a musician and throughout the book, he is the yang to Percy’s yin. They revolve around each other, occasionally colliding, and greatly influencing each other’s lives. Percy is all about music, writing, and critiquing. She helps others write music and writes articles about music, but does she have what it takes to write her own songs?
This is the type of book I have always wanted to write. Each chapter is a song title and seems to be intricately woven into what is going on. The music sets the scene and tone for what is happening on the pages. I didn’t pull up the song every single time one was mentioned but I did it a lot. There is even a playlist on Spotify with a list of songs from this book (which I am not listening to as I write this). I do love music and have always wondered how it could work within the confines of a book. I think that Holly Brickley did a great job of doing this and I am jealous. This book grabbed me from the first chapter. The repartee between the characters and the time period it took place in was energizing. I was excited to see what would happen in this story and how it would evolve & resolve. It felt like an indie film and it was all about character development. It was punchy and clever. It was a kind of love story with a will they/won’t they vibe. Love of each other or of music or what they other elevates them to do. I wrote down tons of artists and songs to go back and listen to. One thing about my listening habits is that I favor style over substance. I tend not to listen to the lyrics as much as I would like to. Now after reading this, I want to listen to the highlighted songs with a new ear. I want to focus on the lyrics and give the artists their due. Holly used the phrased “sprawl of knowledge more than a well of joy” which made me think and consider. I liked how she intimated that going deep into something is joyful. There was a lot of good turn of phrases and sentences that I related to. “It was the kind of beer that tasted like rubber bands” and I could immediately conjure that taste in my mouth. “Instead of sleeping that night I revised my end of the conversation in my head over and over” which is something I could understand immensely. I had a bad habit of doing that over and over again…or the reverse where I play out potential future conversations that have yet to happen. I love it when books reference the title in a normal way as when Holly does it on page 27. I liked the comment on men. “’Boys are less afraid of being wrong’…this was why men got to run the world, even as it became slowly obvious that they were terrible at it.” I had to laugh out loud at this. I liked how the author took lyrics from songs and expanded on them including possible meanings. “The bottomless pit of misfortune hovering just on wrong step away from all of us? It’s a miracle just to be here, the song seemed to say, on this side of the blue. Don’t torture yourself trying to understand why. Know what you know. Do what you have to do.” There were songs “written” by Joe & Percy that were referenced in the book too. It was a cool tie back in. The words in this book that I ran across that I enjoyed, looked up, and said out loud were ensorcelled, melisma, and prismatically (the way this was used was perfection). I really love ensorcelled. It is just a fun word. This is exactly the type of book that I would read to get great song suggestions especially ones that I would not normally be exposed to. It is a thoughtfully written book.
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Extinguishing Fires And Finding Buried Treasure With Friends
The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Unbreakable Code is the second in the Book Scavenger series. The first one was great and this one was just as good. It continues the story of Emily and her best friend James. This time they are tracking down The Unbreakable Code which has existed for over a century. No one has been able to solve it thus far. It brings together gold rush, the origins of San Francisco, and obviously solving puzzles. With a narrow escape with a fire, or two, the two code-breakers must deduce who is setting these fires, how a teacher’s past comes into play, and where the buried treasure is. Will they be able to figure it all out before it all burns to the ground? I think you should find out!
I didn’t take a lot of notes with this one as I was just wanting to find out what happened. It was a quick, easy, engaging, and fun read! Jennifer Chambliss Bertman continued her formula without it appearing too redundant or like she was phoning it in. The writing was relatable and easy to understand as obviously this book was not written for my age range. The kids were juveniles and at times acted that way. It was kind of annoying but I get it. It didn’t ruin the book but at moments I was frustrated that they just didn’t get it or that they thought/said this thing. Nevertheless, I loved it. One thing that really got me excited was the historical aspect. Jennifer did this in the previous novel but after the novel concludes, she adds what was historically accurate and what she made up. It does touch on some despicable parts of the past of the United States but for the most part it is light-hearted. I love learning about new things, so I found this fascinating. I didn’t know very much about San Francisco, but I was surprised to find some information out. I will leave the reader to discover these things on their own so they can be as pleasantly entertained as I was. The author introduces some fun new ciphers, codes, and cryptograms, which is always fun to try and figure out for yourself. If you read the first one, I don’t need to tell you that you should read the second book in the series but you should, and I am just as excited to read the third!
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Friendship.
What does friendship mean? Is it talking every single day? Is it checking in and seeing how things are going? Is it buying things for each other? I have been struggling lately with this concept of friendship.
It feels that I am the one who is maintaining these relationships and it is getting tiring. It seems unfair. I am bitter, angry, and frustrated. Can I call people friends if they never initiate conversation or hanging out? Sometimes I feel unseen or forgotten. I feel forgettable. For example, this has actually happened before, I am at a mutual gathering of a bunch of people and someone says to me that they miss me. I just smiled and nodded knowing full well that nothing will come of that statement. Have they reached out to me since? Have they asked to hang out? Nope. What am I to make of that? Are they lying? Do they mean it in that moment but then poof I am forgotten the moment I leave? Are they just trying to be nice? On another occasion, on a group gaming session night, someone says that we should get together for a movie. Has that person reached out at all? Nope. I am just trying to understand.
I would like for people to be excited when they see me. I would like to a priority to someone. Even on my birthday I have to schedule around other people. No one sings or provides a cake. I feel unappreciated. This seems to be a common theme as well. Since I do not have kids or a spouse, I feel that my time and schedule is taken for granted. Things get moved around and I am expected to just comply. I can have plans even if they do not involve other people or going somewhere. My time is just as valuable.
My mind continuously gnaws at this (yes, I tend to overthink) and I do not know what to do. I think I am likeable enough. I don’t believe I am an asshole. I just do not get it.