EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

The Modern selection for January 2026 is Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, nominated by Lisa.

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

❧ Did you have a favorite quote, or favorite moment?
❧ Would you recommend this book to someone?
❧ The novel blends humor with some pretty heavy themes. Did you think it struck the right balance?
❧ Do you think the small-town setting was critical to the story? How might it have gone differently in a more urban setting?
❧ What questions were you left with?

3.5 stars
I loved Marcellus and I liked Tova. I hated Cameron. He was a whiny man baby until the last 15 pages. That is a long time to see redemption on his part. We know he is really smart because he knows trivia and he tells us he is really smart. He does not know how back child support works.. It goes to the child's caretaker, not the child. But, he knows everything, the stupid grifter. I cannot fathom why someone like Avery would slum with someone like Cam. She is so out of his league. I think the author wanted us to see Cam as a lovable loser with an off beat charm. But I think she failed. He just comes off as just a loser man baby. Avery deserved better, Tova deserved better, Aunt Jeanne deserved better, Elizabeth and Brad, Katie, and Ethan all deserved better than Cam.
Tova seemed awfully old for her age. Yes, she worked and could be called spry. She would have grown up in the the 50s and 60s and had no knowledge of rock music. She had no knowledge of pop culture of her own era. Ethan was somewhat of a man baby as well. That stupid job application stunt.

Yes, Cameron was an annoying character. He seemed to realize his faults but just kept repeating them. Tova and Marcellus were great though.

"I started the book feeling very skeptical, I don't really know why... but the truth is that I couldn't stop reading it from the moment I picked it up.
I think what really resonated with me were the characters. They seem so real, like people we might actually meet, and I could feel the small-town vibe, as if I knew Sowell Bay.
I agree that Cameron was annoying, but I actually think the way the story was told—since the reader can see his thoughts and contradictions—made him a realistic screw-up haha, idk."

Loved this when I read it awhile back. 5 stars and on my favorites shelf now. A quote : “Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”

I didn’t love it, but in all fairness, I read this for one of my reading challenges and it isn’t really the genre I’m into. But let’s set that aside…

I agree with a lot of what Lihla said. The author did a great job of building the town and community. I felt like I knew the characters and as if I’d spent time in Sowell Bay.

I don’t feel strongly about Cameron. He is immature and irresponsible, but the way that he is written feels authentic.

The biggest disappointment for me was that Marcellus’ part was so small—but at the same time, I’m a bit grateful for it. I wanted more of his wit and cleverness, but, not more sad and dying octopus. 😢
I’m glad he was released—wish it could’ve happened sooner. And I feel sorry for Pippa-the-Grippa 🐙 even though she has Tova.

BTW, I’m going to need Terry’s daughter’s help the next time I need to name a pet. That girl’s got a talent!

It was a pleasant read. I thought it began slowly, but picked up in the last 100 pages. Marcellus was excellent, and I enjoyed his narrations the most.

I had the same reaction when I read this! Talking animals dispensing life lesson isn't usually my preferred genre of book, but I just loved this one. Something about the way the town was developed by the author just pulled me in.

I liked the quirkiness of this book, it was pleasant to read and a nice light story to break up a few intense reads. However, the outcome was fairly easy to guess early on, and as others have mentioned here, Cameron's character was hard to empathise with - perhaps if he'd been in his early-mid 20s!

First time actually reading a book on the list for the month even though I’ve been “in” the club for years! I had a hard time getting into this one because I couldn’t keep the various characters straight when my mind would invariably wander while listening to the audiobook. But I LOVED the audiobook and once I figured things out it really came through for me in the end. I think Cameron’s character flaws make the story more believable. He basically grew up without parents and was trying to find himself- if he wasn’t a little hard to love, it wouldn’t be such a meaningful story about him and Tova finding each other with the help of an octopus. I personally like real characters with real flaws, it makes the story more real. Or as real as a magical realism story with a sentient octopus narrator can be…

For me it was a cozy and light story, a bit of a non-brainy book, in the sense we can see miles away the outcome. But I liked the characters and the small town setting.