Welcome to Litsy!

#25Alive!

#Bright immediately makes me think of this book & Marcellus. 🧡🐙💙 The audiobook remains a favorite.

I loved this story… Marcellus is the best! There are so many great characters… Tova, Terry, Ethan, the Knit-Wits, and Aunt Jeanne. I read that Sally Field might play Tova in the movie version. I hope they do make a movie of this book!

I loved Marcellus and Tova! Easy to read, this book will stay with me for a while.

Love this story !!!! Fantastic.

Really liked this story partially narrated by Marcellus, a giant octopus, and also told through the eyes of Tova, a cleaning lady at his aquarium, and Cameron, a down-on-his-luck guy who is slowly integrated into the story. I just read it‘s going to be a movie with Sally Field which should be awesome. Lots of brilliant observations by Marcellus keep the story moving.

@thegreensofa @monalyisha #auldlangspine

I did not love this book the way I expected given how many people have raved about it, I have no idea why. I had a hard time connecting with the characters even though I did love Marcellus. I am still giving it a pick because it really was a lovely story!

I love finding new books whilst reading everyone‘s #12Booksof2024. @Andrew65 Here‘s mine for January 2024.

#12BooksOf2024 @Andrew65

I have to say I wasn't as enamored of this book as many people seem to be. I loved the parts with Marcellus, especially those narrated by him. The human parts of the plot, however, just didn't do it for me.

5⭐
•Honestly, Marcellus and the ending were everything in this book. It can be a bit of slow-burn but the payout and the snippets from Marcellus made it all worth it.
•Marin Ireland was the perfect narrator for this and she never disappoints. Michael Urie was also excellent as Marcellus.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. A widow who lost her son 30 years before works nights cleaning at the aquarium. She connects with an octopus who lives there. The octopus takes it upon himself to help the woman figure out what happened the night her son disappeared. I personally had no idea about octopuses and based on my reading they really are remarkably bright creatures. It really was a beautiful story.

Oh Marcellus… you beautiful brilliant creature. Gods this book was a great read! I listened to Marcellus‘ chapters on the audio book and whoever narrated him should have all the hugs. I will admit that I am still crying… and I may have outright sobbed, just a bit. A million and one stars ✨

I cannot believe I relate so much to this octopus 🐙…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5
This book felt like a hug. I really needed it. 🩵

Octopus are fascinating animals and I really enjoyed this book. I love Marcellus and just wished (as many other reviewers noted) he had a larger role in the story. His sections were my favorite to read 🐙

A story of loss and finding one‘s way as shown from the perspective of 70 year old Tova, 30 year old Cameron, and a 4 year old octopus named Marcellus. I had high expectations for this book and I must admit it fell a little short mostly because I couldn‘t stand one of the characters and was begging for more interaction with Marcellus😆 pictured is my remarkably maybe not the brightest creature Finan😍

As of page 147: I do not like Cameron at all. But I‘ll finish the book anyway.

Will it live up to the hype?

After 4 months, my hold has come in.

5 ⭐️!

I enjoyed the alternating perspectives in this novel. However, the book summary felt somewhat misleading—I found it revolved more around Tova than Marcellus, the octopus. I thought the octopus would play a larger role in the story. The pacing is slow, but the ending was satisfying. I'd recommend this book to others who enjoy character-driven stories. It's an enjoyable read but not deeply impactful.

#WondrousWednesday Thanks for the tag!!
🍂 I only read one book in August, so that was easy 🤭
🍎 It depends on the book. Some books are better read as paperbacks and others make good audiobooks. Ebooks are more of a last resort.
🍁 Based on my Goodreads shelves, fantasy is my most read genre ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It‘s taken me far to long to work through this audiobook but I finally made some good progress while I was painting this weekend. It is so so so good! #LitsyLoveReads

This one ended up being more of a soft pick for me. I really loved Tova and Marcellus; their unlikely friendship really warmed my heart. However, I really couldn‘t stand Cameron. He was such a drag to the story, and his whiny and entitled personality were the worst. I also felt weird about Ethan. I didn‘t feel like Tova ever really welcomed his advances and felt like she was a bit forced to accept the situation. It made me feel a little uneasy.

Was skeptical when a co-worker recommended a book about an octopus 🐙 it‘s not just about an octopus but he‘s pretty great

Love to see this!! Sally Fields will be amazing in this!!

I am the odd one out, aren't I?! 🤣
Bail at page 245.
I wanted to love this, but I found it tedious. I loved Marcellus, but Cameron was an insufferable man child. I just didn't want to pick the book up. I feel this was raved about too much, so I was expecting it to be incredible. A typical example of far too much hype for a book, in my opinion.

Another book club read. This one was an absolute joy! I loved Tova, she was so sweet and it was nice to see her find a more satisfying happiness in her life. Marcellus the octopus was obviously amazing, I loved the chapters from his POV, especially the narration. Michael Urie's tone was everything. This is a very character-driven story, which I love. It's a wonderful representation of a supportive community

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

1. I keep so many to-do lists!
2. Tagged- absolutely love this book!

@BethM @JenReadsAlot @peaKnit

🥹🥹 Marcellus 🐙

#CatsofLitsy

Kindle deal alert! Darling book!

Definitely felt appropriate to finish reading this on the beach on holiday. Such a sweet book, I loved Marcellus‘ musings on human life - I would have enjoyed more of these. Tova sounds a formidable lady.

Thank you for the recommendation @Bookbuyingaddict

5🌟
I loved this! A perfect read for summer. 🐙 Great characters!

What a lovely book. Beautifully written, a meditation on family and relationships and the bonds that we form. Who knew that an empathetic octopus could bring such genuine feeling to a story, or that the simple way of telling it would make it so perfect? There weren‘t really any surprises, but this book doesn‘t need them — it stands on its unique perspectives and characters, and genuine heart. Absolutely loved it.

A beautiful view for reading this most gorgeous Canada Day. Feeling very lucky☺️🇨🇦

Finally getting to this one — I‘ve heard so many good things I‘m really looking forward to it!

This month‘s book club pick! I loved it. I had been meaning to read this one for a while, so I‘m glad book club finally made me. I wanted more chapters from the perspective of the octopus—he was so funny! It was very well written, emotionally intelligent, and heartwarming. I could have done with fewer descriptions of eels, though!!

I hate characters with age crisis and 30-yo Cameron thought several times how old he was. And 70-yo Tova was living like she had one leg in the grave already. Depressing. I didn't like Cameron: he was lazy & wanted to find his father for the money. Marcellus was awesome!

I was surprised how this was mentioned as a feel-good book somewhere. The ending was happy but it was too coincidental to my liking.

I definitely had too high expectations.

Teetering on the edge of a "Pick" for me - my biggest complaint about this one is just how idealistic this story is. Everything is tied up in a neat little bow - not something I'm a fan of as a reader.

The characters are rich in personality, and the world-building is lush. A quick read, for sure!

This book deals with a lot of heavy subjects, but only at arms length - an edgy summertime/beach read, but lacking some substance for me.

Library book group chose this witty, moving book about a sarcastic octopus, Marcellus, & a widow finding new & unusual friends (like octopi & grumpy Scottish grocers) late in life. Wouldn‘t have been one I would pick, but it was moving, memorable & featured the best sarcastic octopus ever! Surprised by how much I enjoyed this! 5 stars. #litfic #womenover60 #octopusnarrator

Worth the wait?!?

#libraryhold

So good! Loving this library book group pic. The narrator reading the Pacific Octopus‘ chapter is brilliant!

The premise of this book is odd, but I enjoyed it. An octopus befriends an older woman Tova and helps her solve a mystery about her son. In some ways, the storyline is tied up too neatly, but I still found the story endearing and sweet.

I found this book, and Marcellus the octopus, completely charming ❤️

This was one of the most beautiful endings to a book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Expand Your Horizons 2024: read a book with an animal on the cover ✔️

It took me a bit to understand the flow of the book with multiple POVs, including a perceptive, aging octopus. Brilliantly woven together.

At first I wasn‘t so sure, but I very much enjoyed this charming story about a rather clever and articulate giant Pacific Octopus, and a motley collection of lonely characters trying to sort out questions about their past. It‘s a sweet page turner.