The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (★★★☆☆)
This was the only book I finished in December. It was a drawn-out read. I learned some amazing things about octopuses that I didn’t know (they have a beak, the are red when excited and white when calm, they only lay eggs once – at the end of their lives – and only two, out of million eggs survive in the wild), but besides these fascinating biological facts, the book dragged.
I am not sure what I expected. I did expect to learn more about octopuses (which I did). The author does a great job convincing me of octopuses’ beauty, intelligence and individual personalities, but 80% of the book were about the author and her assumed entitlement of having the privilege to spend time and get to know octopuses, having her arms touched by octopuses, contemplating getting one of her own, and taking SCUBA lessons because of a desire to experience octopuses in the wild, all the while making no critical comment about the fact that octopuses are caught and kept to be studied, touched, and looked at. She’s so excited about engaging with these animals that she sees no conflict with their captivity.
I guess I was expecting more of a psychological exploration than a day-to-day account of the authors interactions with (multiple, because one after the other died along the way) octopuses.
What did you read in December? Anything you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment, and then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch.
Divya
January 9, 2020 at 8:32 amI just finished reading a YA book, “One of Us is Lying.” It was a really quick read but super engaging! I highly recommend it!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
January 9, 2020 at 12:50 pmI had a strong month of reading in December, mostly because a bunch of library books with hold hold lists became available in late November so I tried to read as many as I could before they were due back at the library! But that pushed my books read over 100 for the first time since I’ve been tracking my reading. I don’t really pay attention to the # of books I read but I am proud of myself for continuing to fit it into my life!
Based on your review, I would have given that book less than 3 stars! Sounds like a book that would have really annoyed me!
ShootingStarsMag
January 10, 2020 at 9:27 amI love learning random facts about things, but other than that, I think this would drag for me too!