From the Bookshelf of Bound Together…

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

Sy Montgomery

Start date: July 1, 2025

Finish date: August 31, 2025

Discussion: If the Truth be Known...

Why we're reading this: 2025 July Nonfiction book
July 1 thru August 31, 2025
Thanks Linda for the nomination
[close] 2025 July Nonfiction book
July 1 thru August 31, 2025
Thanks Linda for the nomination

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If the Truth be Known...

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* Non-fiction Selections
By ♥ Sandi ❣ , Me! ~~ on a good day · 1 post · 70 views

last updated Dec 27, 2019 06:56PM

2025 Sept/Oct Nonfiction ~~ Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown
By ♥ Sandi ❣ , Me! ~~ on a good day · 6 posts · 9 views

last updated Sep 10, 2025 05:30AM

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What Members Thought

Mar 05, 2015 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

3.5 Though simply written I found this book to be both informative and delightful. I knew nothing about the octopus except for pictures in National Geographic, so this was all new to me. So surprising to learn how clever these creatures are, the variations in size, from six inches with 23 inch tentacles to the giants of the sea. How they use these tentacles like conveyors belts to feed, how they change colors based on mood, how they can show displeasure. How clever they are, escape artists, can ...more

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Jul 11, 2025 ♥ Sandi ❣ rated it really liked it

Shelves: bio-auto-memior, contemporary, audio, 299-pages-and-under, 2025-3000-books, animals, non-fiction, nature-environment, science

3.5 stars

I truly enjoyed this book. It is nonfiction, but reads like a fiction story. Sy Montgomery, author, is a true nature lover having traveled all over the world to interact and write about various species.

Obviously this book is dedicated to octopuses - of which we know so little. Who we now understand to have not only their own individual personalities, but also the ability to recognize us and show their likes and dislikes, along with the ability to play tricks. Montgomery befriended many ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Sep 14, 2024 Susan rated it really liked it

After reading Remarkable Bright Creatures I had to dive in. As a companion to the other. I learned about these creatures( Octopus). Which I knew nothing except what they looked like. The book is a memoir about her time in the New England Aquarium with her beloved octopuses that she befriended and built a special bond.

Interspersed between the pages you also learn a small amount of what Octopuses are capable of. I wish the author would have explained the anatomy of the octopus, and what is unique ...more

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Apr 02, 2025 Melanie rated it really liked it

I had read Remarkably Bright Creatures last year and greatly enjoyed it. Overall, the Soul of an Octopus was a good read. However, I got frustrated with Montgomery's relationship with Octavia. At one point we stop hearing about Octavia and Kali is the focus until Kali dies and Octavia lays eggs - then suddenly Octavia is very important to Montgomery again. Maybe my expose to a fictional book on a octopus made me where I wasn't surprised by the octopuses having feelings.

How did this book find me? ...more

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