Meet the 2026 book for Salem Reads: One Book, One Community!
Shelby Van Pelt’s runaway best-seller, Remarkably Bright Creatures, is the book selected for the 2026 Salem Reads: One Book, One Community project.
After her husband’s death, Tova Sullivan takes a night job at an aquarium to cope with long-standing grief over her son Erik, who disappeared in Puget Sound decades earlier. There, she forms an unexpected bond with Marcellus, a brilliant and cantankerous giant Pacific octopus. Though he usually avoids helping humans, Marcellus becomes invested in Tova. Through their unlikely connection, the story explores grief, companionship, and how healing sometimes comes from places we never think to look.
Salem Reads is the community-wide reading project that invites everyone in Salem to read the same book, take part in discussions, and enjoy related programs. The signature event for 2026 will be a free, public appearance by author Shelby Van Pelt on the evening of Thursday, February 19. Additional events and activities will take place throughout February 2026.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is available to read or listen to in preparation for Salem Reads in February 2026. Print copies in English and Spanish, as well as audiobook on CD are available to borrow from the library. In addition, eBooks and eAudiobooks in English and Spanish are available to download and enjoy on the cloudLibrary and Libby apps.
Watch for a book giveaway coming in December 2025, along with the release of the event schedule.