The Cephalopod Summer
Explore the depths of consciousness, marine biology, and evolutionary wonder. Enjoy at least one of the curated books and films below, track your deep dive progress, and unlock your vintage cephalopod stickers.
Summer Reading Logistics
- 1. Select at least one book or movie from the list: If you are a TAS Alum, TASAA will purchase your first selected reading to kickstart your deep dive.
- 2. Read, watch, relax: Take your time this summer to dive into your chosen book(s) or movie(s).
- 3. Share availability: In August, we will start looking for a time in the fall to schedule our 1.5-hour salon meet-up that maximizes alumni availability.
- 4. Distributed Intelligence Salon: TASAA hosts a 1.5-hour virtual meeting where we celebrate the completion of The Cephalopod Summer and discuss our takeaways.
The 90-Minute Distributed Intelligence Salon Agenda
Coming soon!
0 of 8 milestones unlocked
Remarkably Bright Creatures
By Shelby Van Pelt (2022)
"A charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus." -StoryGraph
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Directed by Olivia Newman (2026)
The film Remarkably Bright Creatures is a heartwarming drama based on Shelby Van Pelt's bestselling novel. It follows a grieving widow who forms an unlikely bond with a clever, captive octopus and a wandering young man, leading to a life-changing discovery.
The Soul of an Octopus
By Sy Montgomery (2015)
"In this book Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus--a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature--and the remarkable connections it makes with humans." -StoryGraph
Many Things Under a Rock
By David Scheel (2023)
"A behavioral ecologist’s riveting account of his decades-long obsession with octopuses: his discoveries, adventures, and new scientific understanding of their behaviors." -StoryGraph
The Mountain in the Sea
By Ray Nayler (2022)
"Humankind discovers intelligent life in an octopus species with its own language and culture, and sets off a high-stakes global competition to dominate the future." -StoryGraph
Other Minds
By Peter Godfrey-Smith (2016)
"In Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith, a distinguished philosopher of science and a skilled scuba diver, tells a bold new story of how subjective experience crept into being—how nature became aware of itself." -StoryGraph
My Octopus Teacher
Directed by Pippa Ehrlich & James Reed (2020)
An Oscar-winning documentary film following filmmaker Craig Foster as he seeks solace by free-diving in the kelp forests of False Bay, South Africa. He forms a profound, year-long emotional bond with a wild female octopus, changing his life and deepening his connection to nature.
Wild Card Book
Author of Your Choice
For this wild card option, read an cephalopod-related book of any genre and any level!
Virtual Cephalopod Sticker Book
Tick your reading and viewing milestones to claim your stickers!
Image credits: Canva, BioDiv Library, NOAA Fisheries.