Octopus!: The Most Mysterious Creature in the Sea

I picked this book up because I was waiting for an author signing and had to sit in the natural sciences section for about 3 hours because I have anxiety about not being in lines. After the first couple hours, you start to think, I don't know enough about octopuses (which is the plural Harmon prefers though I always liked octopods better). Reading this book makes you realize that we, the collected human we, also don't know enough about octopuses.

This book discusses the octopus as an invertebrate, a thinker, a predator, a prey item, and a lunch. Admittedly, I could have done without that last part. I picked up the book to learn about amazing animals, not about how to serve them. I'm not vegetarian, but I didn't really want to read a cookbook either.

The more scientific chapters are interesting although some of the jokes fall a bit flat. Harmon explains what we know about these animals without forcing the reader to acquire a marine biology degree in the meantime. I learned a few things (their suckers can rotate independently... so cool) and mostly enjoyed doing so. Recommended for the casual invertebrate enthusiast.