Meet Shelby

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Shelby Van Pelt now misses the mountains in the Chicago area with her husband and children. REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, her debut novel, was an Instant New York Times bestseller. More

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Remarkably Bright Creatures

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“Shelby Van Pelt has done the impossible. She’s created a perfect story with imperfect characters, that is so heartwarming, so mysterious, and so completely absorbing, you won’t be able to put it down because when you’re not reading this book you’ll be hugging it.”
— Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Remarkably Bright Creatures is the rarest of feats: a book that manages to be wry and wise, charming and surprising, and features one of the most intriguing and satisfying characters I’ve encountered in fiction in a very long time—Marcellus the Octopus. I don’t know how Shelby Van Pelt managed to make this uncommon tale sing so beautifully, but sing it does, and I defy you to put it down once you’ve started.”
— Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of Good Company and The Nest
“Truly original and touching, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of family, community, and optimism in spite of darkness. Prepare to fall in love with a most exceptional octopus.”
— Helen Hoang, author of The Heart Principle
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing. Shelby Van Pelt makes good on this wild conceit, somehow making me love a misanthropic octopus, but her writing is so finely tuned that it’s a natural element of a larger story about family, about loss, and the electricity of something found.”
— Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here
An Instant New York Times Bestseller!

Upcoming Events

Nov 11

GLEN ELLYN, IL
Books and Brunch benefitting Assistance League Chicagoland West
10AM CT
The Abbington
Ticketed Event – Info Here

Nov 12

POULSBO, WA
SEA Discovery Center with Liberty Bay Books and Western Red Brewing
6PM PT
Sons of Norway, Poulsbo
Ticketed Event – Info Here

Nov 13

PASCO, WA
Mid Columbia Reads 2025
6PM PT
Gjerde Center, Columbia Basin College
Free and Open to the public – Info Here

Dec 11

WOODSTOCK, IL
Creative Living Speaker Series with Woodstock Fine Arts Association
10AM CT
Woodstock Opera House
Ticketed Event – Info Here