Secrets of the Octopus

Sy Montgomery is an absolute gift to curious readers wanting to know more about their world. She has a long history of writing readable science for both adults and kids, and I've never read anything by her that has struck me as dull. Like the readers who enjoy her work, Montgomery is curious, and that enthusiastic desire to know comes through in her books.

Secrets of the Octopus looks at the same subject as her best known book, The Soul of the Octopus—octopuses, of course. These are tantalizing creatures to read about. Their intelligence and personalities are striking; yet, they're so different from us that knowing what that intelligence and those personalities mean is, at the moment, mostly impossible.

Secrets of the Octopus is written show more for adults, but it would also work well for children with the patience to read nonfiction. It's also full of striking photos of octopuses engaged in many of their behaviors, so one doesn't just have to imagine what's described in the text. One gets to see! If you spot the title in you local independent bookstore, pick it up and give yourself a taste of what Montgomery has on offer. Odds are good you'll find it very difficult to leave the shop without buying a copy to allow for more thorough perusal

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

Filled with beautiful National Geographic photography, Secrets of the Octopus explores the underwater world of the octopus and brings to light new information that affirms the underwater, alien-like creatures are one of the world’s most intelligent and complex creatures.

Y’all - this is my first nonfiction book that's not a memoir and/or wasn’t assigned to me in school (which, I’ve been out of school for 9 years, if that tells you anything…). I asked for an advance copy of this off NetGalley because that always gives me a little more pressure on myself to actually read the book and not just say I will. Plus, once I found out this was a companion novel for the newest special coming out, I wanted it even more. Oh man, am I glad I show more did.

Obviously being my first nonfiction novel, I haven’t read anything by Sy Montgomery before, but I really like her writing. It was informative but I never felt like I was just being thrown the science. It was written in a way that was easy to follow and understand. I was constantly screenshotting and highlighting things all the time. I read this in two days and then proceeded to chat my partner’s ear off about it over lunch the following day.

I learned so many things and am proud to say octopuses are my new favorite marine animal.

Overall, I believe anyone who picks up this book will be walking away a little bit more of a lover of these eight-legged saltwater creatures with this easy to digest novel. This will also get one excited for the miniseries coming out here soon.

*Thank you National Geographic and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review show less

For those who have already read Sy Montgomery's book, The Soul of an Octopus, this book will come as a bit of a let down. Although it is newer, and somewhat update, it contains many of the stories and anecdotes found in that book. This book is however, much shorter, and comes with many gorgeous, glossy photographs of the titular creature. I did get a few more reading and documentary suggestions and a few exciting tidbits from recent research, but there's not a lot of new information here.

If you've read her first book on octopuses, you can probably skip this one, but I could see this book being very engaging for a new reader of Ms. Montgomery's.

Octopus have long been a misunderstood and mysterious animal. With more resources and unique technology, octopuses (yes, this is the correct plural!) have been more widely observed and studied for a deeper understanding and connection into their world. Octopus lover, Sy Montgomery focuses on octopus abilities, intelligence and community to help us to better know these fascinating animals. I enjoyed reading about the personal connections with octopuses and their unique personalities, often choosing to interact with people on their own. Octopuses' ability to camouflage has contributed to their ability to survive and adapt, as well as being a contributing factor to why they are so misunderstood! I was happy to learn more about the show more chromatophores of an octopus that can help them blend into their environment rapidly, impersonate other animals, or turn into what appears to be tumbling algae. The studies and observations about octopus intelligence were amazing to read about. I had no idea that octopuses essentially had a brain in each tentacle! I can only imagine what else we have to learn about these amazing creatures. show less

Thank you to Net Galley, Sy Montgomery and National Geographic for an Advanced Ebook copy of this book.

This is my second Sy Montgomery book. I picked up and read “How To Be a Good Creature” and was captivated by her memoir where she interacts or care for 13 different types of animals ranging from a pig to a little foray into her friendship with an octopus. When “Secrets of the Octopus” popped up as an ARC I immediately wanted to read it. Not only have I always found the Octopus fascinating, but I also have found them to be incredibly attractive, strange, and squishy looking. Secrets of the Octopus combines both the knowledge and personal narratives of Montogomery, but also matched with beautiful spreads of Octopuses (what show more beautiful colors they have).

Learning about the intelligence of such a flexible creature with no central nervous system was so intriguing. Learning about how Octopuses can feel emotions, recognize friends and less liked individuals and the protective nature of them as mothers kept my attention. Montgomery is able to explain much of the science behind learning about Octopuses with ease and offer explanations that make sense to a layman like me. Immediately after reading this book, I watched multiple videos of Octopuses solving various puzzles (which seem so complicated and they easily solve, and seem to enjoy as well). show less

This book is a treasure. The gorgeous photography along with Sy Montgomery’s expressive writing and enthusiasm for octopuses made it a delight to read.

Pretty good introductory book about Octupuseseses. (sp?) There was a lot of "we still don't know" in it, which just made me more excited to keep up with the world of octopusology. I'm writing this over a month since I finished so I might not have some of the technical terms right.
This is probably too slight of a work for people who really wanna get their 'pus on, but I think it's great for a reader just looking to whet their interest in these strange animals.