What Would You Do With Eight Arms?

Today (October 8th 2026) is International Octopus Day.  I happen to think that octopuses are awesome.  I have only ever seen an octopus on TV or in an aquarium.  I think it looks cool when someone reaches into the tank and the octopus wraps his tentacles around their arms.  I would like to try that.  But maybe with one of the smaller ones.

Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Sy Montgomery talks about her experiences with octopuses, and the joys and trials of working with them.

I really liked this book.  I have been interested in octopuses for a long time and always enjoy hearing stories about them.  And there are some great stories in here, about great escapes, human-octopus interactions and observations made in the wild.  I learned a lot too, starting with the fact that the correct term is octopuses, not octopi.  Sy talks about how people think differently about octopuses than they used to, they have become less villein and more hero.  I learned about how the study of octopuses has revealed that many things people thought about octopuses were wrong.  The book also tells you how hard it is to study them sometimes because they do not always play by the rules scientists make.  The book is rather short, so it is a quick read that never bogs down in science that you can't understand.  And there are a lot of beautiful photos that are a joy to look at.  All of it was interesting and engaging.  If you like octopuses you will like this book.  If you do not like octopuses, read this and become an octopus lover.