One Book, One Community brings author to Salem for first time since 2020

Every year since 2017, Salem Reads: One Book, One Community, a program through the Salem Public Library, has created a city-wide book club. Throughout the month of February, the library and other partners will host discussions and events, centered around the themes of this year’s book: Remarkably Bright Creatures, a novel by Shelby Van Pelt. 

This year, for the first time since 2020, the author will be making an in-person appearance in Salem. Van Pelt will be present for two events on February 19: one for local high school students held at West Salem High School in the morning, and one for the general community at Grand Theater at 7 p.m. Community members can register for the free event on the library website.

The novel, Van Pelt’s first, chronicles a friendship between Tova, a grieving janitor who works at an aquarium and one of the aquarium’s residents, an octopus named Marcellus. The novel veers into fantastical territory when Marcellus helps Tova uncover some long-buried family secrets.The book is appropriate for teens and adults. 

The Salem Reads event series is shaped by the themes of the book, including the mysteries of marine life, sustainability, and friendship. In addition to the author event, some of the scheduled events include: a natural cleansers mixology workshop (Feb. 7), a lecture on octopus life with the Oregon Coast Aquarium (Feb. 11), speed friending (Feb. 14), and a book discussion group where people are encouraged to bring their knitting (Feb. 18). To see the full schedule of events, visit the Salem Public Library website.

The West Salem branch will host two related displays, a sea creature themed quilt and an “iSpy in the Ocean” activity that kids can play to win a sticker. 

The Salem Public Library chose Remarkably Bright Creatures based on several factors. They always choose a book that’s available in English and Spanish and they also wanted a book that was set in the Pacific Northwest, in response to community feedback that a lot of previous year’s picks were based elsewhere. And they wanted to switch up the tone for this year’s book. 

“We were looking for something with a hopeful feel,” Sonja Somerville, the Salem Public Library Programming & Outreach Supervisor, said. 

The book is available through the library, as physical books, audiobooks, and e-books. Somerville said the library is currently circulating 120 physical copies of the book, in addition to digital versions. The book is available in both English and Spanish. 

The purpose of Salem Reads, Somerville says, is twofold: “to promote connection and understanding” between community members and to introduce more people to the library. Salem Reads events can draw people in who may not usually engage with the library as a community resource. 

“We want to make new connections that we hope will continue on,” she said.