The reclusive Hollywood movie star Evelyn Hugo has been out of the public eye for decades, when suddenly her team reaches out for an exclusive interview with Vivant magazine. They have one condition, though– that Monique Grant, a young, unknown journalist who writes small puff pieces or whatever she’s told, be the one to conduct the interview. Unsure why she was chosen, Monique does her research on Evelyn, finding out that she’s had plenty of mystique surrounding the happenings of her life, especially regarding her seven salacious marriages during her film career. Yet, when she goes out to the New York penthouse to begin the interview, Evelyn actually discloses that she has no interest in a piece with Vivant and instead wants Monique to write the tell-all biography of her life. Confused and shocked, Monique wants to know why her? This book deal would easily be worth millions and there are plenty of far more qualified writers! And past that, she wants the thing everyone wants to know: which of her seven husbands did she love the most? Throughout the story, Evelyn goes through how she went from being a poor, Cuban girl in New York to Hollywood’s most iconic star, and by the end, we learn the dark reasons she reached out to Monique and the tragic secrets of her actual love.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch follows the Gentlemen Bastards, a group of trained thieves, as they plan their biggest scheme yet. Rather than steal from the poor, why not take a some thousand gold crowns from the highest echelons of Camorr? It’s not like they’d miss it. Yet despite fooling even the highest crime boss in their land, things suddenly start to go awry. A coup in the crime world and sudden suspicion from those in power complicate their plans. Will Locke and his gang be able to keep their game up while surviving the bloodshed?

Back in March, when I was traveling to the Fungal Genetics Conference, my PI finished a book he was reading and immediately handed it to me– mid-flight– to read. Unfortunately for him, I was in the middle of a book (El Oro de Los Sueños) and had another (Remarkably Bright Creatures) all queued up. But as airplanes are somehow the best place for me to read as of late, I finally embarked on the book he made me read suggested on my latest trip to Boston.

For 70-year old Tova Sullivan, working as a night cleaner at the local Sowell Bay Aquarium helps keep her busy. Between the monotony of polishing glass and sweeping floors as well as the gentle presence of sea life, she can escape the grief of losing her loved ones. Five years prior her husband died of cancer, and thirty years ago her teenage son died via suicide, or so the police say… Tova has never believed this, though. Each night, she talks to Marcellus the Giant Pacific Octopus, and each night he listens.

One night, she finds him out of his tank, tangled in cords after raiding the trash bin for a snack. After saving his life, he vows to help her in some way. Giant Pacific Octopus are, as the sign in the aquarium says, remarkably bright creatures. Although they can’t speak with humans, they have a high understanding of patterns, information, and the world around them. Throughout the book, we are given snippets of Marcellus’s internal monologue as he tries to help Tova. Will he be able to before she retires and he, being extremely old for a Giant Pacific Octopus, dies?