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Quick answer: If you loved Remarkably Bright Creatures, try A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, The Maid, Lessons in Chemistry and The Midnight Library. Each one combines a warm, gently funny voice with grief, found family and unlikely friendships.
Shelby Van Pelt's debut follows Tova Sullivan, a widow who cleans a Puget Sound aquarium at night, and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who knows more about her life than she does. It is a gentle mystery wrapped in a story about loneliness and second chances. These books share its quiet humor, quirky characters and heartwarming endings.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Man Called Ove | Fredrik Backman | Literary fiction | readers who love grumpy older characters |
| Anxious People | Fredrik Backman | Literary fiction | readers who like ensemble stories |
| Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman | Literary fiction | readers who like healing stories |
| The Maid | Nita Prose | Cozy mystery | readers who want a quirky heroine |
| Lessons in Chemistry | Bonnie Garmus | Literary fiction | readers who like a smart heroine |
| The Midnight Library | Matt Haig | Speculative fiction | readers who like second chances |
| The Housekeeper and the Professor | Yōko Ogawa | Literary fiction | readers who like quiet friendship stories |
| The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry | Gabrielle Zevin | Literary fiction | book lovers |
| The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry | Rachel Joyce | Literary fiction | readers who like journeys |
| Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore | Robin Sloan | Mystery | readers who like puzzles |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows | Historical fiction | readers who like letters |
| Where'd You Go, Bernadette | Maria Semple | Comic fiction | readers who like a quirky mother |
| The Rosie Project | Graeme Simsion | Romantic comedy | readers who like unusual narrators |
| The House in the Cerulean Sea | TJ Klune | Fantasy | readers who want found family |
| The Friend | Sigrid Nunez | Literary fiction | readers who love animal companions |
1. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A widower's lonely routine is disrupted by noisy new neighbors who slowly become his family.
Best for: readers who love grumpy older characters.
2. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A failed bank robbery turns into a hostage situation full of strangers with hidden pain. Funny and kind.
Best for: readers who like ensemble stories.
3. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
A lonely office worker's life begins to change when she helps an elderly man who falls in the street.
Best for: readers who like healing stories.
4. The Maid by Nita Prose
A hotel maid with a love of order becomes a suspect in a guest's death. Gentle and lovable.
Best for: readers who want a quirky heroine.
5. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Elizabeth Zott, a chemist in the 1960s, becomes the host of a cooking show and teaches America more than recipes.
Best for: readers who like a smart heroine.
6. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Between life and death, Nora explores a library of alternate lives she could have lived.
Best for: readers who like second chances.
7. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
A housekeeper and her son befriend a math professor whose memory lasts only eighty minutes.
Best for: readers who like quiet friendship stories.
8. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
A grumpy island bookseller's life changes when someone leaves a toddler in his shop.
Best for: book lovers.
9. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
A retired man sets out to walk across England to visit a dying friend. Moving and gentle.
Best for: readers who like journeys.
10. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
A web designer working the night shift at a strange bookstore discovers a secret society.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
11. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A writer in 1946 corresponds with islanders about their wartime book club. Warm and funny.
Best for: readers who like letters.
12. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
A teenager searches for her brilliant, eccentric mother who disappears before a family trip to Antarctica.
Best for: readers who like a quirky mother.
13. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
A genetics professor searches for a wife with a scientific questionnaire.
Best for: readers who like unusual narrators.
14. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
A caseworker visits an orphanage for magical children and finds a family of his own.
Best for: readers who want found family.
15. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
A writer grieving her mentor inherits his Great Dane, and the two form a bond.
Best for: readers who love animal companions.
How to Choose
If you loved Tova's quiet strength, start with A Man Called Ove, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine or The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. For the animal companionship, try The Friend. For mysteries with heart, choose The Maid or Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Readers who want found family and hope should read The House in the Cerulean Sea or The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Remarkably Bright Creatures sad?
It deals with grief and loss, but it is warm and hopeful overall.
Is the octopus a narrator?
Yes. Marcellus narrates some chapters, which is part of the book's charm.
Is Remarkably Bright Creatures good for book clubs?
Yes. It is easy to read and full of themes to discuss, such as loneliness and family.