One Book Sarasota

We enjoyed our 2025 selection, and we enjoyed hosting the author at two events, presenting to more than 1,600 attendees!

“Remarkably Bright Creatures”
by Shelby Van Pelt

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in the Puget Sound over 30 years ago. As she works, Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight tentacles for his human captors—until he forms an unlikely friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. As his affection for Tova grows, Marcellus must use every trick his old, invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. Charming, compulsively readable, and full of wit, Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a beautiful exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope–a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

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Author Visit with Shelby van Pelt

We had a GREAT turnout with author Shelby Van Pelt at both the North Port Performing Arts Center for our morning event and then Selby Library for our evening event. Over 800 people attended each event, many books were sold and there was a lot of book signing going on!

Shelby Van Pelt was dynamic and engaging, spilling all of the secrets behind how she was inspired to write the book “Remarkably Bright Creatures”, how each character came into play, and how she’s enjoying talking to and meeting people who in turn, felt inspired after reading her book.

The top five 2025 contenders are as follows:

• “The Art Thief” by Michael Finkel – a thrilling true story of the world’s most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser.
• “Bite by Bite” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil - a lyrical book of short essays about food.
• “The Geography of Bliss” by Eric Weiner - part travel memoir, part humor, and part self-help guide, the author travels the globe to find the happiest place on Earth.
• “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt - explores the themes of grief, loss, friendship and redemption.
• “The Swimmers” by Julie Otsuka – examines life's journeys, a masterpiece about memory and aging. 

The 2024 One Book Selection

We had a wonderful visit with author Ed Yong who spoke to us about his book “An Immense World” on Friday, March 1.

Mr. Yong spoke about some of the amazing animal abilities that exist, and how even if we share the same space with animals, each species perceives and interacts with their own very unique version of the world. He encouraged attendees to be more mindful of the world around us and to appreciate each and every species that surround us and share our planet. He explained that by learning about others species’ and their “Sensory Bubble”, we begin to understand the immense world we live in.

We had great crowds, lots of interesting questions, and over 100 books were sold and autographed!

Our library system has different versions and formats of “An Immense World” to offer you including hardcover, paperback, eBook, eAudiobook, and a Book Club Bag!

Ask library staff if you’d like to have a Book Club Bag - they come complete with 10 copies of the book, author biography and the discussion questions.

Review the One Book Discussion Guide for “An Immense World”.

2024 Top 5 Selections

In 2024, the One Book Selection Committee discussed and considered many books, and have selected the books listed below as our top seven finalists! It’s a nice variety of options, including fantasy, science fiction, fiction & nonfiction.

“The Disappearing Spoon” by Sam Kean
“The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune
“An Immense World” by Ed Yong
“Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See
“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
“Now is Not the Time to Panic” by Kevin Wilson
“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin

Sarasota County’s One Book program unites the community through a shared love of reading, fostering discussions and relationships around a single title. Each year, a committee selects a book and hosts the author for discussions, while libraries offer related programming. Patrons eagerly await the title as the committee narrows down the selection.

The One Book concept, created in 1996 in Seattle, Washington, was designed to engage people through literature. Since then, it has been successfully adopted by states, cities, and communities nationwide.

Sarasota is a vibrant mix of diverse, multinational, and intergenerational residents, whose dynamic population shifts with the seasons across various neighborhoods. The One Book program encourages everyone to read and discuss the same book. This shared experience sparks conversations, builds relationships, and promotes empathy and understanding through a collective exploration of ideas.

Sarasota County first introduced the One Book One Community program in 2003 with the book “A Land Remembered” by Patrick D. Smith. Under the direction of Nancy Pike, Director of Library Systems, the program began its community partnership with regionally local authors and achieved newsworthy success. We are proud that Sarasota’s One Book program and its partners have a devoted following.

Historically, the One Book One Community Sarasota County project occurred almost annually and continued under the direction of the Sarasota County Libraries. During one year, the project had a slightly different name and was hosted in a partnership with Asolo Repertory Theatre.

In 2010, Sarabeth Kalajian, then Director of Sarasota County Library Systems, introduced numerous changes to the project. A Steering Committee was formed to bring together people from organizations within Sarasota County to update the project’s mission and goals. Although the project’s oversight and budget continued with Sarasota County Libraries, programming ideas, communication, and support became a shared community initiative. Additionally, a Book Selection Committee made up mostly of representatives from the same participating organizations, convened to select an appropriate One Book. That same year, a dedicated project coordinator was assigned to this project.

The One Book Committee has a cycle of approximately 16 months, overlapping in December through March.

• December - A committee is formed to determine the next year’s One Book.
• January - The committee begins deliberations and discussions on possible candidates for the next year’s One Book.
• March through April - Candidate submissions are narrowed down with each meeting, until a final selection is agreed upon.
• June through October - The committee begins to develop ideas for One Book programming around the themes of the book.
• November - The committee announces the One Book selection during the Off The Page Literary Celebration.
• March - The author visits Sarasota County to talk about their book. Libraries and community partner organizations hold book discussions and present programs and events around the One Book title.

There are many ways to enjoy and share One Book with your neighbors:

• Attend or host a Book Discussion Group.
• Serve as a book discussion group leader.
• Start a conversation about One Book.
• Attend a One Book program.
• Read another book by the same author or a book on a related topic.
• Research the author.
• Compare and contrast the One Book with a film.
• Host a film viewing.
• Host an online discussion.
• Develop activities that tie in to the themes of the book.
• Write the next chapter–what happened later, after the book ends?
• Join a book club and suggest the One Book.

Have a question or comment?  Contact OneBook@scgov.net, by phone at 941-861-1342 or through the AskUs service.