A monthly interview with Bolinas Library readers
Marty Brendel
Marty Brendel has been living in Bolinas for the past thirty years with his wife Lisa and they brought up two children here, Tyrone and Sakaia, who are now adults. Originally from Southern California, Marty worked as a chef in San Francisco after attending culinary school. After moving to Bolinas he worked at the Blue Heron, a restaurant here, for 10 years. He currently drives a school bus for the Bolinas-Stinson school, opens a new window as he has been doing for the last 17 years. He loves the ocean, surfing, and mountain biking.
What are you reading now? What’s in your pile of books? Do you read one book at a time or several?
I usually read several books at a time. I just finished The Women, opens a new window (Kristin Hannah), an interesting look at the era of the Vietnam War and the role of the nurses. I learned a lot from it. I also just finished Martyr!, opens a new window (Kaveh Akbar), which was part of the staff picks at the Stinson Beach Library. He’s a poet but it’s a great story.
I really enjoyed the series, Bruno, Chief of Police, opens a new window (Martin Walker) after a friend, Dieter turned me on to them. They take place in the French countryside and are all about country living and also include a gastronomic theme along with the mystery.
Properties of Thirst, opens a new window (Marianne Wiggins) was another good read and even though it is fiction, it included a lot of history about the Japanese Internment camps in Manzanar., opens a new window
Some of the non-fiction I recently read:
The Wide, Wide Sea, opens a new window (Hampton Sides), about Captain Cook’s last voyage
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, opens a new window (Yuval Harari). It’s the kind of book you have to read slowly.
What’s the best book you’ve read this year? Do you ever recommend books to friends?
I always recommend Shantaram, opens a new window (Gregory David Roberts), which I read quite a while ago. It’s a great saga which takes place in India.
Barbarian Days, opens a new window (William Finnegan) is a good book about the surfing world which I always recommend to friends, especially non-surfers. It really helps them understand how people get obsessed with it and it is written so well.
Kitchen Confidential, opens a new window (Anthony Bourdain) is a good read that gives a great insider view of the restaurant world and that life style.
Overstory, opens a new window (Richard Powers) is another book that draws the reader into a different world. It’s all about the old growth redwoods. I like a good story that you can also learn from.
Lonesome Dove, opens a new window (Larry McMurtry) is such a classic. I like turning people onto that book too.
What do you plan to read next? Do you plan?
Sometimes I plan. Still Life, opens a new window (Louise Penny) is on my list as well as James , opens a new window(Percival Everett)
Do you like to read paper or ebooks? Audio books? Dvds?
I definitely prefer paper. I will listen to audio books when driving, especially on a longer trip. There are some books that are so well read in audio though that they are worth listening to. For example, I heard that James, opens a new window is great on audio because it’s spoken in patois and well done.
Are you a browser in the library or do you know in advance what you are looking for? Do you browse the library catalog or pick specific books? If so, how do you find out about them?
I’m a big browser in the library. I also get ideas from the staff picks (Stinson, opens a new window) and Lucky Day collections. Mostly I find books through friends and word of mouth. I like to look at the top 10 from the New York Times, opens a new window best seller list too.
Do you have a favorite genre? Any genres that you never read? Have your preferences changed through the years?
I’m predominantly a fiction reader: historical fiction and mystery. One of my favorite mystery writers was Tony Hillerman., opens a new window In the genre of historical fiction, Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis, opens a new window series is a great read about the Opium Wars and the lead up to them in the 1830s.
I also like non-fiction if it’s well written and draws you in. I love a good biography.
Often, I like reading magazines too. The Sun, opens a new window is a good one. It has a monthly feature called “Readers Write” and there is a different theme every month. Readers send in essays on a theme and they are always interesting and emotional.
I like some Sci Fi and Fantasy. Some of those are really cool. I’m always looking for any well written book and new authors .
Any books you were disappointed in?
Long Island, opens a new window by ColmToibin.
What was your reading experience as a child? Did you grow up with a lot of books? A favorite book?
I liked adventure books: James and the Giant Peach, opens a new window (Roald Dahl), Call it Courage, opens a new window, (Armstrong Sperry), Treasure Island , opens a new window(R. S. Stevenson), Jungle Book, opens a new window (Rudyard Kipling), Two Years Before the Mast, opens a new window (Richard Henry Dana Jr.) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, opens a new window, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, opens a new window (Mark Twain). Later on I discovered Tolkien., opens a new window My mother was a 2nd grade teacher and she made me read for an hour or two every day.
We went to the library a lot and brought stacks of books home of all kinds. I’ve always loved libraries and when I’m traveling I check out the libraries whenever I can.
Were there any books that made a big impression on you in your life? Perhaps a book that has impacted your consciousness a bit?
I’d have to say the Carlos Castaneda , opens a new windowbooks. I went to an alternative high school where you could pick your own books. Other books I read during that time were: Another Roadside Attraction, opens a new window (Tom Robbins), On the Road , opens a new windowand other books by Jack Kerouac, Black Elk Speaks, opens a new window, (Black Elk).
Is there a famous author that you ever wanted to meet? Maybe back in time?
No, because I’m afraid I might be disappointed.
What’s the last great book that you read and recommended to a friend?
A Gentleman in Moscow, opens a new window and Rules of Civility, opens a new window (Amor Towles). Also The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial ambition, first contact and the fateful final voyage of Captain James Cook , opens a new window(Hampton Sides).
Is there a book that you always meant to read but still haven’t. Any highly rated books that you thought were over rated?
Shakespeare, opens a new window
What books do you return to? Are there any books you like to re-read?
Yes, often, Tale of Genji , opens a new window(Shikibu Murasaki). I love reading about Japan.
Do you have a collection of books at home? If so, where do you keep them and do you re-read?
I have a big collection of cookbooks of all kinds; Asian, Thai, Japanese, Italian etc. I arrange them by their different categories. Japanese cookbooks about pickling also have a place. Cookbooks by Alice Waters, opens a new window have a place, and of course I still use the Joy of Cooking , opens a new window(Irma S. Rombauer). The French chef, Escoffier, opens a new window is like the bible for me. I use the books to get ideas and then I create my own thing.
Other than that, there are bookcases everywhere; in the den, bedroom etc. I end up foraging for books at home. It reminds me of mushroom hunting, which I love.
On another note, I also have a pretty good record collection and a turntable I love listening to jazz.
What kind of characters draw you in as a reader?
I like a good story with well-developed characters, male, female or even a child
When and where do you like to read? Describe your ideal reading experience.
On the deck facing south with a couple of pillows on the chair with a sunhat; on a foldout chair at the beach where I can hear the ocean, and of course with a little snack and the hat.
When I don’t have to get up early to work, I love to wake up and read for an hour or two in bed.
Why read?
It’s the greatest fantasy of them all, one of the biggest escapes, better than a movie, because you get to imagine it. I love the different ways that an author strings the words together.
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