Bolinas Reads: August 2018

A monthly interview with Bolinas Library readers.

Tenaya Tremp is 16 years old and is a junior at Tam. She is an avid reader and gets many of her books at the Bolinas Library or requests them to be sent here from other libraries. She describes herself as follows: "I play tennis for the school team and I surf in Bolinas. I’m also part of the drama and journalism departments at my school. I’ve lived here since I was a baby when my family moved up from Laguna Beach, and though I spend crazy- long amounts of time in the car every day, I love it here."

What are you reading now?  Do you have a pile of books by your bedside (or somewhere else) that you are planning on reading? Do you read one book at time or several?

Right now, I’m reading a book called Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, opens a new window by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, opens a new window about two gay boys growing up in Texas in the 1980s. I generally have a pile of about 3 books by my bed, both books that I’ve already read many times and completely new ones. I normally read multiple books from different genres at the same time, and I pick which one to read based off of how I feel. If I’m in the mood for a trashy romance novel, then I’ll read that, but if I feel like something with actual content then I’ll choose something else.

How do you decide what to read?  Do you browse in the library or look on the library catalog?  Or maybe you hear about books from friends?

Normally, once I finish a book that I like a lot I’ll simply look up books similar to that one, or authors similar to the author of the book. I will often find one author who seems good and then just order all of their books at the same time. If I already have enough books, I add them to a list so that I can remember them for later. I don’t generally hear about books from friends as most of my close friends are into types of books that I don’t really like.

Do you have any early memories of coming into the library here?

I think my first memory of coming to the Bolinas library was coming here with my dad to pick out the book for him to read to me later that night. I don’t remember if I ended up liking the book we chose or not, but I bet I did.

How do you like to read, what format?  Paper or ebooks, audiobooks?

I prefer to read in paper because it is way more satisfying to hold and it’s also easier to flip back to things that you missed or want to read again. I have a Kindle also, though, that I use if I ever travel, but I never use it at home.

What were some of your favorite early childhood books?

When I was really young, I really liked the Magic Tree House, opens a new window series about two kids traveling through time in their tree house. Then I became obsessed with the Ranger’s Apprentice, opens a new window series, a series about a boy in medieval England learning how to become this secret-agent type thing, and Warriors, opens a new window, one about cats. In middle school the big thing was the series about the Greek Gods, Percy Jackson, opens a new window.

When did you start to read for yourself?  

I don’t remember exactly, but probably when I was about 8? I still had people read to me also, but I think that’s when I first had books that I read to myself as well as read-alouds.

Do you have a favorite genre?  Mystery, science fiction biography etc?

Probably romance because it makes me feel all happy when I read it. 🙂

Do you mostly read fiction or nonfiction?

Mainly fiction. All the non-fiction books I’ve been given have reminded me of my school textbooks, which is most definitely not fun.

What’s the last book you recommended to a friend?

A book called Goodbye Days, opens a new window. It’s about a boy who texts his friends while they’re driving, and in the process of answering his text message they get in a car accident and all three die. It was easily one of the saddest books I read but it was so good I could barely put in down!

Is there a famous author that you would like to meet?  (living or dead, could be back in time)

Honestly, nobody pops into my head. I guess I like books more for the books than the author, so I don’t really have a favorite. I’d probably have to say Mark Twain, opens a new window, not really for his writing, but simply because he seemed like a cool person to talk to.

Do you have a favorite character? What kind of character draws you in?

I think my favorite character would be Mark Watney from the book The Martian, opens a new window. He’s an astronaut who get accidentally abandoned on Mars with no communication to Earth who has to survive. He’s not only amazingly smart, but he’s realistic in that he isn’t perfect and he has a really funny, sarcastic humor. His qualities are pretty much everything that I appreciate in not only a character but also a friend.

When and where do you like to read? What’s your ideal reading experience?

My favorite place to read is in a big, comfortable rocking chair that I have in my room. Curling up in it with a snack and a good book is the most relaxing thing ever.

Lastly, Why read?  

I read because it’s relaxing. It’s one of those things that will never change, no matter where you are, what time it is, or what is going on. In the book, the world is unchanging, and I really like that about it.