Podcast Summary: "Day What?" – The Book Lisp with Jon Ryan & Sarah Colonna
Episode Date: March 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this humor-filled and candid episode of The Book Lisp, married hosts Jon Ryan and Sarah Colonna kick off the March book club pick: One Day by David Nicholls. As per their usual format, they don’t dive directly into the book’s plot, but instead riff on life topics inspired by the novel—particularly the impact of small decisions over time and the idea of revisiting significant days in one’s life. The episode is peppered with personal anecdotes, playful bickering, and a dose of existential musings, embodying the quick-witted and relatable tone fans expect from Sarah and Jon. Sarah also announces her April book pick, and the hosts promote their respective projects and upcoming events.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Domestic Banter & Life Updates (00:00–04:28)

• The episode opens with Sarah's comedic confusion over the podcast's name (“The Book List” vs. “The Book Lisp”) and casual chatter about their cat Ruby and LA weather.
• Sarah details her comedy tour dates (Boston, Wisconsin, Arlington VA, upcoming shows) and urges listeners to join the Facebook group and follow on Instagram.
• Jon plugs the upcoming seasons for the Portland Cherry Bombs (women’s soccer), Portland Bangers (men’s soccer), and details the unique, community-driven design of their new DIY stadium with picnic tables, drawing inspiration from German soccer culture.

  "Instead of having like all these like bleachers everywhere, we have like big bleachers at the end line ... and then all around the whole entire stadium, we're having like 200 picnic tables." – Jon (03:09)

2. Announcement of April’s Book Pick (04:38–07:23)

• Sarah announces April’s selection: Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier—a psychological thriller exploring grief, loss, and secrets within a marriage.
• She reads the book's synopsis and Jon tries out (and is gently heckled for) a dad joke.

3. Private Investigators, Trust, and Infidelity Tangents (07:27–12:56)

• Jon recounts a PI anecdote (a PI never finding a husband innocent when hired by suspicious wives), prompting a discussion on intuition, trust, and past relationships.

  “Women know. When women know. Women know.” – Jon (08:11)

• Sarah reminisces about her own intuition in a past relationship and their mutual trust within their marriage.
• The pair gets sidetracked trying, with comic frustration, to recall the name of a female-led reality show about infidelity investigations in Arizona or Vegas.

4. Personal Anniversaries and Reflections on Time (13:06–16:09)

• Jon realizes they’re recording near the 12th anniversary of their first date at an Italian restaurant (Ago) and they reminisce—Sarah candidly shares they slept together that night, making a case for following one's gut.

  “So if you're wondering if you can get married after having sex, giving it up, as they say, on the first date. Yes, you can. Go with your gut.” – Sarah (14:27)

5. Short Stories on Patreon and Book Talk (15:00–18:38)

• Sarah plugs their Patreon, highlighting short story episodes and bonus content.
• She confesses difficulty getting into One Day (having restarted multiple times and struggling with the audiobook’s English accents), sparking a playful but honest discussion on reading habits and preferences.

  “I'm having a real hard time getting into this book ... I am giving it. I just ... I've had to go back and start it over again ... It's not the book's fault. That's a Sarah Colonna problem.” – Sarah (16:31, 17:45)

6. How Small Decisions Shape Our Lives (20:11–33:07)

• Inspired by One Day, Jon raises the question: how do small decisions transform your life?
  • Jon shares NFL career stories: turning down better offers (e.g., NY Giants) due to gut feelings, and how this changed his path and led him to the Packers.

    “Something's just not right ... I called him. I'm like, I got to get out of here.” – Jon (23:12)

  • Sarah emphasizes hers are less about pinpointed moments and more about broad life choices (moving to LA, etc.).
• Jon and Sarah discuss the “Sliding Doors” phenomenon—both negative (“if only he hadn’t left early”) and positive (“all the disasters we avoided and never knew about”), illustrating this with personal and tragic stories.
  • Sarah tells the impactful story of losing a friend in an accident (who left early instead of going out with her and Chelsea Handler).
• They muse on fate, timing, and existential “what ifs,” with both humorous and somber reflections.

7. 'One Day' Inspired Hypotheticals & Fun Frustrations (33:16–42:12)

• Jon tries to pose the book-inspired hypothetical: if you could revisit the same day every year for 20 years, which would you choose?
  • Playful misunderstanding follows, as Sarah interrogates the rules (is it Groundhog Day? Do you relive the day, or just visit it?).

  "Are you saying I'm going to ... Is it fucking Groundhog Day? Where I relive it every day?" – Sarah (38:21)

  • Jon tries to clarify, referencing A Christmas Carol and “visiting” the same calendar day in different years, but frustration ensues, making for a hilarious exchange as Sarah admits she’s not fun with hypotheticals.

    “You're sometimes not the funnest person with hypotheticals.” – Jon (39:20) “I'm not fun with hypotheticals ... I don't do hypotheticals.” – Sarah (39:26)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Trust in Marriage:
  “I'm saying you're the most trustworthy person, and when you know you have a trustworthy person, you know you're trustworthy and incredibly boring. No, I'm saying you're trustworthy, period.” – Sarah (09:42)

• On Sliding Doors:
  “If I hadn't moved to Los Angeles and just kept going, just hit the gas on that Mustang and driven across country, I don't know what would have happened or if I'd given up.” – Sarah (27:14)

• On Revisiting Days/Time Travel (Book Talk):
  “You keep on changing the rules until it's not even a thing anymore.” – Jon (39:54)
  “I'm immediately recognizing that about myself. ... I'm not fun with hypotheticals. I don't do hypotheticals.” – Sarah (39:26)

Important Episode Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |-----------|---------------| | 00:07 | Show name banter, intro, living room chat, cats, weather | | 00:52 | Sarah’s comedy dates & show plugs | | 02:11 | Jon’s Portland soccer teams & new stadium details | | 04:38 | April book pick reveal (Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier) | | 07:23 | Private investigator, infidelity stories | | 13:15 | Wedding anniversary reflection | | 14:27 | First-date intimacy & relationship advice | | 15:57 | Patreon, short stories, trouble getting into One Day | | 20:27 | How small decisions affect your whole life (NFL story) | | 28:11 | Sliding doors moments, tragic and serendipitous | | 33:16 | Hypothetical “one day every year” question, comedic miscommunication | | 39:26 | Admitting struggles with hypotheticals | | 42:18 | Episode wind-down, plugs, closing banter |

Final Thoughts & Tonal Notes

While they promise not to spoil One Day before the deep dive later in the month, Sarah and Jon skillfully use themes from the book to explore real-life "what ifs," poignant memories, and daily rituals. The episode delivers classic married-couple banter, open-hearted storytelling, and lots of laughs—even (and especially) when communication breaks down over hypotheticals.

Next up:

• April book pick: Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
• Book club discussion of One Day by David Nicholls coming later in the month

Participate:

• Share your own "sliding doors" moments or guesses about the unnamed PI TV show on their Facebook group or Instagram.