The Book Lisp Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Book Lisp with Jon Ryan & Sarah Colonna
Episode: Keeping Sane & Lame Nicknames
Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: Jon Ryan & Sarah Colonna

Episode Overview

This week on The Book Lisp, Jon Ryan and Sarah Colonna take a nostalgic and lighthearted detour from their usual book club fare, reflecting on pandemic living, spontaneous nicknames, and travel adventures. In between, they provide updates for Patreon members, tease upcoming episodes, and share the origins of Jon’s “Ginger Ninja” moniker. With characteristic humor and candidness, Jon and Sarah discuss how they kept sane during lockdown, the culture of nicknames (both inspired and never-should've-been), and what’s next for the podcast.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Travel Surprises and Podcast Scheduling (00:20–03:37)

• Jon’s Sudden Germany Trip: Jon recounts getting a last-minute invitation from the Seattle Seahawks to fly to Germany for a football event.
  • “I got a text from the Seattle Seahawks...they said, can you go to Germany tomorrow? And at 1:59 I said, yes, I'm in.” – Jon (00:47)
• Logistics and Anticipation: Jon discusses concerns about jet lag and excitement about attending his first European soccer match in Cologne.
• Sarah's Perspective: Sarah expresses excitement for Jon—“I get to experience that with you. And then all of a sudden…you get to go to Germany twice in two months.” (01:00)

2. COVID-19 Lockdown Reflections (10:05–31:42)

• Lockdown in Los Angeles: The couple shares personal experiences from the peak of LA’s strict lockdown.
  • “LA was very shut down for like a year...just locked down, down.” – Jon (12:02)
• Socializing & Sanity Maintenance: Their support for local businesses, including Friday "walking happy hours," creative to-go drinks, and sidewalk socializing with drinks in salsa containers.
  • “Walking down the street during the pandemic holding a salsa container full of warm margarita with just a freaking straw on top of it. No shame whatsoever.” – Jon (17:26)
• Creating ‘The Pandemic Room’: The conversion of an unused home space into a gym/entertainment hub complete with a bar and TV.
  • “It just felt like, let's go upstairs to our pandemic room.” – Sarah (14:30)
• Moments of Levity: Brunch on the balcony, five-hour lasagna recipes to “burn the day," and delivering cookies to friends' doorsteps.
  • “One Sunday, you put chairs and a little high top table up on the balcony...and you served me pancakes up there or mimosas...You made it like a little cute brunch spot.” – Sarah (20:42)
• Reflections on Slowed Life: Both appreciate the time together and the silver linings despite unique challenges.
  • “There was a lot of COVID divorces. We weren’t one of them. Not even close.” – Sarah (30:34)

3. Performing, Traveling, and Social Life Amid Shutdowns (24:54–28:58)

• Sarah’s Comedy Gigs: Sarah describes the weirdness of performing standup to masked audiences and the attempts to keep venues alive.
  • “You couldn’t tell if anyone was laughing. And you’re like, what are we doing?” – Sarah (27:38)
• Drive-in Shows: Both note the fleeting resurgence of drive-in events, with Jon lamenting their disappearance: “That was something I was hoping was going to stick around. I don’t think it really did.” (28:22)

4. Reflections on the Book Club & Patreon Updates (07:31–08:43, 43:56–45:06)

• Upcoming Patreon Short Story: "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson will be discussed a little late due to Jon’s trip; they consider filming themselves reading and reacting to the story.
• Next Main Book: “The Good Lie” by A.R. Torrey promises twists and top-tier psychological thriller content.
  • “I was...resisting trying to Google what happens because I couldn’t put it together...I resisted so I would be able to discover as the book intended.” – Sarah (08:16)
• October Podcast Lineup: The upcoming review episode, plus a fifth Monday special interview with the owner of Lovestruck Seattle, a romance-focused indie bookstore.

5. The Big Nickname Chat (32:09–42:48)

• Book-Inspired Prompt: Inspired by “Wedding People,” they reminisce about the weird, wonderful, and self-imposed nicknames from their youth and Jon’s time in pro sports.
  • “Did you have any other friends...who nicknamed themselves?” – Sarah (33:16)
• High School and Sports Nicknames: Stories involve “Pteroid,” “Teabag,” and “Jono." Sarah shares about “Bucky” and the evolution to “Wheat.”
  • “You nicknamed for the nickname...You just nicknamed your nickname.” – Sarah (36:50)
• Pro Football Handles: How sports nicknames come and go: “Most nicknames are like...B Wags, Bam Bam Cam, but no one with, you know, two balls would call him that.” – Jon (38:02)
  • “Beast Mode is obviously the biggest one…He’ll text me once a year...‘what up, it’s Beast Mode.’” – Jon (38:40)
• The Origin of “Ginger Ninja”:
  • “So when I competed on American Ninja Warrior...I wanted to be the Ginger Ninja.” – Jon (41:40)
  • The nickname stuck, became part of Seahawks merchandise, and is still fondly used by fans.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We were so locked up that we thought Tiger King was amazing. That’s how squirrely we were going.” – Jon (13:21)
• “Every Friday, how we do our little walking tour for drinking...could not see a single car...it was like the apocalypse.” – Jon (15:11)
• “I just want to go to f***ing brunch.” – Sarah (21:08)
• “There was some things about COVID that I...do miss...Sometimes you want to be lazy and do nothing all day...During COVID, I was like, what else am I gonna do?” – Jon (22:01)
• “We weren’t one of the [COVID divorces]. Not even close. No, we had a nice time together, because we like to do the same things.” – Sarah (30:34)
• “Walking down the street during the pandemic holding a salsa container full of warm margarita...This is where we're at, people.” – Jon (17:26)

Important Timestamps

• Jon's last-minute Germany trip: 00:20–03:37
• Lockdown lifestyle and pandemic stories: 10:05–31:42
• Performing and travel during COVID: 24:54–28:58
• Book and Patreon updates: 07:31–08:43, 43:56–45:06
• Nickname discussion and stories: 32:09–42:48
• Ginger Ninja origin story: 41:28–41:53

Upcoming Content & Ways to Connect

• October Book: The Good Lie by A.R. Torrey
• Patreon Short Story: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson (delayed, releasing Sept 15 or 16)
• Guests: Fifth Monday interview with Lovestruck Seattle bookshop owner
• Stay Connected: Join the Facebook group “Book Listeners,” follow them on socials, and leave a five-star review for the podcast

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a warm, funny, and relatable discussion about how Jon and Sarah coped with pandemic monotony and created new routines, their affection for both Seattle and pandemic memories (“the pandemic room”), and a hilarious deep-dive into the world of nicknames. With trademark banter, they keep book talk accessible, engaging, and always rooted in the shared experiences of their audience.