Tag Archives: history

27 Books for 27 Years: Ryn’s Reading History (Part 3)

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Ryn PB

Welcome back, my friends! Though I’m uploading this a little late, I’m happy to present the last installation of my 27-year reading history! Thanks for making it this far, if you have. This last leg of the race is mostly … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, polysyllabic spree | Tagged after, anna todd, anxiety, birthday, book review, book reviews, books, history, jackson bird, james joyce, john green, LGBT+, life lessons, mental health, music, music lit, nick hornby, punk, punk rock, queer lit, reading, trans lit, ulysses, ve schwab | Leave a comment

27 Books for 27 Years: Ryn’s Reading History (Part 1)

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Ryn PB

Happy February, everyone! And happy birthday to me! As is the tradition I set for myself, I make a list on this blog for my birthday, and this year is no different. This is kind of a weird list. Though … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, polysyllabic spree | Tagged animal ark, birthday, biscuit, book club, books, conan doyle, early readers, grover, high school, history, holmes, jd salinger, legend, life lessons, maggie stiefvater, marie lu, marie ly, memories, memory, picture books, reading, school, secret series, sesame street, sherlock holmes, the raven boys, the raven cycle | Leave a comment

My Second Favorite Bridge: A Life in Three Bridges

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Ryn PB

Introduction Recently, while flipping through a book of writing prompts, I came across one that asked, “What is your second favorite bridge?” Surprisingly, I had an easy answer to this one. I have my second favorite bridge tattooed on my … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, mental health, original writing | Tagged abuse, anxiety, architecture, bad boss, bad job, bookstore, bridge, bridges, car, cartrip, childhood, concrete, construction, emotional abuse, employment, fired, history, jobs, john cheever, memory, mormon, nebraska, nostalgia, omaha, phobia, roads, roadtrip, short stories, short story, streets, tappan zee, tattoo, tattoos, travel, trip | 1 Comment

My First Encounter with the Word “Queer”: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Ryn PB

I don’t have a great memory, but one that has stuck with me is the first time I consciously encountered the word “queer.” Young Ryn was under their floral covers, propped up on two pillows, and talking to their dad … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, LGBT+ | Tagged books, burnett, children's lit, classic, classic lit, classic literature, classics, etymology, found family, history, LGBT+, lgbtq, life lessons, mistress mary, oscar wilde, owlcrate, queer, queer history, queer lit, quite contrary, reading, the secret garden | Leave a comment

The Tale of the Cat, the Witch, and the Traveler, as Told by a Black Cat

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Ryn PB

The biggest victims of the Salem Witch Trials were black cats. And I know this may sound melodramatic coming from me, but it’s true. Witches have recovered their good name and get killed much less nowadays. I bet you even … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, Fiction Short Stories, stories | Tagged black cat, cat, felines, forest, history, legend, myth, mythology, witch, woods, writing | Leave a comment

September 2022: How I finally chilled out and read a normal number of books during a month determined to bury me

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Ryn PB

What I Got: What I Read: As expected, this was a slow reading month, so this post won’t be a mile long for once. I had to give myself a break before my zombie-themed October TBR, especially since I felt … Continue reading →

Posted in polysyllabic spree, stories | Tagged bookmarks, books, bookworm, crafts, diy, fall, fantasy, history, illness, ireland, izombie, life lessons, netflix, nonfiction, reading, sickness, ve schwab, wrap up, writing, zombies | Leave a comment

June & July 2022: How I got the world’s most popular virus (but at least COVID waited until after Pride Month)

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Ryn PB

What I Got: I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman This Winter by Alice Oseman Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman Heartstopper, Vol. 1, 2, & 4 by Alice Oseman Solitaire by Alice Oseman I Want to Die but … Continue reading →

Posted in polysyllabic spree, stories | Tagged alice oseman, artemis, book nerd, books, covid, graphic novels, greek myth, heartstopper, history, illness, korean lit, LGBT, lgbt lit, LGBT+, lgbtq, memes, middle grade lit, music, nonbinary, nonfiction, pandemic, queer, queer lit, quinta brunson, reading, sickness, translated lit | Leave a comment

November 2021: How two YA-author Queens took ahold of my reading life

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Ryn PB

What I Got: Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong Just Like You by Nick Hornby What I Read: The Dream Thieves (reread) by Maggie Stiefvater Two Can Keep a Secret (audio) by Karen M. McManus Blue Lily, Lily Blue (reread) … Continue reading →

Posted in polysyllabic spree | Tagged audiobooks, black cat, books, buddhism, cat, graphic novels, history, karen m mcmanus, maggie stiefvater, mental health, mysteries, nonfiction, poetry, reading, short stories, the raven cycle, thrillers, YA, young adult, zen | Leave a comment

May 2021: How I read my entire Asian Readathon TBR but made little time for anything else (sorry, unnamed novel I need to edit)

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Ryn PB

What I Got: Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist’s Freedom Song (ARC) by Marlon Peterson The Poppy War & The Dragon Republic by … Continue reading →

Posted in polysyllabic spree | Tagged aapi, asian, banned books, black cat, blog, books, cat, cats, crying, domesticity, emotions, family, graphic novels, history, japan, literature, manga, pets, philipinnes, punk, punk rock, readathon, reading, siblings, sister, tbr, the poppy war, the way of the househusband, to be read, travel, vacation, visit, zines | Leave a comment