Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

April 8, 2024

Abigail Arnold | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Geeking Out With…is a new feature in which we talk to GSAS students about their passions. You can check out past installments here.

Brynna Kilcline is a second-year master’s student in Computational Linguistics. Her capstone research focuses on fine-tuning large language models to extract multiword expressions like noun-noun compounds and idioms. She joined Geeking Out With…to discuss her passion for reading and how books help her de-stress as a graduate student.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Have you always been a big reader?

Yes! I’ve liked to read since I was little. My mom is a super big reader as well, so I come by that from her. My name comes from a romance novel she read. In early elementary school, I read the Magic Treehouse and Rainbow Fairies books. Then I quickly moved into reading young adult books, where I’ve stuck for a very long time. I still read those a lot. Science fiction and fantasy are my favorite genres.

What do you enjoy most about reading?

When a book is really good, I think what I like about it is the characters. I like getting to see things from their point of view. Honestly, the plot can be terrible as long as the characters are really compelling. That’s the thing that keeps me reading the most. I also like the escapism of getting out of the real world and paying attention to a book instead. That’s probably why I like science fiction and fantasy more than realistic fiction and definitely fiction more than nonfiction.

How do you feel that you’ve changed as a reader over time?

My taste in books has changed a little bit. I think I’m finally growing out of young adult novels, which I’ve been reading for a long, long time now. Somewhat recently, I was reading a YA book, and the sixteen-year-old characters were going to overthrow the corrupt government. I thought that was great, but then they said they would be the government themselves. I thought, “Why? You’re sixteen.” I realized I’m not a teenager myself anymore. I still like YA, but now I’m reading more adult mystery and fantasy. But I think my reasons for reading have stayed the same–de-stressing, escapism, and my love of stories and characters.

Graduate students are known to be very busy. How do you make time for your reading?

I actually find that I tend to read more when I’m super stressed because I need a break. For example, at the end of the semester, I will be super overwhelmed. I’ll set a timer on my phone to read for fifteen minutes and then go back to work. It’s a good de-stresser, and I think taking the breaks makes me work better when I do get back to work. I work until I can’t stand it any more, and then I get a certain amount of break.

You’re in a STEM program, and there’s often a stereotype that the sciences and literature are opposites. But you’re also a member of the GSAS book club, which has a lot of regulars from STEM programs! Why do you think this is?

I think part of why the people in the book club tend to be from STEM programs is because the others have to do so much reading already. I do have to do reading, but not as much, and I’m also not writing a dissertation. My program is mostly focused on classwork, so I don’t have that reading fatigue. On the other hand, I studied linguistics, which is very much a social sciences field, as an undergraduate, and I still read for pleasure then! For me, reading is not about being intellectual; it’s a fun hobby. There’s one meme I’ve seen: one person tells the other person ‘You’re always reading, you must be so smart,” and the other says, “Yes, I’m always reading for my intellect,” while they’re reading a silly quote from a Percy Jackson book. So for me, reading for pleasure is not the same as reading for school.

In addition to the book club, what other social aspects of reading do you like?

My sister is also a big reader, so when we were growing up, we ended up reading a lot of the same books and recommending books to each other. We do that a bit less now, as our tastes are somewhat different. I have three really good friends from undergrad who I don’t get to see these days because we all live in different places, and we’ve been reading on and off together. We’ll pick a book, read fifty pages at a time, and then talk about them. We’ve read some short series together. Sometimes the books are good, and sometimes they’re really terrible and that’s just as fun to talk about. One of my friends comes up with crazy predictions and half the time they turn out to be right, and I always ask her, “How did you call that?” I’m not as involved in social media or BookTok, but I get that secondhand from friends, who recommend books they’ve seen on TikTok to me.

Is there a book that’s stuck with you for a long time?

I read the Harry Potter series as a kid in the third grade, and I’ve reread it so many times since. I recognize there are a lot of problems with the series and I don’t support J.K. Rowling any more, but the nostalgia, the world-building, and the characters are all amazing. As an undergrad, I was in the Harry Potter club and was the president senior year. I feel that’s the ultimate book nerd title right there–it’s a lot of fun to tell people if they don’t know a lot about me.

How do you feel about movie adaptations of your favorite books?

Some are really good, and some are really bad! I like the Harry Potter movies, the first Hunger Games movie, and the new Percy Jackson TV series. On the other hand, there’s a trilogy I really like, Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, which was adapted as a really bad movie a few years ago, even though it had a great cast.

Physical books or ebooks? Buying books or going to the library?

I really like physical books. I actually prefer paperback to hardcover, as they’re easier to carry around. Then again, ebooks are even easier, but I like having a physical copy and turning the pages. I only really read an ebook if I have no other choice–if it’s not available at the library or if it’s a really short novella.

I do like buying and collecting books, but in grad school on a budget, the public library system is amazing. You can request books from other locations and have them delivered to Waltham. The Brandeis library also has a selection of pleasure reading books–those are nice because you can check them out for a whole semester if you don’t have a lot of time to read.

What books would you like to recommend to other GSAS students?

One amazing book that I’ve been trying to get everyone to read is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian. It’s a bit less realistic than The Martian but still grounded in science. I’ve also recently been enjoying mysteries by Tana French and Anthony Horowitz.

When you’re not reading or studying, what else do you like to do?

I like to dance. I’m in the tap club at Brandeis, Hooked On Tap. I’m the only grad student, but it’s a lot of fun. I’ve danced since I was little and tap is my favorite, so it’s been fun to keep doing. Since I’m coming to the end of my graduate program, applying for jobs is kind of a job as well.

What advice do you have for other students exploring their passions?

It’s important to make a little bit of time to explore your passions, even if it’s just an hour a week. That’s all I can do with dance right now. Using it as a way to socialize and make friends is also very useful if you can find a club that does it. Then it’s kind of a two in one–you can explore your passion and make friends at the same time.