Table of (Mal)Contents

Friendship in a Time of War (and Christmas)

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 11:26:00 -0500

It's Christmas-time, which means it's time for a very special episode featuring our good friend and special guest, Joseph Loconte. Joe joins us to discuss his latest book, The War for Middle-Earth, the relationship between J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and how their experiences in the first and second world wars shaped the stories they told and their faith, and more.

Recommended reading:

The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945 by Joseph Loconte
The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tales from the Perilous Realm by J.R.R. Tolkien (which includes Leaf by Niggle)
Dominion by Tom Holland
Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

About our Guest:

Joseph Loconte, PhD, is an author, historian, and filmmaker. He serves as Director of The Rivendell Center in New York City (www.rivendellcenternyc.org). He is a Presidential Scholar at New College of Florida and a Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute. Mr. Loconte’s commentary appears in outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Affairs, The New Criterion, National Geographic, Law and Liberty, The National Interest, and National Review. For ten years Mr. Loconte served as a commentator for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he divides his time between Washington, DC, and New York City.

Present and Accounted For

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

It seems like only yesterday that we released our latest episode… or was it? We really don't know anymore. But what we do know is that Dave and Aaron are here with another episode of Table of (mal)Contents. Watch and listen as we discuss two incredible celebrity biographies and memoirs, Lorne by Susan Morrison and The Uncool by Cameron Crowe. Also in this episode:

Our ranking of the best Cameron Crowe movies
The problem with sequels to Mike Myers movies
What we were reading when we recorded this episode

All this, and the return of a favorite segment, the Jack Reacher Sucker Punch of the Week™, in which Aaron calls out a certain type of writer.

Get the books discussed (affiliate links):

Lorne by Susan Morrison: https://amzn.to/48rL86Y
The Uncool by Cameron Crowe: https://amzn.to/48w8ojh
Faith Simplified by Aaron Armstrong: https://amzn.to/4ia064Z

Maybe a Year, Maybe Yesterday

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 11:00:00 -0500

Does time still have meaning? Absolutely. We might be time-bound, linear beings, but that doesn't mean our podcast feed has to be. Join us for a very special episode of Table of Malcontents we recorded a while back that took way longer to edit than expected (because we tried something new—video, which you might find on YouTube if Aaron gets it uploaded before 2026). In this episode, Dave and Aaron talk about Aaron's most recent book, Faith Simplified: What We Believe and Why We Believe It, as well as updates on what it's like working together again, Aaron's citizenship journey, and, of course, what we're reading.

Get your copy of Faith Simplified everywhere books are sold, and learn more at faithsimplifiedbook.com.

As for when our next episode drops, who can say? Maybe a year—maybe yesterday…

Your Next Favorite Book: Faith, Hope, and Carnage

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 05:00:00 -0500

While our hiatus as a podcast continues, I started a new podcast called Your Next Favorite Book, where I share about one book I really enjoy in every episode. These books run the spectrum of genres and styles—in much the same way the books Dave and I would share here do. But this is a bit of a deeper dive, almost a book review experience.

And today, I want to share with you one of my favorite episodes so far, which focuses on a book that I discovered by accident. This is Faith, Hope, and Carnage by Nick Cave and Sean O'Hagan.

And if you like what you hear, I hope you'll subscribe to Your Next Favorite Book on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast app.

I'm a Christian—Now What? A Q&A at Landmark Booksellers

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Even though we’re still on a hiatus, it doesn’t mean that Dave and Aaron aren’t still doing things together. In fact today’s episode is a conversation recorded at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin Tennessee on March 1, 2023, to commemorate the release of Aaron's new book, I’m a Christian—Now What? A Guide to Your New Life with Christ.

In this conversation, we discuss why Aaron wrote the book and some of its key themes. We also talk about some of the advice he wishes he’d been given and things he would have done differently if he could have a do-over as a new believer. We even had a chance to take a few questions from the audience at the store!

I’m a Christian—Now What? A Guide to Your New Life with Christ is available now. Order today from Amazon or wherever you buy books.

Introducing Your Next Favorite Book

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Introducing Your Next Favorite Book, a new podcast from Aaron Armstrong. Learn more and subscribe at https://anchor.fm/aarmstrong

A Very (mal)Contented Christmas

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0500

It's the most wonderful time of the year. The trees are decorated. The stockings have been hung with care. The lights are all over every tree. And Aaron is grinching about the whole thing. Which means it's a perfect time for us to drop a very special episode of Table of (mal)Contents!

Listen in as we discuss

Our favorite books of the year
Getting and receiving books as gifts
What's happening with the show—are we back?

A few of the books in this episode

Some of Aaron's favorites of 2021
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Hail Mary by Andy Weir
American Gospel by Lin Enger
Art Matters by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell
The Hardest Job in the World by John Dickerson

A few of Dave's favorites of 2021
Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield
A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston
Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
The High Divide by Lin Enger
The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

A quick note for listeners: I'm using new software for editing and it's taking a bit to get used to, so if it's a bit echo-y, I apologize.

Introducing: Wildwood Flower Season 2

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 19:45:25 -0500

Wildwood Flower: Stories of Women who Built Country Music is back for Season 2!

Intro episode will drop on October 1st! Available on all platforms.

To find out more about the podcast, listen to the introductory episode here.

Subscribe and follow on Instagram at wildwoodflowerpod to stay updated on new episodes and special announcements.

Introducing: Feel For the Game, Season 2

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 18:32:15 -0500

Welcome back to the Area Code neighborhood: Feel For the Game.

Nick and Noah return with a series of (mainly basketball) conversations about nostalgic moments in NBA history, current issues plaguing the league, how coping and mental health play a role in sports, and more.

Tune-in as they unprofessionally, but sincerely explore why sports are bigger than just the score of the game. Subscribe now, and follow along to find out how many times Noah makes an unwarranted Kansas Jayhawks basketball reference.

✌️

Introducing: Wildwood Flower

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 20:14:45 -0500

Welcome the newest resident to the Area Code neighborhood:Wildwood Flower: Stories of Women who Built Country Music.

Season 1 premiering on June 4th! Available on all platforms.

To find out more about the podcast, listen to the introductory episode here.

Subscribe and follow on Instagram at wildwoodflowerpod to stay updated on new episodes and special announcements.

The Trial Separation

Mon, 24 May 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Dave and Aaron have to have a talk. It's a hard talk, but it's a good one. Feel the randomness as we discuss:

The realities of our lives right now
If Grease 2 is the best sequel of all time (and why does Dave think the answer is yes)
The best horror writers (since we don't read those books)
A Stranger Things and Lonesome Dove connection
Introducing kids to Nicolas Cage

A few of the books we mentioned

Superman: Exile & Other Stories
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Freedom by Sebastian Junger

Sitting at the Top of the Christian Publishing World

Mon, 17 May 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Our friend Mary Wiley joins us this week for a chat about publishing, writing theology books for kids, why we need more books like Gentle and Lowly, and the time a group of people lost their minds when Dave told them about a little book she wrote.

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
The Gospel Story and Everyday Theology by Mary Wiley
The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry McMurtry

Feeling the Randomness

Mon, 10 May 2021 05:00:00 -0500

It's the day of random on today's episode and Aaron & Dave share different moments from silly and ridiculous books they love.

A few of the books mentioned on this episode

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
A Hard Thing on a Beautiful Day by Ted Kluck
Radical by David Platt
Open by Andre Agassi

Breaking Reading Slumps and Books that Keep Us Up At Night

Mon, 03 May 2021 05:00:00 -0500

This week we're taking things easy and letting the Internet guide our discussion, with three questions from our friends over at Goodreads:

What's the last book that busted a reading slump for you?
What was the last book you stayed up too late reading?
Is there a best time to read?

A few of the books we mentioned in this episode

The Clanlands Book by Sam Heughan and Grant McTavish
The High Divide and American Gospel by Lin Enger
Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
The Multi-Directional Leader by Trevin Wax
The Secular Creed and 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield
Norco '80 by Paul Houlahan

Why Dave Can't Stop Talking About the End of the World (on World Book Day)

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Dave and Aaron are back in the saddle with a promptly released episode, recorded within an hour of Dave getting his shot of a certain vaccine. Will he grow a second head? Will he have a sudden urge to buy Microsoft products? Will his cell signal improve? We don't know! But we do know he can't stop thinking about the end of the world, so we're talking about that, World Book Day, and why writers need to write what connects with themselves first.

A few of the books we mentioned in this episode

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
The Multi-Directional Leader by Trevin Wax

When Sports Books Aren't About Sports

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0500

After a tiny delay due to Aaron being tired and Dave being busy, we're back with a brand new episode recorded roughly 8 hours before it found its way onto the Interwebs. Listen in as we discuss why it's not bad for people to read books where sports play a key role—especially for people like Aaron who don't have a sports at all.

A few of the books we mentioned in this episode

Shoeless Joe by WP Kinsella
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissenger
Open by Andre Agassi
A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Hemingway, Returning to Conference Bookstores, Canada's Ken Burns

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Nature may or may not be healing, folks, because Aaron is back on duty in an exhibit hall for TGC's Women's and National Conferences! But that didn't Aaron from taking a few minutes on a Friday afternoon to talk with Dave about what it's like being back in exotic Indianapolis and to be around all the books after all this time.

Meanwhile, Dave woke up at 2 in the morning to watch Ken Burns' Hemingway documentary and couldn't wait to talk about it and to ask an important question: who is Canada's Ken Burns?

A few of the books mentioned on this episode:

The Terrifics Vol. 3: The God Game by Gene Luen Yang
Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger
The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry McMurtry
2034: A Novel of the Next World War by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stravridis

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Celebrating Beverly Clearly

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0500

The literary world lost another giant when Beverly Cleary died a couple of weeks before her 105th birthday. Listen in as we discuss her enduring legacy, some of the surprise books we didn't realize she wrote, and a whole lot more.

A selection of Beverly Cleary's books mentioned in this episode

But really, all her books are delightful.

A couple of other books we discuss

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman
Undiscovered Country Vol. 2 by Scott Snyder & Charles Soule

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod.
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us out.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Special Announcements & Questionable Timing

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0500

A trend has emerged in recent years within Christian publishing circles: the book contract announcement photo. As it has evolved, it has taken on many different forms, beginning with the blurry contract corner and getting progressively more interesting as they go. Today we're discussing several styles—what we like, what we don't, and what we wish we'd see—along with Aaron making a special announcement of his own.

But what is that announcement? You'll have to listen to this special bonus episode to find out! (And keep a close watch on Aaron's social medias too.)

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Mourning McMurtry

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 05:00:00 -0500

The literary world lost a legend last week when it was announced that Larry McMurtry, acclaimed author of Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show, and more than two dozen others, died at age 84. Listen in as we discuss what we know (and learn) about his work, and make plans to read one of his books together.

A selection of Larry McMurtry's books mentioned on today's episode

A couple of other books we discuss

True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman
The Whole Story for the Whole Family by Michael Kelley
Big Truths Bible Storybook by Aaron Armstrong

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Identity Crisis-ish

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Every organization, church, blog, and even podcast can succumb to mission drift if its identity is not continually being clarified. So today, much like Derek Zoolander did when he saw his reflection in a puddle, we're getting a little introspective on the show and asking the question, "Who am I?" Listen in as we discuss:

What we're really all about—and who are we really trying to be
Why our faith can't not be a part of the show (even when we rarely discuss books connected to our faith)
Carrying conversations when we're having a bad day
Dave's thoughts as he's finally reading A Man Called Ove

A few of the books mentioned on this episode:

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Too Christian and Not Christian Enough

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 05:00:00 -0500

One of the creative cohorts & publishing companies Dave and Aaron both love is The Rabbit Room, for many different reasons, not the least of which being the people running it. So this week, Dave and Aaron are joined by none other than Pete Peterson, its executive director and managing editor. Listen in as we discuss:

The story of The Rabbit Room
The publishing philosophy of "do less better"
The challenges of reading for pleasure when working in publishing
The feedback Pete—and his brother Andrew—has received because of the content of his books
Why it can be challenging for some authors to be too Christian and not Christian enough
How Pete quit smoking

A few of the books mentioned on this episode:

Every Moment Holy Vol. 1, and the forthcoming Every Moment Holy Vol 2 by Douglas McKelvey
The Fiddler's Gun and Fiddler's Green (the Fin's Revolution series) by Pete Peterson

(Though really, get these direct from The Rabbit Room store—it's a great way to support them directly!)

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

End Times Prophesying, Fathers & Sons, and Basic Reading Comprehension

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Dave and Aaron are excited to one of our favorite authors, Lin Enger, join us on the podcast this week for an outstanding chat about… well, pretty much everything. (In fact, we were having such a good time that we completely forgot the time and went about 20 minutes over—and you get to reap the benefits of it!)

Listen in as we discuss:

The recurring themes of religion, sacrifice, forgiveness, and father-son dynamics in Lin's writing
The importance of place to storytelling
What does Lin need to teach students about writing
The danger of over-editing
The relationship between end-times prophesying and the weird climate in which we find ourselves today

Books written by Lin Enger:

Undiscovered Country
The High Divide
American Gospel
Comeback: A Gun Pederson Novel (co-authored with Leif Enger)

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

#ComicBookClub

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500

The day has finally arrived—Dave and I are talking about reading Undiscovered Country volume 1 by Charles Soule and Scott Snyder, which is his first time reading a graphic novel! But to make it extra fun, we decided to invite along a longtime listener, and extremely rare Zoomer, Deb Wampler to join in the conversation with us, for a good old fashioned Comic Book Club.

Listen in as we discuss:

How to read a graphic novel
Different formats genres of graphic novels
Whether we should have had Dave ease in with something a little easier (like Batman: The Long Halloween)
What the experience of reading a graphic novel is like for someone who hasn't done it before
If Dave and Deb are going to read Undiscovered Country volume 2

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Storytelling vs Culture Warriors

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Dave and Aaron are joined by Russ Ramsey for a conversation about art, pastoring in a pandemic, and why we can't stop banging the drum on reading fiction.

Listen in as we discuss:

The results of the Dave's haircut poll
How pastoring in a pandemic has affected Russ' reading
The multiple-time guest jacket
Why culture warriors should tell stories instead
Does Calvin & Hobbes count as a graphic novel?
When we might be doing the discussion of Undiscovered Country
Some breaking news in the life of Russ Ramsey!

A few of the books we mentioned:

Norco '80 by Peter Houlahan
A Contract with God by Will Eisner
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Art & Faith by Matoko Fujimura
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Haircuts, Heresy, & Hockey Fights

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Dave and Aaron are joined by friend and former coworker Brandon Smith for a fun conversation about the Church Fathers, Batman, and the revolving door of heresy.

Listen in as we discuss:

How Christianity actually had faithful teachers before the Reformation
What Batman graphic novels are good ones to read for a first-timer
If there's such a thing as new heresy
The only part of hockey Aaron talks about
Should Dave take his hair all the way down, or keep working with what he's got

A few of the books we mentioned:

Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
Batman by Tom King
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Batman: Year One by Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

"It's Not Me, It's You (Two)"

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Dave, Scarlet, and Aaron are joined by former co-host/recurring guest Barnabas Piper to talk about… well, you'll just have to listen to hear.

Listen in as we discuss:

Dave's feelings on the graphic novel our listeners chose for him to read
The dedication of Scarlet's next book
How much we don't know about copyright law and fair use doctrine as it applies to music

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Introducing: No Chill Enneagram: Watch Party

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 20:24:37 -0500

Check out another show on the Area Code Network, No Chill Enneagram: Watch Party:

We can't stop talking about the enneagram, so we started a podcast to get it all out of our system. No Chill Enneagram: Watch Party is a safe space for ennegram and pop culture fanatics. Each week, pop culture expert, Richard Clark, and enneagram expert, Bethany Perkins watch a movie or tv show and talk about it through the lens of the enneagram.

Not At All Controversial Opinions

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Dave & Aaron are back on Zoom talking about all kinds of not-at-all controversial subjects. As one does when on a Zoom call with a microphone. Instead, we talked current events, Star Wars, stock markets, and books.

Listen in as we discuss:

The winning book in our graphic novel reading challenge
Whether the president should have a job title
The opening scene of the inevitable book about Wall Street Bets (and future film starring Nicolas Cage)
Being inspired to read again
How to rank the Disney-era Star Wars films so far

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

Undiscovered Country by Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, et al.
The Hardest Job in the World by John Dickerson
My Last Name by Eric Schumacher
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Funny Book Titles, Failure, & More Books with Pictures

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Recently I (Aaron) went to the local Dollar General and was confronted with the most ridiculous book title I've seen in a long time. So naturally, I sent a picture to Dave and Scarlet, to which Dave immediately suggested that we talk about this on the show! So, with Scarlet out this week, that's what we did. And it was as silly and amazing as you would hope.

Listen in as we discuss:

Our favorites from a list of silly book titles we can't share (there are some that would definitely cross the line of the "don't get fired rule," so…)
My vetting failure before making recommendations on graphic novels last week
New graphic novel options for Dave to (maybe) read

After last week's encouraging poll, we're back at it with another, which will go live sometime on Monday on Twitter. This one will, hopefully, be one that helps point Dave in a direction on which graphic novel he's going to try.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

Undiscovered Country by Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, et al.
Birthright Vol 1: Homecoming by Joshua Williamson
Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan & Cliff Chiang
Once & Future by Kieron Gillen

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Survival Stories, Poor Choices, & Lukewarm Receptions

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

We're back at it this week, discussing all the latest and greatest in our lives (reading, writing, and otherwise), including a possible near-death experience!

Listen in as we discuss:

Scarlet's tales of adventure over the Christmas break
My first stab at the graphic novel reading challenge options
My incredible progress on my reading challenge for the year
Reading dry spells and ultimatums

This week, we're kicking off a Twitter poll for you all to help us in this quest to find the right graphic novel for the team to read together. But there's just one problem: none of the books on our list are going to make the final cut because of a second review for content issues. So, we're back to square one. But hopefully the poll will be helpful, so check it out on Twitter.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra
Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire
Sentient by Jeff Lemire & Gabriel Hernandez Walta
The Big Book of Barry Ween, Boy Genius by Judd Winick
Forward curated by Blake Crouch
American Gospel by Lin Enger

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Organizing Bookshelves, Positive Boosts in Book Sales, & Purely Hypothetical Publishing Decisions

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

We're kicking off the new year in style—although sadly sans Scarlet—as we talk about all kinds of wild and crazy things that have happened in the last week or so.

Listen in as we discuss:

Whether or not a publisher has the right to cancel a contract and why they might
How we feel about the events of this past week
Ideas for how to organize our bookshelves
Teasers for a few upcoming items and events that we hope we can share more about in the future

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

Big Truths Bible Storybook (available for preorder)
American Gospel by Lin Enger
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Clanlands by Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish
CSB Every Day With Jesus Daily Bible

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Planning Our Reading Plans for 2021

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Just as the end of the year brings with it scores of end-of-year book lists, so too does it bring a bevy of plans for how to make this next year the best year ever! Whether it's choosing a theme word (something I'm pretty sure none of us on this show has done), planning to read the Bible 37 times in a year, or reading 1,000,000 books, we often come up with goals and plans that are entirely unrealistic, and suck the joy out of life.

So we thought we'd talk about plans that can make us happier, healthier readers.

Listen in as we discuss:

What we're thinking about in terms of how we want to be reading in 2021
How many books Scarlet's going to read this coming year
The problem with Goodreads' Reading Challenge, despite us all using it
The next big shared reading plan for the three of us

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Introducing: We Wonder: Advent

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:13:00 -0500

Check out another show on the Area Code Network, We Wonder: Advent.

The podcast where we wonder together about the story of God. We Wonder is a contemplative devotional for children.

Find our more here: wewonderpod.com

The 2020 (mal)Contents Book Awards!

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

It's that time of year where every website, podcast, and Twitter-er is spreading holiday cheer with annual favorite book lists. And, as good friends to our listeners and lovers of books, how could we leave you all hanging without sharing our favorites of the year? And so, we present you the inaugural (mal)Contents Book Awards, with categories carefully selected to suit our… unique sensibilities. Be sure to spread the good news and congratulate all the winners by getting copies of their books using the links below.

The Categories

Books by someone we know

Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper (Aaron)
A Voice Within The Flame by Henry O. Arnold (Dave)
Iron Lake by Kent Krueger (also Dave)
Sick of Me by Whitney Capps (Scarlet)

Books by someone we know and like

Echo Island by Jared Wilson (Aaron)
Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper (Dave & Scarlet)

Books other people love but we gave up on

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Aaron)
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (Dave—who stresses that this is only due to competing priorities)
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim (Scarlet)

Books that made us laugh out loud

So, Anyway… by John Cleese (Aaron)
Wild and Crazy Guys by Nick de Semlyn (Dave)
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (also Dave)
Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld (Scarlet)

Books that made us feel feelings

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger (Aaron)
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (also Aaron)
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe (Dave)
The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby (also Dave)
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis (Scarlet)

Books that surprised us

Death Without Company by Craig Johnson (Aaron)
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (Dave)
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (Scarlet)
Remember God by Annie F. Downs (also Scarlet)

Books with pictures

Superman: Up in the Sky by Tom King and Andy Kubert (Aaron)
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (Dave)
But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton (Scarlet)

Books we learned from

Range by David Epstein (Aaron)
Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks (also Aaron)
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt (Dave)
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk MD (Scarlet)

Books we haven’t finished yet but really enjoy

American Gospel by Lin Enger (Aaron)
A Promised Land by Barack Obama (also Aaron)
A Time for Mercy by John Grisham (Dave)
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Scarlet)

School Libraries and Mermaids in the Time of COVID-19

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

By popular demand, we've got a brand new bonus episode for you all this week as Abigail Armstrong returns to the show for a quick dad to big kid chat about bad parenting advice, public school, how to get books out of libraries under the COVID-19 protocols, and whether or not cursing in our writing is a good idea.

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

The Art of Audiobook Narration

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

What makes or breaks an audiobook? Almost as important as the content itself is the narrator. These often unsung heroes of the medium are the people who keep you coming back time and again, carrying the ideas of this or that author into your ears.

One of those narrators is Henry O. Arnold (or as his family calls him, Chip). Henry is a stage actor, writer, and narrator of over 40 audiobooks, including all of John Maxwell's books, Yawning at Tigers by Drew Dyck, and Boundaries by Henry Cloud. He is also the author of a new historical fiction book, A Voice Within the Flame.

Listen in as we discuss:

How being a stage actor makes Henry a better writer
The value of biblical fiction
What it takes to read an audiobook well
How Aaron's boss is treating Aaron

And, of course, we share a little of what we're reading.

A few of the books mentioned on the show

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk MD
No One Asked For This by Cazzie David
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
The Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Prog Rock, Christmas Persecution, & Christmas Seminary

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0500

We're about to enter into that special time of year that is full of holiday cheer, and so we are going to try to celebrate it well here on the podcast. But in order to really kick it off well, we felt the best way to do it was to ask the man who loves Christmas more than anyone else to join us for the conversation. This week, Ronnie Martin, pastor at Substance Church, author and co-author of several books, and the co-host of The Happy Rant Podcast and The Art of Pastoring, joins us to talk all things merry and bright. Listen in as we discuss:

The question Aaron's been saving for Ronnie for more than a year
When is the appropriate time to start celebrating Christmas (and for how long)
How to pronounce "accreditation"
The best Christmas books and authors
Ronnie's favorite type of Christmas persecution
Defining what makes a Christmas movie (and why they only make superhero movies)
The start of a grassroots campaign to get Ronnie's future festive book, The Christmas Tree Farm, published
The godfather of Christmas stories

A few of the books mentioned on the show

The Best Gift Ever Given by Ronnie Martin
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk MD
Every Moment Holy by McKelvey Davis
No One Asked For This by Cazzie David
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Batman: The Three Jokers by Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
A Wild Winter Swan by Gregory Maguire
Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Yes, Christians Can Write Good Fiction Too

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0500

Okay, I'll admit: when I see the words "Christian" and "fiction" together, I generally assume the book with that label will be terrible. But that is also totally unfair of me, because while there is a lot of bad fiction written by and for Christian audiences, there are are also really good books that can fall under this label. And our friend Jared Wilson, author of many, many books, has written one of them that's out now called Echo Island. Jared joined Dave and me (while Scarlet was reading the book on a plane) to talk about storytelling, Vermont, and the good news that this is not a Rapture book.

Listen in as we discuss:

Why Jared wanted to write this story
Why we can't actually talk about the book too much without giving away pretty much the whole plot
The honesty of New Englanders about their faith (or lack thereof)
Why calling Echo Island a good book isn't a throwaway compliment
How fiction help your imagination as a writer and as a reader
The relationship between storytelling and close-up magic
Why people who are jaded or cynical toward Christian fiction (or fiction by Christians) should give this book a shot

Echo Island is available now through your favorite bookseller. Get a copy for yourself

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

All the Tenuous Connections

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0500

Sometimes a conversation is full of… how can I say this? Tenuous connections. Abrupt changes of topic, subject matter, and tone is often the way a real-life conversation goes. And this week, Dave and I are joined by our friends Nick Rynerson and Richard Clark to talk about, well, pretty much everything—including their new podcast network, Area Code. Listen in as we discuss:

Conspiracy theories and the power of the word "Consider" to make anything sound sinister
Finding the Dark Web
What is the Area Code Network and why are we talking about it on our show?
Why Nick needs to read our meeting requests
How good a job I'm doing at being my own executive assistant

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
Weather by Jenny Offill
Make Russia Great Again by Christopher Buckley
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Sell Montana by Steve Gilreath
Lipstick Traces by Greil Marcus
The Varieties of Religious Experiences by William James
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Privilege the Text by Abraham Kuruvilla

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

A (Thankfully) Short Talk About Being Thankful

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0500

We're two days past Halloween, which means two things: higher blood sugar for all, and stores have become winter wonderlands overnight. But we don't want to be grumpy about it—instead, we're reclaiming the season, standing in the gap as it were, and choosing to be thankful. About what? Well, a few things as you'll hear in this episode. Listen in as we discuss:

Who we're thankful for that helped us to develop a love of reading
Aerosmith and the possibility of an asteroid hitting Earth on Wednesday
Some friends who are going to be joining us on the show in the next few weeks
Scarlet caring for a doglet

All that and a few other teases in a whopping 28 minute show!

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

Wild and Crazy Guys by Nick de Semlyn
Echo Island by Jared Wilson
Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Spooky Season, Christmas, & Mormons at the Door

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0500

It's almost Halloween, and we're talking… well, we're talking Christmas, apparently. But not intentionally. Dave wanted to talk about Halloween and spooky books, but we don't really read those all that often. We don't even watch those movies. So, instead we have some fun talking through some listener questions! Listen in as we discuss:

What happened when Mormons came to the door while we were recording
If Scarlet and her girls have read Bunnicula
What books we read around Christmas times
Unexpected Christmas books from unlikely authors
How we feel about book clubs (a longer discussion can and should be listened to here)
The Christmas songs that annoy me (Aaron) the most

All this and a whole bunch of apologies from… well, you'll see.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

Bunnicula by James Howe
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
The 19th Christmas by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
The Expected One by Scott James
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Wild and Crazy Guys by Nick de Semlyn
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson
Echo Island by Jared Wilson

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Politics, Reading Lists, & Other Dinner Conversations

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 05:00:32 -0500

There are two topics you traditionally don't bring up at family dinners over the holidays: religion and politics. (Scarlet, meanwhile, is glad she missed out on this one.)

The spectrum of types of political books and the weirdness of that part of the publishing industry
John Quincy Adams being a terrible president and a great congressman
What conservatism means
Why the Great American Reads booklist is problematic
If changing your Good Reads Reading Challenge is cheating (it's not and Dave is wrong)
A Lonesome Dove update

All this and a whole bunch of apologies from… well, you'll see.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger
Decision Points by George W. Bush
The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris
The Politics of Prudence by Russell Kirk
A Grief Observed, The Great Divorce, and Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Science Faction, Ezekiel, Apollos, & English Class Confessions

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0500

We typically don't talk a ton about Bible reading on the podcast. Not because we don't care about it (because obviously we do), but because we typically assume that our Christian listeners are actively doing so. However, that's not always a safe assumption to make, especially when we see how rampant biblical illiteracy has become. So this week, we are joined by Tara-Leigh Cobble, host of The Bible Recap podcast and author of the forthcoming book of the same name. Listen in as we discuss:

How adding verse numbers ruined Bible reading
Who wrote Hebrews
Why Tara-Leigh doesn't like Ezekiel (and who would win in a fight between him and Luke)
Why Apollos is cool
Why I (Aaron) read so dang much
The unexpected surprise of an incredibly successful podcast
Audiobook playback speeds
Ways we cheated in school

All this and a whole bunch of apologies from… well, you'll see.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode

The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Echo Island by Jared C. Wilson

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Finding Happiness & Failing to Finish Sentences

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0500

It's been a week. Read into that whatever you wish, and you're probably going to be correct. We could all use a little bit of happiness (I know I could), so this week, Scarlet, Dave, and I are joined once again by our good friend Barnabas Piper, to celebrate the official release of his brand-new book, Hoping for Happiness, available now wherever books are sold. Listen in as we discuss:

Barnabas' release day announcement
Where my copy of Barnabas' book is (and why they all got sent to Scarlet)
Canned interview questions
Dave repeatedly violating the Nashville Rule*
Why we feel bad about being happy and enjoying things
Books that make us happy
Why I can't keep it together long enough to complete a sentence
Why this episode probably should have been called, "Sorry vegans, this one's not for you."

And for those who missed it, here's the way Barnabas announced the book's release:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzGKFMBlUS/

Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper is available now, so go get a copy!

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Having None of It in Nunavut

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Fall—or rather, Autumn—is finally here! With it comes cardigans, superfluous scarves, and pumpkin spice, as well as thinking about what to read in this new season. Listen in to discuss:

What makes a book an "Autumn book"
Scarlet and Dave test my knowledge of Canadian geography
Where the idea from this episode came from
Pronouncing "Autumn" fancy
The role of nostalgia in seasonal reading
Rereads and one-time only books
Our shared excitement over a new Fredrik Backman book
How to convince Scarlet's husband to join us on the show to talk dragons
What happened to 90 minute movies?

A Few of the Books Mentioned in This Episode

Canadian History for Dummies by Will Ferguson
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Archer's Cup by S.D. Smith (preorder direct from the publisher here)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Justice League: The Justice/Doom War by Scott Snyder and Jorge Jimenez

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Pocket Protectors, Activate!

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0500

So, the trailer for the Dune movie was released last week, and the folks who made it clearly did a great job. In honor of this, we're getting extra nerdy as we talk Dune, sci-fi, and Dave having meetings to run to. Listen in to hear:

The difference between hard and soft sci-fi
If Dune is a good option for jumping into the genre
How ET ruined sci-fi for Scarlet
If speculative fiction counts as sci-fi
Another Lonesome Dove progress report

Be sure to check out the NYPL article mentioned in the show on the differences between hard and soft science fiction as well.

The Sci-Fi List

This week, we're forgoing our traditional "what we're reading" list in favor of a few recommendations of generally accessible science fiction reads:

The Oracle Year by Charles Soule
The Martian and Artemis by Andy Weir
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (this is really more absurdist comedy with sci-fi trappings)
Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Dune by Frank Herbert (note: this one requires some commitment)
Recursion by Blake Crouch
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld by Larry Niven

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Audience Questions, 9/11, & Drastic Tonal Shifts

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're back with a new episode, recorded on a life-changing date for most of the modern world. But that doesn't stop us from getting downright silly at times as we talk about books, history, and pet clothing. Listen in to hear:

Where we were on 9/11
Whether or not we have (or should) read books about the event
Why it's probably not a good idea to be writing books about our current circumstances just yet
How we choose what we re-read (if at all)
Dave & Scarlet on dressing pets
Recommendations for read-aloud books

All this and a progress report on Lonesome Dove!

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede
The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

And, of course, Scarlet's bunny leash. :)

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Bach, Bono & Music Bios

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 07:00:00 -0500

We don't always have friends of the podcast on the show, but when we do, it's Matt Redmond! Matt is a Christian counselor, teacher, author, and longtime listener of the podcast. We have wanted to chat with Matt for a while because of our shared love of books, C.S. Lewis, music, and more. Listen in as we discuss:

What's so great about Jane Austen
Why Matt isn't a fan of the enneagram
Books you should read about Bach
If Bono should write a book, and his appreciation for Eugene Peterson
Favorite C.S. Lewis books and fake Lewis quotes

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R. Gaines
Bach and God by Michael Marissen
Bono by Michka Assayas
Chronicles by Bob Dylan
From Cradle to Stage by Virginia Grohl
Tom Petty by Warren Zanes
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Hey Ho Let's Go: The Story of the Ramones by Everett True
Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks
The Catalyst by Jonah Berger

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Masters of Tangents

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 11:21:35 -0500

One of the things we love best about this show is our audience. Seriously, we have some really fun and fantastic people who listen to this show and put up with our silliness week in and week out. So, this week, Dave and I (Scarlet couldn't join us this week due to scheduling issues) thought it would be fun to answer some of your questions! Listen in as we discuss:

Our preferences in coffee and/or tea
One of the worst trends in evangelicalism which some folks may or may not have tried to talk about on a previous episode of the show
If Abigail (my daughter) will do another episode with us in the future
Why a family might have kept a last name that has been marred all kinds of awfulness
My favorite graphic novels to recommend

And of course, we also talk about several books along the way.

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

Maus by Art Spiegelman
HiLo by Judd Winick
Superman by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Parable of the Sower by Olivia E. Butler
Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Influencers of Influencers

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're back once again with our latest episode of Table of (mal)Contents! This week, Scarlet, Dave, and I are joined by our friend Jenaye White. Jenaye works as part of B&H Publishing Group's marketing team, where Dave previously worked as well. Now, Dave is sure that he had a plan that would involve talking about the Enneagram as much as possible as we recorded this episode on my birthday. But he failed because I was ready for it. Instead, listen in as we discuss:

How book publicity has changed in 2020
What new insights have been discovered in the ancient (that is, the product of the 1980s) art of the enneagram (because of course I'm going to tease about it)
Where the influencers for books are on social media (and where do we fall on the spectrum)
What being behind on a reading challenge means for Dave vs Aaron

And check out the cover of American Gospel, the upcoming novel by Lin Enger (and don't forget to pre-order your copy!):

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

American Gospel by Lin Enger (available now for pre-order!)
Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Jesus Over Everything by Lisa Whittle
Batman: Knightfall by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, et al.

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Cat Fashion Shows

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 05:55:47 -0500

We've got a new episode of Table of (mal)Contents this week, and it's a big one—our 100th episode of the show in its current form!

And what better way for us to celebrate than to have Barnabas Piper rejoin us for our look back on 100 episodes of book recommendations,

Listen in as we discuss:

Barnabas's wedding and how his life has improved even during a pandemic
What books we've enjoyed that we were recommended by someone else on the show
Our favorite conversations and guests
The Mandela Effect
Our favorite moments making fun of Dave

And, of course, an audience important question for Dave that will make the title of this episode make so much more sense.

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper
Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Parable of the Sowers and The Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Any Other Name by Craig Johnson
One Second After by William Forstchen
Recursion by Blake Crouch
The Son by Philipp Meyer

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

It's All Dave's Fault (and Other True Sayings)

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0500

I wanted to make some sort of reference to Wayne Gretzky in this episode's title, but it wouldn't make any sense. Aside from it being the 99th episode of the podcast since we relaunched as Table of (mal)Contents.

Yes, we're really there after all this time.

But this week, we're back with mostly good mics, and joined by a friend of the podcast, Will Mitchell. Will is a teacher, longtime listener, and a lover of books, and he kindly jumped on Zoom for a weird and wonderful conversation that covers… well, pretty much everything from public health to Dave's cats. Listen in as we discuss:

Scarlet shares her grievance with a recent editing choice
If math teachers read math books for fun
How many cats Dave currently has (and why he's a cat lady but Will's a cat man)
How far we have to go if we have any hope of solving the ongoing health crises of the day
How we can support teachers going into the new school year
Will’s reading habits during the COVID-19 shutdown in Nashville
Will’s choice for the (semi-retired) sucker-punch of the week

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

No Country for Old Men, The Road, and Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
Hemingway’s Cats by Carlene Fredericka Brennen
On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Educated by Tara Westover
Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson
The Parable of the Sowers and The Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Rogue Heroes by Ben MacIntyre

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

The Writer's Kid

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0500

This past week was rough on Team (mal)Contents, y'all. Scarlet's shared a bit about what's going on with her family on social media recently (so go read about it there). Dave was feeling pretty rough on Friday, so we had to postpone recording. But rather than skip this week, I decided to do something fun and introduce you to a member of the next generation of the Armstrong army: my eldest daughter Abigail.

Abigail loves reading, and she's becoming quite the writer herself, spending many hours each day working on her stories. Listen in as we discuss:

Some of Abigail's favorite series
What she likes reading the most
What it's like growing up in a house full of books
What the best and worst things about having a dad for a writer is
What plotting a story looks like for her
If she feels resentful about being the gatekeeper on books for her siblings

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

The Gateway Chronicles by K.B. Hoyle
Bone by Jeff Smith
The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parker Davis
Keep of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
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The One Where We Keep Not Talking About Books

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0500

So, we had a plan for this episode. (Maybe.) And it was a good plan, too. (Also maybe.) But then one of our co-hosts was called away unexpectedly and couldn't join us when we hit record. So, instead, Dave and I talked about a lot of things. Listen in to hear:

Dave airs his grievance with my editing of last week's episode
How to interpret the number of reviews of books for children on Amazon
Three books I have bought recently
Audiobooks Dave is trying to listen to
Flying in a COVID-19 world
Dave tries to convince me to care about sports
When I'm going to maybe have finished reading The Three Body Problem and Lonesome Dove

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Knowing God by J. I. Packer
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
Batman: City of Bane Part 2 by Tom King
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Flash by Mark Waid Book 1
The Winter Army by Maurice Isserman

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
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Quest Squads, Book Club Names, & Boring Book Descriptions

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 05:30:00 -0500

This week, we decided to keep things serious and tackle the tough topics that are shaping the world in which we live. Which, of course, means we're answering questions inspired by Goodreads and our friend Andy Whisenant from B&H Publishing. Listen in as we answer:

You are traveling on a Lord of the Rings style journey. You can only take 3 characters with you that are featured in books you've read this year. Who is on your squad?
Describe your favorite book in the most boring way possible
What would you name your book club?
This year, which book have you learned the most and why?
What are you reading this weekend?

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Recursion by Blake Crouch
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Dave vs the Internet Connection

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're wrapping up our special summer series today, where each of the co-hosts jumps into the hot seat to introduce him or herself to our listeners! This time, Dave is in the hot seat—as long as his internet connection holds out. Listen in to hear:

How Dave got into publishing (and met his lovely wife)
How he fell in love with history books, and how many Winston Churchill biographies he's read (this week)
One obvious publishing trope that needs to go away forever
A few of the books that made him (and keep making him) love reading
His pretty great idea for a pen name

Audience participation time: After every episode in this miniseries, we want you to recommend some fun (and totally appropriate) pen names for each of us. We'll share our favorites at the end of the series (if y'all participate). Share them with us on on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod.

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Scarlet vs the Canadian

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're continuing our special summer series today, where each of the co-hosts jumps into the hot seat to introduce him or herself to our listeners! This time? It's my (Aaron's) turn. But there's a twist! One of us had internet problems because he was on the beach or something. So Scarlet got stuck asking me the hard questions and cringing at some of my answers. Listen in to hear:

The epic tale of where I come from and why I started this podcast in the first place
One of the first books I remember loving
The difference between genres and mediums
Some of my favorite books and a dramatic reading from one of them
The author whose work I cannot stand
What my pen name should be

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The Gospel by Ray Ortlund
Knowing God by J. I. Packer
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The Atticus Kodiak series by Greg Rucka

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

5 Questions for Scarlet

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 11:09:34 -0500

As you are no doubt aware, podcasts are always growing and changing, and new people pick up the show along the way. (At least, we hope that's happening.) So, today we're kicking off a special summer series today on the show, where each of the co-hosts jumps in the hot seat to introduce him or herself to our listeners! Listen in to hear:

Scarlet's early life and where she's from
The first book she remembers loving
What Scarlet loves about reading—and why she needs to stop being worried about not reading as much as Dave or me
Her top 5-ish books, and why she prefers only speaking positively about books
What Scarlet's pen name should be—and if one exists already!

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
Ann of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Everything Happens for a Reason And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler
The Nightingale by Kate Hannah
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B. J. Novak

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

Social Media is Bad For You

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Is social media the worst, or are we? What if the answer is yes? Our friend Chris Martin joins us to talk about all things social media and give us the inside track on his upcoming book on the subject on this episode. Listen in as we discuss:

What social media does to people's brains
Why social media actually isn't morally neutral
How Neil Postman speaks to the effects of social media despite writing more than 20 years before it became part of our lives
Which algorithm is more sinister: Facebook's or everyone else's?

Also, Dave and Chris talks about baseball for a long time at the beginning of this episode. So if you don't care, just skip the first 5 minutes or so. But you will miss out on Scarlet and I griping about it, so…

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode

The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu
Humility by Andrew Murray
Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
Juiced by Jose Canseco

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

The Nicolas Cage of Podcasts

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0500

So, we had a plan for this episode. We were going to have some fun talking through some decent questions Goodreads has been posting lately. But instead… well, you'll have to listen to what exactly happened this week.

Because none of us are entirely sure. But we did have a lot of fun as we discussed:

Nicolas Cage's method of acting
Dave's unexpected trip to the ER (and pro-tips for getting to the front of the line)
Real bacon vs turkey "bacon"
Aaron butchering the pronunciation of a Nigerian author's name
Books that have affected us over the past few months

A few of the books we mentioned this week

One Year After by William R. Forstchen
The Looming Tower: Al-Quaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
Seeing Jesus from the East by Ravi Zacharias & Abdu Murray
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adult Children of Alcoholics by Dr. Janet G. Woititz EdD

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

A Conversation on Learning About Other People’s Experiences

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0500

So with everything that's happening in the world recently, we decided to talk together about books we've read that have helped us explore the experiences of others. Specifically, the experiences of African Americans.

This conversation was, honestly, a pretty awkward one for us to have since none of us are African American, and we didn't want it to be perceived as "three white people helping you understand the African American experience."

That's not how we roll, and it's not something any of us are qualified to do anyway. Instead, we're sharing about books we've read and advice we've been given that have been helpful in our desire to be good learners and good neighbors in our community. In this episode you'll hear:

A few of the books we've found helpful so far
Reading recommendations from our listeners
Why it's important not just to read about the African American experience, but to read good African American authors

As promised in the episode, here are a couple of articles we found particularly helpful in processing the events of the last three weeks:

Speaking My Blackness by Devin Cornelius
What Can I do? by Shaq Hardy

A few of the books we mentioned this week

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan & Roslyn M. Jordan
Life is Not an Accident by Jay Williams

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

Pet Advice, Dave’s Deflection, & SWAT Team Rabbits

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Recently it looked like we were maybe hopefully getting toward a happier and healthier place in this pandemic. The sun was shining, stores were opening… and well, 2020 keeps happening. But we're not talking about terribly serious stuff on this episode because it was recorded before 2020 got even worse. Maybe we'll get serious and talk about some of that next week. We'll see. But in the meantime, we do talk about some pretty fun and hopefully life-giving subjects, including:

What it was like to go back into a bookstore for the first time
When Scarlet’s going to start writing her rabbit book
We workshop a new kids book (and it gets weird)
Whether or not we should do a live show someday

Audience participation!

We've got a couple of activities for y'all:

Share a photo of you in or outside your favorite bookstore and tag @malcontentspod on Twitter and Instagram
If it ever becomes safe to do so, should we host a live recording—and would you come?

A few of the books we mentioned this week

Watership Down by Richard Adams
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
Rabbits for Dummies by Connie Isbell & Audrey Pavia
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
I’m Your Huckleberry by Val Kilmer
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

Hope, Happiness, & Lunch Shovels

Tue, 26 May 2020 13:02:52 -0500

So, many weeks ago, back in the long forgotten times when people socialized together and we recorded our podcast in-person, and before Scarlet teamed up with us to class up this show and keep it firmly in the mostly-family-friendly radio space, there was another co-host.

But his life got too busy with a new job, his other show, and a book deadline, so he had to say goodbye to his regular gig here. It took us—especially Dave—some time, but we healed. So, today, Barnabas joins us on the show to catch up!

Listen in as we discuss:

What we should really call endorsement requests
If Scarlet is becoming a weird pet person
Writing in normal times vs in the time of social distancing
Why Dave should read an advance copy of Barnabas' new book
What Scarlet might like about westerns (even if she probably won't read them)
The category of books Barnabas wants to sucker punch

A few of the books we mentioned this week

Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper
Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson
Doc Savage: Man of Bronze by Lester Dent
Batman: The Last Knight on Earth by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Stay Hungry by Sebastian Maniscalco
Miracles by C. S. Lewis
A Lowcountry Heart by Pat Conroy
The New Girl by Daniel Silva
One Last Strike by Tony La Russa

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

American History Pop Quiz, Hot Shot!

Tue, 19 May 2020 05:00:00 -0500

As you all know, Dave loves history (almost as much as he loves cats). And because I am a Canadian, he and Scarlet both wanted to help me learn more about American history, in the hopes that I can someday pass a citizenship test. So, we thought, why not have Thomas Kidd join us to help with both?

Listen in as we discuss:

Is there really more that can be said about some of these well-known historical figures?
Why we need to be careful to not read back in our views and context into the past
Why he is (and we all should be) fascinated by the biblicism of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin
Great modern history writers
A book Scarlet is endorsing
And, of course, whether Dr. Kidd enjoys the West Wing

Thomas S. Kidd teaches history at Baylor University, and is Associate Director of Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. Dr. Kidd writes at the Evangelical History blog at The Gospel Coalition. He also regularly contributes for outlets such as WORLD Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. His recent books include Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father; George Whitefield: America's Spiritual Founding Father; and Baptists in America: A History, with co-author Barry Hankins.

A few of the books we mentioned this week

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper
Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John le Carré
Doc Savage: Man of Bronze by Lester Dent

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

The YA Grab Bag of Surprise!

Tue, 12 May 2020 05:05:36 -0500

Recently I discovered that McKay's, our favorite second-hand bookstore, has been offering themed grab bags of books to help people stay on top of their reading during this season.

So, of course, I bought one—and it was 100% YA fiction.

But what kind of YA fiction was it? You'll find out as Scarlet, Dave and I discuss:

When we can record in person again
Which books from our bag seem like they're worth reading
If our McKay's bag accurately reflects Nicholas Cage's career choices
Dave prepping for the apocalypse
The hot mess of Aaron's (abandoned) quaranbeard
Our reflections on talking about Canada for 30 minutes last week
How James Patterson could possibly write as much as he does (completely out of jealousy)

A few of the books we mentioned this week

Death Without Company by Craig Johnson
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
All Star Superman by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Summer in the City by Candace Bushnell
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss
The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
The China Garden by Liz Berry
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
Radiance by Alyson Noël
Pivot Point by Kasie West
Shadowlands by Kate Brian
Very in Pieces by Megan Frazer Blakemore
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Concentric Circles of Canadian Hatred

Mon, 04 May 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Two countries unite on today's episode of the show as Drew Dyck joins us for a chat about being Canadians in Americaland, Canadian geography, and life on the interwebs. For those not in the know, Drew Dyck is an acquisitions editor at Moody Publishers, an author, and a fellow Canadian. Listen in as we discuss:

What Drew loves best about the online world right now
What's the worst thing online right now
Fun Canadian city names
Why everyone hates Toronto
If Canada would be a good place to be in a post-apocalyptic wasteland
The right name for an anchor baby
Tom Holland vs Tom Holland

A few of the books we mentioned this week

Your Future Self Will Thank You by Drew Dyck
Dominion by Tom Holland
The Decadent Society by Ross Douthat

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Reading in the Time of Quarantine, Losing Literacy, & Favorite Reading Spots

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0500

As we continue to trudge through this season of social distancing and everyone sheltering at home, we're all finding it to be a struggle to do some of our favorite things. Y'know, like reading. So today, Karen Swallow Prior—one of our favorite guests from 2019—makes a return visit to the show to talk about reading habits, binge-watching, and generally class up the program.

Listen in as we discuss:

Which female literary characters men should make a point of studying
Why it's hard to read in high-stress situations
How we can overcome losing the art of deep, uninterrupted reading
Why "TL;DR" is the worst
Why Karen started her new B&H classic literature series with Sense and Sensibility and Heart of Darkness
Where are our favorite reading spots
Why it's a great idea to cite the people on your thesis panel

All this, plus a few listener questions! (Thanks Joe Waller and Richard Harbison!)

Karen Swallow Prior is the author of On Reading Well and has been a Professor of Literature at Liberty University and will be transitioning to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fall 2020. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

A few of the books we mentioned this week

On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (get it for 44% off from LifeWay)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (get it for 44% off from LifeWay)
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Madam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Anyone by Charles Soule
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Misreading Scripture with Modern Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Real Celebrities, Diet Ice Cream, & How We Speak Online

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're back with a brand-new episode, and we've brought a friend along! Daniel Darling joins us to talk about some nice, easy subjects including politics, online discussion, and the nature of celebrity. Listen in as we discuss:

The difference between being Christian famous and actually famous
Why we need to be wise with how we speak online
The continued debate over retiring the sucker punch
Becoming a writer before social media
Scarlet's plan to go back to school
Diet ice cream and parenting techniques

A few of the books we mentioned this week

A Nice Little Place on the North Side by George F. Will
The Second Mountain by David Brooks
Half Time by Bob Buford
A Way With Words by Daniel Darling
Anyone by Charles Soule
Ember's End by S. D. Smith
Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
Good Faith by David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Misreading Scripture with Modern Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM us on Twitter or Instagram.

Scarlet the Benevolent Dictator

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're back with a brand-new episode, in which Scarlet takes over as our benevolent dictator (she wanted me to call her our benign dictator, but I can't do it). Listen in as we discuss:

The myth of extra time
Giving books as gifts
If giving a book as a gift has ever backfired on us
When and why to quit reading a book
If we've ever quit books that were convicting and/or offensive
How many Churchill biographies Dave has read

By the way, this week, we changed our category listing for the show. Let us know if you see it change!

A few of the books we mentioned in this episode

JLA Vol. 4 by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, and Howard Porter
Ember's End by S. D. Smith
Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard
Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Virus Punching, Proverbs, & Being C.S. Lewis-ish

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 00:42:00 -0500

Well, we're a day later than normal, friends, but we've got a fun episode featuring the whole crew—and our friends, Scott James, as our special guest!

Scott is a pediatric physician based in Birmingham, Ala., and the author of several books for families, including the newly released Where is Wisdom?. Listen in as:

We weigh in on your answers about retiring the sucker punch
Scott corrects us with science
We talk wisdom and proverbs
Dave leads us through a new segment that maybe doesn't turn out so hot (or does it?)
We discuss C.S. Lewis-ish stuff and inspiration from Jimi Hendrix
I (Aaron) hot-take Mark Twain's autobiography
We discover if John Le Carre worked for MI5 or MI6
A few of the books we mentioned in this episode Where is Wisdom? by Scott James
God's Wisdom for Navigating Life by Tim and Kathy Keller
The Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain
Dead Wake by Erik Larson
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
Ember’s End by SD Smith
The Gateway Chronicles by K.B. Hoyle
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre
Stay Hungry by Sebastian Maniscalco
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Confessions by Augustine
Sharing and supporting the show Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Big News, Deserted Islands, & the Many Ways to Spell Charlotte

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're coming at you with a special bonus episode of the show today, one that we hope is filled with optimism and joy as Dave continues to prep for the apocalypse. Listen in to hear:

An announcement about a very special project from our team
Our first very important business meeting, working through last episode's issues
The multiple ways to spell Charlotte
What books we would take on a deserted island and/or have with us if the world was coming to an end

The books we're reading right now

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld
The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baronness Emmuska Orczy
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Churchill by Andrew Roberts
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
JLA by Grant Morrison Omnibus
The Man Called Cash by Steve Turner
Ember’s End by SD Smith

And, of course, here's the cover to our upcoming new book:

Look for a pre-order link soon!

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Photo by Malte Wingen on Unsplash

Social distancing's toll, new projects, & sucker-punching 2020

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We're not going to lie: this whole social distancing thing is taking its toll on us here at (mal)Contents HQ. Dave's wearing Tina Turner's outfit from Thunderdome, I'm preparing to put spikes on my car, and Scarlet is… raising chickens and going to the urgent care clinic.

It's a dark time, as you can imagine. But still, you might be surprised at how fun this one is, especially when we discuss:

Back alley book shopping (I'm not even joking)
The new—and very real—project I'm working on
If McKay’s is still open during this season
Our plans for living in a dystopian nightmare
Why we need sucker punch 2020

All this and Dave references Good to Great.

The books we're reading right now

The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon
Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

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Episode titles, writing advice, & what’s bad for bookstores

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We step back in time to the week to the beginning of the month when we last sat in a room together to record a podcast! This time around, we had some fun that’s

We riff on different title ideas for this episode (that I don’t think we ended up using)
Advice for past Scarlet, studying publishing
Being dependent on Jesus as a writer
What’s really frustrating about titling
The kind of writers no publisher really want to work with
If you can listen to a book you want to read while simultaneously reading a book you have to read
If libraries bad for bookstores

A few of the books mentioned on this episode

The Death of Santini by Pat Conroy
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer
Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack

Sharing and supporting the show

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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Social Distancing, Post-Apocalyptic Nightmares, & the Special Handling List

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Since we're all being encouraged to practice social distancing these days, Dave, Scarlet and I decided to plug in our mics and record our first-ever episode where we weren't in the room together (something that hasn't been done on this show since the old Reading Writers days).

Listen in as we discuss from the safety of our own homes (and Dave's office):

We officially introduce our new co-host!
Whether or not it's a good idea to read post-apocalyptic novels when we're kinda maybe sorta at risk of living in one
What it's like to be at home all-the-time
What I (Aaron) had to do to get on Amazon's "special handling" list
Read-aloud time at home and online bookclubs
What Dave thinks of Paul Coelho's The Alchemist
My commitment to our listeners during this difficult time

A few of the books mentioned on this episode

Children of Men by P.D. James
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Making Sense of God by Tim Keller
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
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Advance Memoirs, Nick Cage’s Pyramid Tomb, & Recording Around Landscaping

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 02:24:07 -0500

Coming to you from an undisclosed location in Franklin Tennessee, Dave and I are back together, and we’ve got a friend with us! Scarlet Hiltibidal, longtime friend of the podcast, is joining us on the show.

For how long? The short answer is, as long as she wants.

Listen in as we discuss:

Dave’s first week at the new job
The books Scarlet pitched that someone needs to pick up
What other pop culture phenomenon should Twilight be compared to
The things that might surprise you about publishing celebrity memoirs
What books about Nicholas Cage exist on Amazon
Scarlet's beef with Barnabas

All while landscaping work is happening outside the conference room window.

A few of the books mentioned on this episode

When Life Gives You Pears by Jeannie Gaffigan
Death By Meeting by Patrick Lencioni
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack
Raising Worry-Free Girls by Sissy Goff
The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Sincerity, Awkwardness, & Some Reasonably Big News

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Dave and I are back recording in Nashville after our adventures in Minneapolis, and I've been a bit concerned about something of late: have we become too sincere? Listen in as we also discuss:

Why comedy directors do a great job directing dramatic films
What are a few leadership books we’ve found actually helpful
Why Dave is cleaning out his office

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
Four Disciplines of Execution by McChesney, Covey, & Huling
Leading Change by John Kotter
Called to the Ministry by Edmund Clowney
The First 90 Days by Michael D Watkins
Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
Team of Teams by Gen. Stanley McChrystal
Conversations with Major Dick Winters by Cole C. Kingseed
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Gibraltar by Roy Adkins and Leslie Adkins
So, Anyway… by John Cleese

Sharing and supporting the show

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The Mechanics of Mystery Stories, Minnesotan Authors, & Holden Caulfield

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 07:00:00 -0500

Shortly before heading out to Minneapolis, Dave and I were starting to get into a couple of books by William Kent Krueger. Well, it turns out that he lives in the area, so while we were in town, he graciously agreed to let us swing by and set up shop in his dining room to talk the mechanics of mystery writing, how he got his start, and, of course, what he's reading. Listen in as we discuss:

What makes a good mystery story
Why he frequently include 13-year-olds as primary characters in his books
A shared favorite book of Aaron & Kent’s
Why we might want to revisit The Catcher in the Rye
Mystery and crime authors to read and learn from
How reading affects his writing
Great Minnesotan authors and the role place plays in his stories

This episode is sponsored by Gospel-Centered Discipleship. On April 13th, GCD will host their 2020 Writer's Intensive in Louisville KY (right before T4G) featuring Ronnie Martin, Jonathan Dodson and Jared C. Wilson. Learn more and register at gcdiscipleship.com/writers-intensive.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

This Tender Land, Ordinary Grace, and the Cork O'Connor novels by William Kent Krueger
The Witness of Combines by Kent Meyers
The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
The Reivers by William Faulkner
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Criticism & Community, Side Hustles, and the Power of Moments

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0500

Continuing our adventures in balmy Minneapolis, Dave and I had the chance to chat with our friend Jeremy Writebol. Jeremy is the director of Gospel-Centered Discipleship (our sponsor for the last few episodes), as well as an author and a pastor. During our chat in a relatively quiet executive lounge, we discussed:

The time I gave Jeremy a critical review on his book
Dave's commitment to the show and our long introductions
Why we need to have a community around us, especially as writers
What it's like to build an editorial process from scratch
How reading broadly (and beyond your intended genre or field) will make you a better writer
What would it be like to write a story about just one moment
What a good side gig looks like
How writing gives an opportunity to serve the church globally and not just locally
When you can mark a book as "done" on Goodreads

This episode is sponsored by Gospel-Centered Discipleship. On April 13th, GCD will host their 2020 Writer's Intensive in Louisville KY (right before T4G) featuring Ronnie Martin, Jonathan Dodson and Jared C. Wilson. Learn more and register at gcdiscipleship.com/writers-intensive.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode: The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder
EverPresent by Jeremy Writebol
Confessions by Augustine
The Good of Giving Up by Aaron Damiani
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Sharing and supporting the show Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Half-Canadians, Fluid Language, & the Uniqueness of American Christianity

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

While in exotic Minneapolis, sitting in a fancy executive lounge at our hotel, Dave and I had a chance to talk with Canadian blogger and author Tim Challies—and as soon as the mics were on, things got heated. Listen in as we discuss:

If Aaron is still a Canadian
The fluidity of the English language
Trends that Tim’s seen in publishing over the last 15 years
The benefit of visual theology
Tim’s advice for aspiring authors
What’s unique about American Christianity from an outsider’s perspective?

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? by J. M. Boice
The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
Ashamed of the Gospel by John MacArthur
The Body by Bill Bryson
Land of Hope by Wilfred McClay
Company of One by Paul Jarvis
Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment and Epic by Tim Challies

Sharing and supporting the show

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Super Bowls, Anna Karenina, & Cries for Help

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Work travel is often challenging, but one benefit of it is going to conferences is that I have the opportunity to chat with writers who don't often come to Nashville. During the Super Bowl last week, Dave and I sat down to chat with Jen Wilkin, who is one of the best theologically-minded writers I know and a whole lot of fun to hang out with. Listen in as we discuss:

What Jen really thinks about Super Bowl Sunday
Jen's sci-fi street cred
What recommending a book can mean
What happened when I (Aaron) watched Les Miserables
Why classic (serialized) novels might need to be edited for modern readers
What more theologically-minded Christians need to keep in mind about reading
What might motivate someone to write a memoir
Reading while writing a Bible study

All as we listen to smooth jazz and shouts of excitement about whatever's going on in the Super Bowl from the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

None Like Him, In His Image, Women of the Word, and Better: A Study of Hebrews by Jen Wilkin
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (book one of the Lymond Chronicles)
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby
This Tender Land and Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

UFOs, Scary Stories, & J.J. Abrams

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0500

One of my favorite people to interview is Andrew Peterson. He's been on the show once before (in its previous incarnation), and he's a great guy to talk books, music, and theology with. Well, today I have some good news: Andrew joined Dave and me in the studio to talk creativity, music, books, and his beef with J.J. Abrams. Listen in to hear:

Where to get the best burrito in Nashville
The difference between writing a song, a fantasy/adventure story, and a memoir
The best advice to people who want to write but think they don't have the time
Andrew’s love of Victorian era ghost stories
What happened when Andrew and his wife thought they saw a UFO
Two theologians who are fans of murder mysteries
What’s happening with The Wingfeather Saga in 2020

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Adoring the Dark and The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
English History Made Brief, Irreverent, and Pleasurable by Lacey Baldwin Smith
The Lion's Gate by Steven Pressfield

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Libraries, weird publishing stories, & Eastern Orthodoxy

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Dave and I are back in the studio, and we've brought along a friend—Joel J. Miller, Chief Content Officer of Michael Hyatt & Company. Dave and Joel are old pals, having worked together at another publisher back in the day, so listen in as they reminisce, while discuss:

Joel's career in publishing (and what he misses from his time in the industry)
One of the authors Joel really regrets working with (but it's cool for him to share this since the dude he mentions went to jail for defrauding his congregation)
What are some good books to read to help someone understand the Eastern Orthodox faith
Joel's near-encounter with Owen Wilson
What were the most controversial and/or fun books Joel worked on
The resurgence of the library
The importance of editors
Our hot takes on Star Wars

Plus, a challenge for our listeners: One of you needs to find a copy of this movie and send it to Dave. (Send it to us via work: 1 LifeWay Plaza, Nashville TN, 37234)

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Useful Group. Whether you’re looking for a new website, or need help developing your marketing strategy, they want to be useful to you. Learn more at usefulgroup.com.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

The Revolutionary Paul Revere and Lifted by Angels by Joel Miller
Welcome to the Orthodox Church by Frederica Mathewes-Green
The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
Range by David Epstein
36 Righteous Men by Steven Pressfield

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Boys in a Bookstore Wearing Microphones

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Today, we're offering a special Dave-less bonus episode featuring our friend Nick Rynerson. Nick was in town on business, and we decided that we should to something amazing: we should go to McKay's, one of my favorite bookstores!

Get ready for the weirdest episode we may have ever done as we:

Offer hot takes on books we see
Recommend books for one another
Describe our approaches to bookstore browsing
Search for David Foster Wallace books and other titles Nick can't remember
Get a totally off-brand book for Dave that he has to read (because it's a gift, and it would be bad form to do otherwise)

All while wondering how long it's going to be before someone kicks us out.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
The Crown Jewels by Walter Jon Williams
Island in the Sea of Time by S. M. Stirling
Ex Machina Vol. 1 by Brian K Vaughn & Tony Harris (note: this book is intended for adult readers only)
Commonwealth by Anne Patchett
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
The Big Short by Michael Lewis
Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Weird Manliness Book Trends, John Eldredge, & Fairy Tales

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

What's my problem with the weird books that tell men how to be men? Bill Delvaux joins Dave and me in the studio to talk books for men, faith, and gender stereotypes (a little). Listen in as we discuss:

What I (Aaron) really thinks ofWild at Heart
How guys use busyness as a way to avoid having to deal with personal issues
The problem with most books directed toward men
Our fascination with Jeff Goldblum and Nicholas Cage
How mythical stories can help us better understand our wiring as men

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Heroic by Bill Delvaux
Lilith, Phantastes, and The Golden Key by George MacDonald
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Aimee Byrd

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Saints and Scoundrels, Women's Bible Studies, & Teleconferencing Guests

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Nancy Guthrie, who is already in the running for best guest ever after last episode, returns for another round of talking books, banter, and throwing shade at Dave (well, actually at me, but I like to pretend it was directed at Dave). Listen in as we talk:

Why it's taken us so long to have her on the show
Why we like having guests in-studio instead of joining via teleconference
If/when one of us will be invited onto Nancy's podcast, Help Me Teach the Bible
The story behind Nancy's upcoming book, Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus
Why women need to be deeply engaged in Bible study
Who or what Nancy nominates for this week's Jack Reacher Sucker Punch of the Week

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Mortification of Sin by John Owen
The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
The First Fowler by S. D. Smith
The Six by K. B. Hoyle

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Becoming an Author, Endorsing a Book vs a Person, & the Story You Need to Tell

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

At long last, Nancy Guthrie joins us in the studio this week! Nancy is a Bible teacher, host of Help Me Teach the Bible, and the author of many books, including the upcoming Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus, which we'll talk about a bit next episode. But this week, we're talking about a lot of different and important topics, including:

Nancy's history in publishing—from publicist to author—and how it made her a better writer
Why we should thank the author of The Total Woman (Google that one, y'all) for encouraging Nancy to start writing
Nancy's rules for endorsing books
The difference between being a theological thinker and being theologically driven
The value of physical vs digital books as a learner
Why your story may not be meant to be in a book—even if everyone is telling you to write one

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Useful Group. Whether you're looking for a new website, or need help developing your marketing strategy, they want to be useful to you. Learn more at usefulgroup.com.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode: Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos
Understanding Dispensationalists by Vern Poythress
Seinfeldia by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
Letters from a Nut by Ted L. Nancy
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Justice League: The Sixth Dimension by Scott Snyder & Jorge Jimenez
The Wounded Heart by Dan Allender

And be sure to check out all of Nancy's books on Amazon or wherever you purchase your books (but if you go with Amazon, you'll be supporting the show, so there's that).

Sharing and supporting the showLeave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Misunderstood Authors, Tom Clancy, and the Wendell Berry Jar

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 07:30:00 -0500

Our friend Nick Rynerson joins us as he auditions to take over for our former co-host (but still friend of the podcast), Barnabas. Listen in as we discuss:

Why Nick's coworkers have a Wendell Berry jar in the office
Misunderstood authors (both their work and their lifestyles)
How Keanu Reeves can be the nicest man in the world and Neil Young is seemingly not, yet both are Canadian
Why Dave is reading a Tom Clancy novel when we normally make fun of such things

All this and the usual silliness and mockery that goes on between everyone on this show.

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

The Talk

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 12:16:15 -0500

It's time for our last new episode until 2020, and it's time for the three of us to have "the talk."

Wait… what?

What kind of talk are we talking about?

You'll have to listen to find out.

But in addition to that, a few other important things happen on the show:

We play another round of our favorite game, "Leadership Book or Captain Picard"
We discuss if we've embraced the "no hugging, no learning" rule (or if we're okay with side hugging)
We talk about why Chevy Chase is terrible

And what's the deal with the doll Barnabas is holding?

Because we didn't really talk about any books on this episode, we'd encourage you to check out any (or all) of the following written by us (and leave a 5-star review on each one!):

Finally, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Our Best Books We Read For Our Enjoyment in 2019

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 07:30:00 -0500

'Tis the season for exhaustive lists of top- something or others from bloggers and podcasters everywhere. So, we're getting right down to business on this episode as we present to you our completely self-serving end-of-year book lists. Along the way, we also discuss:

When Aaron sounds most pretentious
How we rank Tim Keller’s books
The challenge of enjoying poetry
Our happiness about our friend Scarlet being okay after a health scare
What we thought about The Last Jedi

Aaron's favorites:

My Grandmother Told Me to Say She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
The Prodigal Prophet by Timothy Keller
Afraid of All the Things by Scarlet Hiltibidal
Heroes in Crisis by Tom King & Clay Mann
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Barnabas' Favorites

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
A Sever Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
Two Funerals Then Easter by Rachel Joy Welcher
Proverbs: Wisdom that Works by Ray Ortlund
The Son by Philipp Meyer

Dave's Favorites:

Educated by Tara Westover
On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

While you're at Amazon (or wherever you buy your books), be sure to also pick up copies (and leave a 5-star review) of a few of the books by me (Aaron) and Barnabas, all of which make for great gifts and/or stocking stuffers:

Finally, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

The One With All The Swearing

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 07:30:00 -0500

After a lengthy (?) sabbatical, Barnabas is back with us in the studio to gift you a very special and highly censored discussion of:

Where Barnabas has been all this time
People using nouns as verbs, and why it should never, ever happen again
Terrible ideas for the title of Barnabas's next book
Father wounds and our attempt to read a book by a certain ex-megachurch pastor
Why parents should post review books on behalf of their children on Amazon (like this one and this one)

All this and Dave tries to make Aaron feel bad about not coming to the Lonesome Dove reading group.

A few of the books mentioned in this episode:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva
The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead
The Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson
Commonwealth by Anne Patchett

As always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters. Also, don't forget to grab a copy of Aaron's ebook from The Gospel Project, Jesus Saves Christmas, here.

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

We're Thankful For That Time We Talked to Leif Enger

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 07:30:00 -0500

About a year ago, Dave and I had the privilege of being joined in-studio by acclaimed novelist Leif Enger while Barnabas was out on a work-related trip.

He declared us really bad friends, and we're okay with that.

So, today, as we all gear up for Thanksgiving, we're representing this interview as a special holiday gift to you!

Listen in as we discuss:

Leif's writing process and why it took 10 years for Virgil Wander to be released;
Why his latest is his "most Christian but least evangelical" book yet
What it means to be a successful writer (and how he handles criticism);
How his three books connect with different seasons; and
Why book tours actually still matter.

And to add salt to the wound, here's how we included Barnabas in our group photo.

A few of the books mentioned in this episode:

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
The Overstory by Richard Powers
1984 by George Orwell
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
Be sure to use the Amazon affiliate links above to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the show.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Poetry & Plumbing, Good Illustrations, and a Defense of Leadership Books

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 08:00:46 -0500

With Barnabas still out trying to get his book written, Dave and I are joined by our friend and colleague Todd Adkins, who is the Director of LifeWay Leadership at LifeWay and the host of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast. Here's what you'll hear:

Why leadership books needs to offer both theory and practice
Which leadership book Aaron thought was the one he hated (but was actually one he liked)
What makes a good illustration
The two books Todd would walk through when developing a leader
Another round of Leadership Book or Captain Picard!

A few of the books referenced this week:

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath
The Leadership Engine by Noel M. Tichy
Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars by Patrick Lencioni
Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar H. Schein
Endurance by Alfred Lansing

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Hutchmoot, Life Changes, & a New eBook

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 07:00:00 -0500

While Barnabas is off trying to meet a deadline or working or something, Aaron & Dave discuss all the things, including:

The podcast's birthday and a look back on all its iterations
Dutch Family Swears
The Armstrong family lifestyle changes
Dave's big takeaways from Hutchmoot and PubU
If you can survive in publishing if you don't really love books
Aaron's new ebook
A few of the books referenced this week: Educated by Tara Westover
Seinfeldia by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
11/22/63 by Stephen King

As always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters. And grab a copy of Aaron's ebook from The Gospel Project, Jesus Saves Christmas, here.

Today's bonus content—the 4 Gospels meme from Dave:

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Pyramid schemes, trolling literary people, & marginalia

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 07:00:33 -0500

It's a special bonus episode of the show as Dave, returning guest co-host Elizabeth Hyndman, and me tackle some very serious subjects:

Essential oils and pyramid schemes
Some of our favorite books where the characters are places
What would happen if you shared that your favorite book was The DaVinci Code in a high brow book club
If we should write in books
What makes us keep reading vs give up on a book

A few of the books referenced this week:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peeling Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows
Of Mice & Men and Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Doomsday Clock Part 1 by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

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What Women Really Want…

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 07:00:13 -0500

Dave is back in the studio and now Barnabas is MIA! But that's okay, because our friend, Elizabeth Hyndman to take his place and class up the show, while representing all women everywhere. Listen in as we discuss:

The types of books she enjoys
Books men should read to better understand women
If people really need constant reminders to review books
If people cosplay Jane Austen characters
Who Elizabeth nominates for our sucker-punch fo the week (besides us)

A few of the books referenced this week:

Educated by Tara Westover
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler
Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Schaefer
The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery
Once Upon a Time in Russia by Ben Mezrich
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

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Sensitive Subject Matter, Bad Book Covers, & Audiobook Narration

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 06:00:41 -0500

With Dave still off doing something, Jennifer Brogdon returns to take his spot and class up this show. Listen in as we discuss:

How men and women might process the difficult elements of Beartown differently
Poor choices in cover designs (or when bad covers happen to good books)
The right speed and cadence for audiobook narration
Dave's favorite new author

This week's indie-bookstore shout-out goes to Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS. If you live near Jackson, or you're passing through the area, be sure to check it out.

A few of the books referenced this week:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Silkworm by J.K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

Sharing and supporting the show

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Dentistry vs Writing, Teaching International Students, & a New Definition of Procrastination

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 06:00:16 -0500

Dave is off doing something (no one is really sure where he goes), but we've got a special guest! Jennifer Brogdon steps in to replace him talk different kinds of humor, teaching international students, and a book she read the day before recording this episode. Listen in as we discuss:

Male vs female humor
How Jen's passion for dentistry led her to be a writer
Which Leif Enger book you should read first
How we best use our reading time
How reading plays a part in teaching international students
A new definition of procrastination
Jen's initial thoughts on Beartown

A few of the books referenced this week:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Complete Short Stories by Flannery O’Connor
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Commonwealth by Anne Patchett

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
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Neighborhood Library Boxes, Balanced Diets, & Leadership Book or Captain Picard

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 06:00:48 -0500

We're back in the studio with another jam-packed episode of the show. Listen in as we discuss:

Which three literary characters would we bring along as part of our own Fellowship of the Ring (that aren't part of the Fellowship of the Ring)
If Neighborhood library boxes a good thing, and if people use them
How to balance your diet of brain candy and more substantial books
A book you we didn't want to end
And who said it: a Leadership Book or Captain Picard

As always, it gets weird, but it's good.

A few of the books referenced this week:

Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle
Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
Lessons From Lucy by Dave Barry
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
Anathem by Neal Stephenson

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Workshopping Gladwell Book Titles, Talking to Strangers, & Middle School Bullies

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 06:00:43 -0500

We finally got the three of us back in the studio, which can only mean one thing: more censorship than I would have thought possible! Listen in as we discus:

How Barnabas is settling into his new role at Immanuel
Who we were in middle school (and which kid in The Sandlot were we)
If Malcolm Gladwell is insufferable (or if it's just his fans)
If Barnabas should read Talking to Strangers
Titles for a future Gladwell book
Our decision to read a book by a certain controversial figure
Who pulls off a more convincing "How dare you!"
Three books Barnabas tried to read but really hated

Plus, Barnabas offers an apology (kind of).

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books we mention on this episode

Malcolm Gladwell's books:
- The Tipping Point
- Blink
- Outliers
- What the Dog Saw
- David and Goliath
- Talking to Strangers
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Batman Vol. 10: Knightmares by Tom King
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

This week's bonus content:

Dueling "How Dare Yous" (on Facebook) and The Snipping Point:

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When Reading Got Fun, How Not to Impress Girls, & What Not to Read During Class

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 06:00:41 -0500

Dave and I are back in the studio while Barnabas is still off doing something else. So, we're joined by our friends, Nick Rynerson and James Kinnard, to talk about our reading through different seasons of life. Listen in as we discuss:

How our reading habits grew and changed from high school through adulthood
If teen boys will successfully impress girls by reading eastern philosophy
Books we read in high school that we ended up liking
What happens when a middle-schooler reads Camus
If Bloomington counts as a suburb of Chicago
The problem with self-appointed experts

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books we mention on this episode

Herzog by Saul Bellow
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Dune by Frank Herbert
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Creeping on Wendell Berry, coffee talk, & why physical books are best

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 06:00:50 -0500

Dave's back from vacation, Barnabas is off doing something else, and we're uncomfortable in the studio with a special guest: our friend Nick Rynerson. Nick is the chief creative officer at Useful Group (a digital marketing agency you'll be hearing more about in the future); more importantly he loves to read—and he adores Wendell Berry.

So we're going to talk about that.

Listen in as we discuss:

How Nick fell in love with Wendell Berry's writing (but really doesn't want to sound like he's a stalker)
If Barnabas is actually funny on Twitter or is it because we know his tone
If your life has to be a hot mess to be a brilliant writer
Why we need to recapture a sense of presence when we live so much of our lives in front of screens
What you need to go into reading Berry's work knowing
Why you should read physical books and not eBooks
Who Nick wants to punch in the face as part of the Jack Reacher Sucker Punch of the Week

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books we mention on this episode

Wendell Berry's books:
- The Unsettling of America
- Nathan Coulter
- A Place on Earth
- Jayber Crow
- Hannah Coulter
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Old, Weird America by Grell Marcus (previously published as Invisible Republic)
Midnight Rising by Tony Horowitz
The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson

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Destroying Books, Writing Tell-Alls, and Our Favorite International Authors

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 06:00:26 -0500

It's rabbit trails, non sequiturs, and listener questions on today's episode! Dave continues to allegedly be on vacation during this episode, leaving it to us to discuss these important issues:

Is Cat Lady Dave played out?
Have we ever deliberately destroyed a book?
What are some of our favorite international authors?
If we could write the history of or a tell-all on anything, what would it be?
What are a few of our favorite words that sound like something else entirely?

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

The books we mention (positively) on this episode

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

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Pat Conroy, Loving Yourself Appropriately, & (mal)Contents vs Gut Check

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 06:00:33 -0500

It finally happened: I (Aaron) finished the book I've been struggling to read for months, and Barnabas and I decided to talk through it while Dave was on vacation. (Because that's what friends do.) Listen in to a surprisingly earnest discussion about family dynamics, what Dave's doing on vacation, and our desperate need for coffee:

Why all of Pat Conroy's books are an emotional rollercoaster
The risks of writing honest memoirs (even if that memoir is told as a work of fiction)
Why it's a huge mistake to order iced coffee (or coffee in general) from Chick-Fil-A
The difference between experiencing spoilers in books and movies
What Stephen Ambrose captured about the character of young men in the 1940s that seems to be missing in our generation
Which podcast blend from Lagares Coffee Roasters is the best one (hint: it's ours)
How this podcast is saving a listener from living in squalor
Barnabas's thoughts-and-prayers request

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books discussed on this episode

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The Lords of Discipline, The Great Santini, Beach Music, South of Broad, The Death of Santini, and A Lowcountry Heart by Pat Conroy
The Pat Conroy Cookbook
Poland by James Michener

Sharing and supporting the show

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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Great westerns, frustrating sci-fi tropes, & capturing the creative imagination

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 06:00:50 -0500

Things get super-nerdy—and even more middle-aged—on this episode of the show as Andrew Osenga joins us for a great conversation about science fiction, westerns, and being cat or dog people. Listen in as we discuss:

Why Star Trek: The Next Generation looked like a Holiday Inn circa 1994
How we really feel about John Steinbeck
Why westerns are great to read, and what makes a great western
If mindless violence really has a place in books
The parallels between westerns and sci-fi
The sci-fi storytelling trope Andrew hates
The book Amy Grant told Andrew he had to read

Andrew Osenga is a musician, songwriter, producer, and host of The Pivot, where he sits down with artists, authors, and non-profit leaders to talk about moving from one career or passion to another.

Thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books we mention on this episode

Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories by Elmore Leonard
The Trail Driver by Zane Grey
Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
The Son by Philipp Meyer
Deadwood by Pete Dexter
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
True Grit by Charles Portis
A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers

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Midlife Crises, Ordinary Lives, and #Chafey

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 06:00:30 -0500

As you can imagine, we're all getting older and (theoretically) maturing. Well, one of us is, at any rate. In honor of my (Aaron's) 40th birthday (on August 21st), and the tendency for guys to start chucking their lives in an attempt to recapture their youth as soon as they officially become middle-aged, we decided to talk through the idea of midlife crises related to reading. Listen in as we discuss:

How our reading habits have changed as midlife approaches
Sparkly vs dark-and-brooding vampires
Neil Gaiman and Nick Hornby as the literary equivalents of midlife crises
If there was ever such a thing as "the good old days"
Why an ordinary life is a good thing

All this plus gift-giving in the studio!

A few of the books mentioned on this episode

Boring by Michael Kelley
Ordinary by Tony Merida
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
The Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara
Nick Hornby's works
South of Broad and The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Destiny and Power by Jon Meacham

Bonus Content: "Bonhoeffer Convinced Me to Abandon My Dream" by Chase Repogle

Sharing and supporting the show

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Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Our favorite sidekicks, the first books in our book clubs, & 3-word descriptions

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 06:00:01 -0500

We're back in the sauna/podcast studio for another round of Q&A thanks to our friend Andy Whisenant and the fine folks at Goodreads. Listen in as we dig into the following questions:

Who are our favorite sidekicks—and do Ron and Hermoine qualify?
If we were starting book clubs, what is the first book we would introduce to our audiences?
What do our favorite books have in common?
Which books do we have on our shelves that we really feel like we should have read, but haven’t?
How would we describe the books we’re reading in three words?

Thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books we mention on this episode:

The High Divide by Lin Enger
Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Civil War by Shelby Foote
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry (I think you know who it's by)
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to the show.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod
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Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Should we reject books by authors who rejected the faith?

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 06:00:15 -0500

It grieves all three of us on this podcast when anyone walks away from the Christian faith. Joshua Harris' recent announcement of his "deconstruction" of his faith is just one of many that each of us—Barnabas, Dave, and me—know of and are affected by to varying degrees.

He isn't the only one, of course. There are so many (former) pastors that have either rejected the faith entirely, or through their behavior, been revealed to be out of step with the message they proclaimed. So what should we do with the books they wrote that we maybe found helpful once upon a time? Listen in as we discuss

Should we get rid of books based on the author's character?
Can (and should) we separate the message from the individual sharing it?
What hope do we have for authors who reject the gospel they once proclaimed?
How should we respond as we learn about the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs of historical figures?

All this plus sucker-punching, and our updates on what we're reading.

Thanks to Gospel-Centered Discipleship for sponsoring this episode. If you're an aspiring writer who wants to learn from the likes of Jen Wilkin, Hannah Anderson, Jared Wilson, and our own Barnabas Piper, sign up to take part in their new writers cohort at tailored.coach/gcdwriters.

And, of course, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books we mention on this episode:

Pappion by Henri Charriere
Eric Lidell: Something Greater than Gold by Janet and Geoff Benge
Not Forsaken by Jennifer Greenberg

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show.
If you know someone who would benefit from listening, share the show on your favorite social media network.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @malContentsPod
We use affiliate links from Amazon to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the podcast. Be sure to purchase a book or ten that we talk about on every episode.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Historical fiction, splitting hairs, and honoring an American icon

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 06:00:35 -0500

Over the last several months, we've mentioned a lot of works of historical fiction, but we've never really talked about historical fiction much at all: it's purpose, some of our favorite works, and does it include room for speculative fiction, too. So, now we're going to! Listen in as we discuss:

The difference between period fiction and historical fiction (and if we're just splitting hairs on this)
If alternative history works (e.g. "What if JFK was never assassinated?") count as historical fiction
Buzz Aldrin sucker punching people
What are a few good recommendations for those looking to start reading historical fiction
Dave's accusation that someone might have said a word that we would not dare say on a family-friendly show like this one

And, of course, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books we mention on this episode:

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick
The Frozen Hours by Jeff Shaara
The Conqueror series by Conn Iggulden
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
Alaska by James Michener
Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

Sharing and supporting the show

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If you know someone who would benefit from listening, share the show on your favorite social media network.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @malContentsPod
We use affiliate links from Amazon to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the podcast. Be sure to purchase a book or ten that we talk about on every episode.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

The Sewage Blaze

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 06:00:23 -0500

There are certain books so good they can only be described as transcendent. Others are cultural phenomena, but are best described as… well, you'll find out as we discuss The Notebook.

That's right—all three of us have finally (mostly) read this book, and today, Barnabas, Dave, and I are talking about our experience in the most PG-12 episode of the show yet. Listen in as we discuss:

Why Nicholas Sparks is one of the worst famous writers any of us have ever read
What the movie would be like if Ryan Gosling's and Rachel McAdams' characters were played by ordinary looking actors instead of beautiful ones
If we should read books with good romance
The unhealthy expectations books like The Notebook create about relationships, marriage and sex
Our dramatic readings of random passages of the book
A better phrase than "dumpster fire"

Thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

Today's bonus content and challenge:

Read: "'The Notebook' is a dumpster fire and I didn't realize it 15 years ago" by Carly Mellenbaum
Your Challenge: If you read and really loved The Notebook, tell us why by tagging @malContentsPod on Twitter. We'll share our favorites on an upcoming episode and send you a book by one of us that we guarantee is better than The Notebook.

As always, be sure to leave a creative and entertaining 5-star review on Apple Podcasts—one that we can't help but read on the air! And, if you have a question for us to answer on a future episode of the show, call our hotline at 615-538-7473 and leave us a message.

A few of the books we mention on this episode:

Keeper by Greg Rucka
Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth
The Pioneers by David McCullough
Detective Comics #1000: The Deluxe Edition by Peter Tomasi, Brian Michael Bendis, Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, et al.

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show.
If you know someone who would benefit from listening, share the show on your favorite social media network.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @malContentsPod
We use affiliate links from Amazon to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the podcast. Be sure to purchase a book or ten that we talk about on every episode.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let's talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

What made us want to write, imitating others, and the spectrum of writers

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 06:00:46 -0500

There's often something that triggers a writer's desire to write—even if that something is as simple as reading a book and saying, "I can do better than that." So what were some of those moments for Barnabas and Aaron? That's our conversation on the show today. Listen in as we discuss:

What made us want to write in the first place
What authors do we look to for inspiration
Who we think are good and great writers that are producing material right now
Do we ever imitate other writers—and should we?
Is it possible for a good writer to become a great one?
The strangest review of the show we've seen recently

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

And, of course, leave a creative and entertaining 5-star review on Apple Podcasts—one that we can't help but read on the air! And if you have a question for us to answer on a future episode of the show, call our hotline at 615-538-7473 and leave us a message.

A few of the books we mention on this episode:

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
The Oracle Year by Charles Soule
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

Christian vacation reads, movie references, & Aaron is boring

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 06:00:51 -0500

We don't talk about Christian books a whole lot, which is funny since we all work in Christian publishing. But since it's "summer reading list" season from ministry leaders and websites, we decided to discuss the books would we recommend Christians read to read instead of being known for having read them? Listen in as we discuss:

What movies pastors constantly reference in sermons?
Does Humble Calvinism qualify as a summer/vacation read?
And why do we use the phrase "laundry list"?
Does Aaron recommend too many boring books in this category?
Who would we wish would sponsor the podcast?
Which Christian author wrote the worst summer vacation read?

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

Bonus content: The origin of the phrase "laundry list".

A few of the books we discussed in this episode:

Recapturing the Wonder by Mike Cosper
Wherever I Wind Up by R. A. Dickey
Afraid of all the Things by Scarlet Hiltibidal
Two Funerals Then Easter by Rachel Joy Welcher
The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield
Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
The Father Brown Mysteries and The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
Epic by Aaron Armstrong
My Losing Season by Pat Conroy
Seinfeldia by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
The Legend of Greg by Chris Rylander
Circe by Madeline Miller

Bias in biographies, sucker punching as a family, & owning #40Dave

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 06:00:18 -0500

We love good stories—and great stories are even better when they're true. Real stories, true stories don't just pass on facts, they inspire us. Recently, Dave and I sat down with our friend Catherine Parks to talk about how biographies help us see God at work, movies, and reading well. Listen in as we discuss:

People that surprised Catherine as she worked on Empowered and Strong
How to fight against bias when writing biographies
What biographies can teach kids
How Catherine's family has embraced the Jack Reacher Sucker Punch of the Week
Why Dave just needs to own being #40Dave
Just how old is Catherine's husband, anyway?

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A challenge for our listeners:

Leave a creative and entertaining 5-star review on Apple Podcasts—one that we can't help but read on the air! And if you have a question for us to answer on a future episode of the show, call our hotline at 615-538-7473 and leave us a message.

A few of the books we discussed in this episode:

Empowered and Strong by Catherine Parks
The Pioneers by Dave McCollough
The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix
East of Eden by John Steinbeck

To learn more about the film, Why We Breathe, written and directed by Erik Parks, head over to whywebreathefilm.com. Check out the trailer below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgrRv1MVN0Y

Being Terrible at Patriotism, Canada vs America, & Barnabas vs Avocado Toast

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 06:00:43 -0500

Fireworks, grilling, and spending time with friends. That's what you do on Canada Day, which happens to be the day we're releasing this episode. Oh, and Independence Day is this week, too, and all the Americans do that same stuff. Except bigger. And more explosive. Because that's how we do it here in America. Thinking about this got us all kinds of patriotic in the studio, and you get to enjoy the benefits. Listen in as we discuss:

Which country has a better national anthem?
Nicknames for America and Canada
Dave reveals his midlife crisis by eating avocado toast
How Canada became a sort-of semi-independent country
How Canadians learn about America
America's dubious history with dealing with issues
Books that help us learn about the histories of both nations
The problem The West Wing and comedic timing

As always, thanks to our friends at Lagares Coffee Roaster for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Order all the bags you can handle today.

A few of the books mentioned on this episode:

The Invasion of Canada and Flames Across the Border by Pierre Burton (parts one and two of Burton's The War of 1812)
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Canadian History for Dummies by Will Ferguson
The Soul of America by Jon Meachum
I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson
The Last Hero by Howard Bryant
American History Vol. 1: 1492-1877 and Vol. 2: 1877-Present by Thomas S. Kidd
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger
American Lion by Jon Meachum
The Power Broker by Robert Caro
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
America: The Book by Jon Stewart

Bonus content: Will Ferrell's "Get Off the Shed" sketch.

Book conventions, cat poetry, & Amazon vs humans

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 06:00:18 -0500

Not every conversation makes sense, but sometimes they really make no sense. Such is the case in this episode recorded in Birmingham a couple weeks back, where our nadir was reached after a hard day of standing in a conference hall. Listen in as we discuss:

Dave's poor defense of Dave Matthews Band
Music we'd never let our kids listen to
Cat poetry after an impromptu on-air reading
Dave's experiences at a recent book convention
The pros and cons of getting recommendations from Amazon vs a human being

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o
The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
The Genius Files by Dan Gutman
Dodger by Terry Pratchett
The Mark of the Christian by Francis Schaeffer
I Could Pee On This (And Other Poems by Cats) by Francesco Marciuliano

As always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

Just for fun: Here's the Trekkers Sketch from SNL Dave referenced.

And the book we gifted Dave on this episode:

Because of course we're going to give Dave something like this.

"A story has to be true to be beautiful and good"

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 06:00:22 -0500

Recently, the team was in Birmingham for a certain work-related event. Because we needed a break from what we were doing for our work-jobs, we decided to record a couple of episodes of the show… and it just so happens that an author Barnabas and I enjoy was in town and able to join us on the show. This week we're joined by K.B. Hoyle, author of The Gateway Chronicles and The Breeder Cycle, to chat storytelling, writing middle-grade fiction, and being a Christian who writes for the general market. Listen in as we discuss:

The difference between the practice of storytelling and the practice of writing
The contradiction of figuring out what books are exactly like—and nothing like—the one you're writing
Why writers should always tell true things about the world
If "binge" culture has hurt our reading experience
Why you can't market a book into being a phenomenon
Why J.K. Rowling hasn't had a book resonate the way Harry Potter did
To do when your publisher closes its doors before you finish a series
What a publisher's feedback really means when they reject your manuscript

As always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

As for the books we discussed this week, be sure to check out all of K. B. Hoyle's books:

The Gateway Chronicles:

The Breeder Cycle:

Breeder
Criminal

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show.
If you know someone who would benefit from listening, share the show on your favorite social media network.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @malContentsPod
If you have a question for the show, call our illiteracy helpline at 615-538-7473 and leave us a message. Your question may be featured on a future episode.
We use affiliate links from Amazon to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the podcast. Be sure to purchase a book or ten that we talk about on every episode.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via emailor DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Buying vs borrowing books, loving the library, & being part of the problem

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 06:00:03 -0500

In a special bonus episode, we're answering a big question that we've kind of talked about in the past, but we really felt like it would be good to hit directly: What factors determine whether we buy or borrow a book?

What prompts us to buy a book brand-new in a brick-and-mortar bookstore—and are we part of the problem with them going under?
What books we'll borrow from the library
How the library is really useful for audiobook consumption
Why we don't like borrowing books from people (or loaning them for that matter)

As always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

Summer reading, getting fatter & happier, and what not to read on vacation

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 06:00:41 -0500

It's getting hot outside, which means it's the time of year when many blogs are sharing their annual Summer Reading Lists™, mostly filled with big thick theology books and historical works. Which is… fine. But is that the best way to use your reading time when you actually get to go on vacation? That's what we're talking on this episode over donuts made in my kitchen. Listen in as we get fatter and happier discussing:

Two good approaches to summer reading
The time Dave watched Jaws before going to the beach
If it's a good idea to read on the beach at all
The kinds of books you should (and shouldn't) read on vacation
The character Aaron wants to punch in the face

Also, when the heck are we going to finally discuss The Notebook?

As always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

Some of the books we mentioned on this episode include:

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton
The Cartel by Don Winslow
The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Martian by Andy Weir
Artemis by Andy Weir
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield
The Gateway Chronicles by K.B. Hoyle
The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

Bonus content: Weekend Update featuring Buford Calloway (the origin of the "Dixie Champagne" reference)

The Writer’s Process, Writing Like You Speak, and Coldplay vs Dave Matthews

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 06:00:21 -0500

Since Dave was being all professional and in a meeting, Barnabas and I decided to have a conversation about what might be the grossest phrase associated with writing: the writing process. What are the habits, practices, and disciplines that work for us? What does it look like to be writers who have jobs? Y'know, simple stuff like that. Listen in as we dig tackle the following topics:

Which of us would prefer to live the romanticized version of the author's life
What our writing processes actually look like
Which is worse: Coldplay or Dave Matthews Band
The best way to use humor in writing
Why "writing like you speak" isn't great advice

As always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

The only books we mentioned on this episode are our own, so if you'd consider all of them up, that'd be amazing.

Aaron's books:

Awaiting a Savior
Contend
Epic: The Story that Changed the World
Epic Devotions: 52 Weeks in the Story that Changed the World (available for pre-order)

Barnabas' books:

Questioning questionable content, preachy fiction, and James Bond

Mon, 27 May 2019 06:00:22 -0500

We tend to joke a lot about "content," "grit," and "scenes" in books. But today, we're having a serious conversation (as serious as we get anyway) about the place of questionable content in fiction, if there is actually a legitimate place at all. Listen in as we get think-piece-y while discussing:

If we should make distinctions between violent and sexual content
What we do when we get caught off-guard by explicit content in a book
Why it’s not good for fiction to get preachy
If explicit content is a crutch for trash writing
Whether or not James Bond is a sociopath
Aaron and Barnabas' recommendations for a fiction series for Dave to read

As always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

A few of the books we discussed on this episode

The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett
The Coroman Strike series by Robert Galbraith
The Conquerer series by Conn Iggulden
Ashtown Burials by N. D. Wilson
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Struck by Russ Ramsey
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel by Greg Rucka

Wiping books out of existence, organizing our libraries, & hurtful words

Mon, 20 May 2019 11:44:03 -0500

We love our listeners—you are as much a part of this show as we are, with your questions, feedback, and more than a little shade that gets thrown at us. On today's episode, we introduce a new way for you to participate in the show with our illiteracy helpline! With the help of Google Voice, we set up a new number for you to call in with your questions, and asked a few of you to test it out. And boy, did you ask some great questions! Listen in as we discuss:

How Barnabas' personality lines up with the temperament of a cat
What book we would wipe out of existence if we could
Which movie based on a book we think are better than the original book
How we organize our books
What books we didn't expect to like but we wound up really enjoying (or vice versa)
A challenge for you: help us get to 100 reviews on iTunes

As always, thanks to our sponsors:

Lagares Roasters has partnered with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.
Gospel-Centered Discipleship, which produces resources to help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. Check out gcdiscipleship.com/books and enjoy a special discount on all ebooks by using the coupon MALCONTENT at check out.

And if you have a question for the show, call our illiteracy helpline at 615-538-7473 and leave us a message. Your question may be featured on a future episode.

A few of the books that we discussed today (that we wouldn't wipe out of existence):

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

Proposing to propose, taking chances, and the problem of how-to-books

Mon, 13 May 2019 07:00:49 -0500

Barnabas is writing a new book. Dave is helping launch a few key new titles for B&H. I'm in the midst of putting together a new book proposal for something I've wanted to write (and have been poking away at) for four-plus years. So today, we're digging deep and offering some practical advice for aspiring authors, specifically around what makes a good proposal. Listen in as we discuss:

What are a few of the key ingredients of a good book proposal?
Why is it helpful to have a literary agent?
Should platforms and audiences matter when writing?
Why are there so many how-to books on the market today?
Would a publisher take a chance on Knowing God today?

As always, thanks to our sponsors:

Lagares Roasters has partnered with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.
Gospel-Centered Discipleship, which produces resources to help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. Check out gcdiscipleship.com/books and enjoy a special discount on all ebooks by using the coupon MALCONTENT at check out.

A few of the books we discuss on today's episode:

America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction by John Steinbeck
Leaders: Myth and Reality by Stanley McChrystal
Desiring God by John Piper
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
When Helping Hurts by Steven Corbett and Brian Fikkert

Short books, getting self-promo-y, & enjoying Spring

Mon, 06 May 2019 07:00:37 -0500

The three of us read a lot of books, but even as guys who really like to read, there are too many books that are just way too long. Maybe you feel the same way. So today, we're back in the studio in Nashville to talk about some of our favorite books that are quick reads. Listen in as we discuss:

How do we define "short" books?
Are celebrity memoirs actually any good?
How do we really feel about the books we are "encouraged" to read by our bosses?
What is the best time of year to be in Nashville?
Who will take the title of Most-Referenced Author from Leif Enger?
Who is the most self-promo-y podcaster out there?
Should we call Conan O'Brien's podcast hotline and invite him on our show?

As always, thanks to our sponsors:

Lagares Roasters has partnered with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.
Gospel-Centered Discipleship, which produces resources to help make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus. Check out gcdiscipleship.com/books and enjoy a special discount on all ebooks by using the coupon MALCONTENT at check out.

A few of the books we discussed today:

The Secret Diary of Hendrick Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
The War of Art, Do the Work, and Nobody Wants to Read Your ****by Stephen Pressfield
I Must Say by Martin Short
Churchill by Paul Johnson
The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer
April 1865 by Jay Winik
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Great Divorce and A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
The Gospel and Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel by Ray Ortlund
Lincoln on Leadership by Donald Phillips
The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
The Green Ember series by S. D. Smith
Awaiting a Savior by Aaron Armstrong
A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield
It Worked for Me by Colin Powell
The Lion's Gate by Stephen Pressfield

Writing a bestseller, social contracts, & reading Annie Dillard

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 07:00:20 -0500

All of us live around Nashville, but sometimes it takes traveling to Indianapolis to make magic happen. That's what happens on this episode of Table of (mal)Contents, as Russ Ramsey joins us for a great chat about the art of writing, and that time he wrote a letter to Annie Dillard. Listen in as we discuss:

The magical time in the mid-90s when all the baseball players were juicing
Russ' book being endorsed by Leif Enger
Are we doing readers a disservice by making them easier to read?
The secret to having a bestselling book among evangelicals
Why Christians need to be grounded in the rules of narrative in order to understand the Bible
The social contract between readers and writers
The origin of the phrase "the world is her oyster"
Where to start reading Annie Dillard

A few of the books we discussed in this episode:

The Abundance by Annie Dillard
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The Living by Annie Dillard
Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard
The Advent of the Lamb, The Passion of the King of Glory, and The Mission of the Body of Christ by Russ Ramsey
Struck by Russ Ramsey
The Story of Christianity by Justo L. Gonzalez
The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby
Don't Panic: Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Neil Gaiman
The Flash Vol. 9: Reckoning of the Forces by Joshua Williamson

And, as always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

Nostalgia, mindless reading, and untapped holidays

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 07:00:50 -0500

It's a podcast crossover! Ronnie Martin of The Happy Rant joins us in-studio in exotic Indianapolis to talk nostalgia, Christmas and romance novels, and trying to read theology.

And by "in-studio" I mean "in the hallway outside the exhibit hall at TGC."

Listen in as we discuss:

Why Ronnie enjoys romance and Christmas novels
What's really nice about writing for kids
If the name "Joseph" is cult-y
What are the boundaries of Ronnie's Christmas season?
Is there a mindlessness to Christian living and theology books?
Can you reach a saturation point with a type of book?
Why Ronnie is anti-self-publishing

A few of the books we shared this time around:

The Best Gift Ever Given by Ronnie Martin
The Broken Road by Richard Paul Evans
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Die Hard Christmas by Doogie Horner and JJ Harrison (note: this one's got some content and language)
All That's Good by Hannah Anderson
Theology of the Reformers by Timothy George
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham

And, as always, thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the Table of (mal)Contents blend. Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

Sharing and supporting the show

"Moby Dick is the reason I went into British literature"

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 07:00:09 -0500

A couple weeks' back, we travelled to exotic downtown Indianapolis for TGC19. With so many book loving people in one place at the same time, we took the show on the road to chat with a few friends. On this episode, we're joined by Karen Swallow Prior to talk books and British literature, theology, pets, and few other things too. Listen in as we discuss:

Will Dave's cats join him in the new creation?
How does reading help us become virtuous?
What challenges do the current (and forthcoming) generations face when it comes to reading?
Why is reading classic works so difficult?
Does anyone actually read Moby Dick?
Which is more virtuous: using the cliff notes or watching the movie adaptation of a book?
What do we really wish people understood about Jane Austen's books?

A few of the books we mentioned in this episode:

On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Tess of the D'ubervilles by Thomas Hardy

Online reading groups, platform-building, and pronouncing "against"

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 08:30:13 -0500

The Internet taught us something new: We're missing out on some huge opportunities with online book clubs, courses, and whatnot. So we're getting our thinking caps on as we workshop some ideas for the whatnot, and bring Dave's daughter along for the ride.

Listen in as we discuss:

How does someone become an expert in anything?
What online course should we each create?
What books will you pay to be a part of online reading group to read with us?
What books would be part of a heresy 101-type book club?
How do you pronounce "against"?

And just for fun, we're going to start a new challenge: We're going to read a Nicholas Sparks book together—The Notebook—and we want you to join us! Hit us up on Twitter at @malcontentspod if you're in.

A few of the non-trash books we mentioned in this episode:

Epic: The Story that Changed the World by Aaron Armstrong & Heath McPherson
Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
The Lion's Gate: On the Front Lines of the Six Day War by Stephen Pressfield
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Wishes and Wellingtons by Julie Berry
The Kings of Cool by by Don Winslow

And special thanks to Lagares Roasters for partnering with us to make the new Table of (mal)Contents blend! Pick up a bag (or 12) today.

Good biographies vs bad ones, the Tolkien movie, and Canadian coffee

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 08:30:09 -0500

We all love biographies and memoirs. Well, Dave and I (Aaron) do a lot more than Barnabas. But we all do love to talk about biographies and memoirs! And this week we're joined by Dave's daughter, Madelyn, who helps keep us on track as we discuss what makes a good biography and why we love them; the greatness of the word "bloviating;" what makes a good memoir vs a bad one; and why Christian biographies are so hard to write.

Personality types and fictional characters, and books for every Enneagram type

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 08:30:09 -0500

Just like everyone else, we’re still talking about the Enneagram. We had a lot of fun talking with Jenaye in our first episode that we needed to make it a two-parter! Listen in as we discuss:

* The right way to pronounce Ayn Rand’s first name* Which book characters fit with which enneagram type (and shred a list from the Internet)* Book options for every enneagram type

Personality profiles, the Enneagram, and Chicken Dave Schroeder

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 08:30:50 -0500

There are a lot of different personality profiles out there. Some folks swear by Myers-Briggs (e.g. INTJ), while others the DiSC profile, StrengthsFinders, or one of the 78,000 other options out there to label ourselves. So on today’s episode, we invited our friend and colleague, Jenaye White to join us on the show to discuss the Enneagram. (Do we need a trigger warning?)

Listen in to the first of a two-part conversation where we discuss:

Leaders are Readers, But They’re Not If…

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 08:30:00 -0500

Harry S. Truman famously said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” (I mean, unless he didn’t, of course. It’s hard to find anything confirming it for certain.) But what if they’re not? On this episode, we’re joined by our friend, co-worker and fellow Canadian Daniel Im to dig into the truth behind this leadership cliché and try to help leaders become better readers. Listen in as we discuss:

3-Word Descriptions, Retitling Books, and Keeping People from Reading Bad Books

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 09:30:09 -0500

It’s a tight, on-point conversation today on the podcast as we let the fine folks at Goodreads guide us once again. Listen in as we talk through the following big questions:

* Describe a book you’re reading in three words* Which author would you choose to play your favorite sport with?* If you could give a book a different title, what would it be?* What do you tell your child or friend when they want to read a book that you know is te

Advice for aspiring authors, avoiding comparisons, when not to write

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 10:30:12 -0500

A couple of days before we recorded this episode, a fond memory popped up in my (Aaron’s) Facebook feed about starting the early work on what would become my first book, Awaiting A Savior. In honor of that memory, and because

How we read so much, cat-rants, and Dave’s new nickname

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 10:30:22 -0500

We’re dealing with some hard truths on this episode of the podcast as we address some bad habits this week. Listen in as we discuss:

* Some important (sub-tweeted) listener feedback and Dave’s sinus issues* Why Barnabas hate cats* Why dogs love Aaron* Why there’s no such thing as a hero cat genre* How in the world we find time to read as much as we do while having families and jobs

Plus, Dave gets a ne

Why do they always kill the dog, cats, and Nic Cage ruins everything

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 10:30:55 -0500

Dave’s daughter was recently traumatized when she read Where the Red Fern Grows, and we got to thinking: why the heck to teachers keep asking kids to read this book? Listen in as we discuss:

* Why Dave’s still not sleeping and the Legend of Winston* What we think about this seemingly psychotic habit of authors writing books where the dog always dies* Why there’s no “the cat dies” genre and if there are any cats that

Relationship issues, marriage books, and fur babies

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 10:30:00 -0500

Apparently we need podcasting therapy, as our relationship issues come to the surface. Things got weird in the studio as we recorded a special sort-of-Valentines-Day-y episode of Table of (mal)Contents. Listen in as we discuss:

Why Barnabas and Aaron dislike Love and Respect (while not throwing shade at Gary Chapman)
Which is a worse term: book baby or fur baby?
Why are there so many marriage books out there—and why are so many terrible?
Who should never write a marriage book?
What can actually be helpful about relationship books?
The relationship book we should write

The book(s) we didn’t rip on today:

The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller
My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper
South of Broad: A Novelby Pat Conroy

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show.
If you know someone who would benefit from listening, share the show on your favorite social media network.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @malContentsPod
We use affiliate links from Amazon to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the podcast. Be sure to purchase a book or ten that we talk about on every episode.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Books that make you laugh, having dinner with authors, and why we don’t loan books

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 10:30:00 -0500

Imagine being out for dinner with three authors—any three. Who would they be, and what would you ask them? We’re asking ourselves some very random questions today as we present a new edition of Barnabas, Aaron and Dave Answer Goodreads Questions. Listen as we answer:

If you could have dinner with any three authors, living or dead, who would they be?
If you could only ask one question to one of your dinner guests, what would it be?
What’s the one book in your library that you would never let someone borrow?
Which books do you enjoy reading aloud?
What was the last book that made you laugh out loud?

A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano
A Man Called Ove and Beartown: A Novel by Fredrik Backman
Adventures in Darkness by Tom Sullivan

Sharing and supporting the show

Leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show.
If you know someone who would benefit from listening, share the show on your favorite social media network.
Give us a follow on Twitter at @malContentsPod
We use affiliate links from Amazon to help us pay for the costs of producing and hosting the podcast. Be sure to purchase a book or ten that we talk about on every episode.
Interested in sponsoring Table of (mal)Contents? Let’s talk via email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.

Do humble C- - - - -ists exist, contract reveals revisited, and pronouncing GIF

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 06:00:00 -0500

We are living on the edge on this episode recorded in balmy downtown Minneapolis during the Bethlehem Pastor's Conference. Why? Because we're talking to Jeff Medders (@mrmedders) about his new book, which features a word I (Aaron) avoid using. Listen in as we discuss:

What -1,000,000º F feels like
What life is like in Cage-Stage County
Whether or not the title of Jeff's book is an oxymoron
Jeff defends himself over calling his new book a book baby
How to make the most of a contract reveal photo
Which is better: LaCroix or Tim Horton's?
If it's pronounced "GIF" or "JIF"

A few of the books mentioned on today's episode:

Humble Calvinism by J.A. Medders
The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy
Still Foolin’ ’em by Billy Crystal
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

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