Table Of (mal)contents

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. Giv

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 Charle

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

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 Ja

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! Sh

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

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 C

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

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 suppo

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. Butl

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

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 Sha

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-retir

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

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

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 Lan

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: Walki

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 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 tod

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! 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 episod

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 a