Table Of (mal)contents

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 re

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 coupo

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 discou

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 Passio

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 t

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

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 b

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.

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

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:

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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 pe

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 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 liste