Table of (Mal)Contents

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

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. 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. 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

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

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.

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.

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 Six The Oracle The White Thread The Enchanted The Scroll The Bone Whistle 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.

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.

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)

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: The Pastor's Kid Help My Unbelief The Curious Christian

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