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. 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.