Table of (Mal)Contents

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.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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. 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.

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? 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: 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 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.