Table of (Mal)Contents

So, many weeks ago, back in the long forgotten times when people socialized together and we recorded our podcast in-person, and before Scarlet teamed up with us to class up this show and keep it firmly in the mostly-family-friendly radio space, there was another co-host. But his life got too busy with a new job, his other show, and a book deadline, so he had to say goodbye to his regular gig here. It took us—especially Dave—some time, but we healed. So, today, Barnabas joins us on the show to catch up! Listen in as we discuss: What we should really call endorsement requests If Scarlet is becoming a weird pet person Writing in normal times vs in the time of social distancing Why Dave should read an advance copy of Barnabas' new book What Scarlet might like about westerns (even if she probably won't read them) The category of books Barnabas wants to sucker punch A few of the books we mentioned this week Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson Doc Savage: Man of Bronze by Lester Dent Batman: The Last Knight on Earth by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Stay Hungry by Sebastian Maniscalco Miracles by C. S. Lewis A Lowcountry Heart by Pat Conroy The New Girl by Daniel Silva One Last Strike by Tony La Russa 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 DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

As you all know, Dave loves history (almost as much as he loves cats). And because I am a Canadian, he and Scarlet both wanted to help me learn more about American history, in the hopes that I can someday pass a citizenship test. So, we thought, why not have Thomas Kidd join us to help with both? Listen in as we discuss: Is there really more that can be said about some of these well-known historical figures? Why we need to be careful to not read back in our views and context into the past Why he is (and we all should be) fascinated by the biblicism of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin Great modern history writers A book Scarlet is endorsing And, of course, whether Dr. Kidd enjoys the West Wing Thomas S. Kidd teaches history at Baylor University, and is Associate Director of Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. Dr. Kidd writes at the Evangelical History blog at The Gospel Coalition. He also regularly contributes for outlets such as WORLD Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. His recent books include Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father; George Whitefield: America's Spiritual Founding Father; and Baptists in America: A History, with co-author Barry Hankins.  A few of the books we mentioned this week Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe Hoping for Happiness by Barnabas Piper Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John le Carré Doc Savage: Man of Bronze by Lester Dent 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 DMus on Twitter or Instagram.

Recently I discovered that McKay's, our favorite second-hand bookstore, has been offering themed grab bags of books to help people stay on top of their reading during this season. So, of course, I bought one—and it was 100% YA fiction. But what kind of YA fiction was it? You'll find out as Scarlet, Dave and I discuss: When we can record in person again Which books from our bag seem like they're worth reading If our McKay's bag accurately reflects Nicholas Cage's career choices Dave prepping for the apocalypse The hot mess of Aaron's (abandoned) quaranbeard Our reflections on talking about Canada for 30 minutes last week How James Patterson could possibly write as much as he does (completely out of jealousy) A few of the books we mentioned this week Death Without Company by Craig Johnson Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron One Second After by William R. Forstchen All Star Superman by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews Summer in the City by Candace Bushnell The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson The China Garden by Liz Berry Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer Radiance by Alyson Noël Pivot Point by Kasie West Shadowlands by Kate Brian Very in Pieces by Megan Frazer Blakemore The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord 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.

Two countries unite on today's episode of the show as Drew Dyck joins us for a chat about being Canadians in Americaland, Canadian geography, and life on the interwebs. For those not in the know, Drew Dyck is an acquisitions editor at Moody Publishers, an author, and a fellow Canadian. Listen in as we discuss: What Drew loves best about the online world right now What's the worst thing online right now Fun Canadian city names Why everyone hates Toronto If Canada would be a good place to be in a post-apocalyptic wasteland The right name for an anchor baby Tom Holland vs Tom Holland A few of the books we mentioned this week Your Future Self Will Thank You by Drew Dyck Dominion by Tom Holland The Decadent Society by Ross Douthat 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.

As we continue to trudge through this season of social distancing and everyone sheltering at home, we're all finding it to be a struggle to do some of our favorite things. Y'know, like reading. So today, Karen Swallow Prior—one of our favorite guests from 2019—makes a return visit to the show to talk about reading habits, binge-watching, and generally class up the program. Listen in as we discuss: Which female literary characters men should make a point of studying Why it's hard to read in high-stress situations How we can overcome losing the art of deep, uninterrupted reading Why "TL;DR" is the worst Why Karen started her new B&H classic literature series with Sense and Sensibility and Heart of Darkness Where are our favorite reading spots Why it's a great idea to cite the people on your thesis panel All this, plus a few listener questions! (Thanks Joe Waller and Richard Harbison!) Karen Swallow Prior is the author of On Reading Well and has been a Professor of Literature at Liberty University and will be transitioning to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fall 2020. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. A few of the books we mentioned this week On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (get it for 44% off from LifeWay) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (get it for 44% off from LifeWay) Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry Madam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Anyone by Charles Soule The Overstory by Richard Powers Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Misreading Scripture with Modern Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien 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 brand-new episode, and we've brought a friend along! Daniel Darling joins us to talk about some nice, easy subjects including politics, online discussion, and the nature of celebrity. Listen in as we discuss: The difference between being Christian famous and actually famous Why we need to be wise with how we speak online The continued debate over retiring the sucker punch Becoming a writer before social media Scarlet's plan to go back to school Diet ice cream and parenting techniques A few of the books we mentioned this week A Nice Little Place on the North Side by George F. Will The Second Mountain by David Brooks Half Time by Bob Buford A Way With Words by Daniel Darling Anyone by Charles Soule Ember's End by S. D. Smith Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts Good Faith by David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson Misreading Scripture with Modern Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien 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 brand-new episode, in which Scarlet takes over as our benevolent dictator (she wanted me to call her our benign dictator, but I can't do it). Listen in as we discuss: The myth of extra time Giving books as gifts If giving a book as a gift has ever backfired on us When and why to quit reading a book If we've ever quit books that were convicting and/or offensive How many Churchill biographies Dave has read By the way, this week, we changed our category listing for the show. Let us know if you see it change! A few of the books we mentioned in this episode JLA Vol. 4 by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, and Howard Porter Ember's End by S. D. Smith Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts 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.

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.