Table of (Mal)Contents

After a lengthy (?) sabbatical, Barnabas is back with us in the studio to gift you a very special and highly censored discussion of:

• Where Barnabas has been all this time
• People using nouns as verbs, and why it should never, ever happen again
• Terrible ideas for the title of Barnabas's next book
• Father wounds and our attempt to read a book by a certain ex-megachurch pastor
• Why parents should post review books on behalf of their children on Amazon (like this one and this one)

All this and Dave tries to make Aaron feel bad about not coming to the Lonesome Dove reading group.

As always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters. Also, don't forget to grab a copy of Aaron's ebook from The Gospel Project, Jesus Saves Christmas, here.

• 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

About a year ago, Dave and I had the privilege of being joined in-studio by acclaimed novelist Leif Enger while Barnabas was out on a work-related trip.

He declared us really bad friends, and we're okay with that.

So, today, as we all gear up for Thanksgiving, we're representing this interview as a special holiday gift to you!

Listen in as we discuss:

• Leif's writing process and why it took 10 years for Virgil Wander to be released;
• Why his latest is his "most Christian but least evangelical" book yet
• What it means to be a successful writer (and how he handles criticism);
• How his three books connect with different seasons; and
• Why book tours actually still matter.

And to add salt to the wound, here's how we included Barnabas in our group photo.

As always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters. Also, don't forget to grab a copy of Aaron's ebook from The Gospel Project, Jesus Saves Christmas, here.

• 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

With Barnabas still out trying to get his book written, Dave and I are joined by our friend and colleague Todd Adkins, who is the Director of LifeWay Leadership at LifeWay and the host of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast. Here's what you'll hear:

• Why leadership books needs to offer both theory and practice
• Which leadership book Aaron thought was the one he hated (but was actually one he liked)
• What makes a good illustration
• The two books Todd would walk through when developing a leader
• Another round of Leadership Book or Captain Picard!

As always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters. Also, don't forget to grab a copy of Aaron's ebook from The Gospel Project, Jesus Saves Christmas, here.

• 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

While Barnabas is off trying to meet a deadline or working or something, Aaron & Dave discuss all the things, including:

As always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters. And grab a copy of Aaron's ebook from The Gospel Project, Jesus Saves Christmas, here.

Today's bonus content—the 4 Gospels meme from Dave:

It's a special bonus episode of the show as Dave, returning guest co-host Elizabeth Hyndman, and me tackle some very serious subjects:

• Essential oils and pyramid schemes
• Some of our favorite books where the characters are places
• What would happen if you shared that your favorite book was The DaVinci Code in a high brow book club
• If we should write in books
• What makes us keep reading vs give up on a book

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

• 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

Dave is back in the studio and now Barnabas is MIA! But that's okay, because our friend, Elizabeth Hyndman to take his place and class up the show, while representing all women everywhere. Listen in as we discuss:

• The types of books she enjoys
• Books men should read to better understand women
• If people really need constant reminders to review books
• If people cosplay Jane Austen characters
• Who Elizabeth nominates for our sucker-punch fo the week (besides us)

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

• 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

With Dave still off doing something, Jennifer Brogdon returns to take his spot and class up this show. Listen in as we discuss:

• How men and women might process the difficult elements of Beartown differently
• Poor choices in cover designs (or when bad covers happen to good books)
• The right speed and cadence for audiobook narration
• Dave's favorite new author

This week's indie-bookstore shout-out goes to Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS. If you live near Jackson, or you're passing through the area, be sure to check it out.

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

• 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

Dave is off doing something (no one is really sure where he goes), but we've got a special guest! Jennifer Brogdon steps in to replace him talk different kinds of humor, teaching international students, and a book she read the day before recording this episode. Listen in as we discuss:

• Male vs female humor
• How Jen's passion for dentistry led her to be a writer
• Which Leif Enger book you should read first
• How we best use our reading time
• How reading plays a part in teaching international students
• A new definition of procrastination
• Jen's initial thoughts on Beartown

And, as always, be sure to grab a few bags of the Table of (mal)Contents blend by our friends at Lagares Coffee Roasters.

• 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

We're back in the studio with another jam-packed episode of the show. Listen in as we discuss:

• Which three literary characters would we bring along as part of our own Fellowship of the Ring (that aren't part of the Fellowship of the Ring)
• If Neighborhood library boxes a good thing, and if people use them
• How to balance your diet of brain candy and more substantial books
• A book you we didn't want to end
• And who said it: a Leadership Book or Captain Picard

As always, it gets weird, but it's good.

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We finally got the three of us back in the studio, which can only mean one thing: more censorship than I would have thought possible! Listen in as we discus:

• How Barnabas is settling into his new role at Immanuel
• Who we were in middle school (and which kid in The Sandlot were we)
• If Malcolm Gladwell is insufferable (or if it's just his fans)
• If Barnabas should read Talking to Strangers

Plus, Barnabas offers an apology (kind of).

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.

• Malcolm Gladwell's books:
  • The Tipping Point
  • Blink
  • Outliers
  • What the Dog Saw
  • David and Goliath
  • Talking to Strangers
  
  

Dueling "How Dare Yous" (on Facebook) and The Snipping Point:

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• Give us a follow on Twitter at @MalContentsPod