Table of (Mal)Contents

By Aaron ArmstrongSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Arts Books

Table of (Mal)Contents episodes

March 18, 2019 Leaders are Readers, But They’re Not If…
Harry S. Truman famously said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” (I mean, unless he didn’t, of course. It’s hard to find anything confirming it for certain.) But what if they’re not? On this episode, we’re joined by our friend, co-worker and fellow Canadian Daniel Im to dig into the truth behind this leadership cliché and try to help leaders become better readers. Listen in as we discuss:

53 min
March 11, 2019 3-Word Descriptions, Retitling Books, and Keeping People from Reading Bad Books

It’s a tight, on-point conversation today on the podcast as we let the fine folks at Goodreads guide us once again. Listen in as we talk through the following big questions:

* Describe a book you’re reading in three words* Which author would you choose to play your favorite sport with?* If you could give a book a different title, what would it be?* What do you tell your child or friend when they want to read a book that you know is te
34 min
March 04, 2019 Advice for aspiring authors, avoiding comparisons, when not to write

A couple of days before we recorded this episode, a fond memory popped up in my (Aaron’s) Facebook feed about starting the early work on what would become my first book, Awaiting A Savior. In honor of that memory, and because
50 min
February 25, 2019 How we read so much, cat-rants, and Dave’s new nickname

We’re dealing with some hard truths on this episode of the podcast as we address some bad habits this week. Listen in as we discuss:

* Some important (sub-tweeted) listener feedback and Dave’s sinus issues* Why Barnabas hate cats* Why dogs love Aaron* Why there’s no such thing as a hero cat genre* How in the world we find time to read as much as we do while having families and jobs

Plus, Dave gets a ne
40 min
February 18, 2019 Why do they always kill the dog, cats, and Nic Cage ruins everything

Dave’s daughter was recently traumatized when she read Where the Red Fern Grows, and we got to thinking: why the heck to teachers keep asking kids to read this book? Listen in as we discuss:

* Why Dave’s still not sleeping and the Legend of Winston* What we think about this seemingly psychotic habit of authors writing books where the dog always dies* Why there’s no “the cat dies” genre and if there are any cats that
36 min
February 13, 2019Relationship issues, marriage books, and fur babies
Apparently we need podcasting therapy, as our relationship issues come to the surface. Things got weird in the studio as we recorded a special sort-of-Valentines-Day-y episode of Table of (mal)Contents. Listen in as we discuss:
Why Barnabas and Aaron dislike Love and Respect (while not throwing shade at Gary Chapman)
Which is a worse term: book baby or fur baby?
Why are there so many marriage books out there—and why are so many terrible?
Who should never write a marriage book?
What can actually be helpful about relationship books?
The relationship book we should write
The book(s) we didn’t rip on today:
The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller
My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper
South of Broad: A Novelby Pat Conroy
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
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 email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.
26 min
February 11, 2019Books that make you laugh, having dinner with authors, and why we don’t loan books
Imagine being out for dinner with three authors—any three. Who would they be, and what would you ask them? We’re asking ourselves some very random questions today as we present a new edition of Barnabas, Aaron and Dave Answer Goodreads Questions. Listen as we answer:
If you could have dinner with any three authors, living or dead, who would they be?
If you could only ask one question to one of your dinner guests, what would it be?
What’s the one book in your library that you would never let someone borrow?
Which books do you enjoy reading aloud?
What was the last book that made you laugh out loud?
A few of the books we mentioned on this episode:
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano
A Man Called Ove and Beartown: A Novel by Fredrik Backman
Adventures in Darkness by Tom Sullivan
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
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 email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.
56 min
February 04, 2019Do humble C- - - - -ists exist, contract reveals revisited, and pronouncing GIF
We are living on the edge on this episode recorded in balmy downtown Minneapolis during the Bethlehem Pastor's Conference. Why? Because we're talking to Jeff Medders (@mrmedders) about his new book, which features a word I (Aaron) avoid using. Listen in as we discuss:
What -1,000,000º F feels like
What life is like in Cage-Stage County
Whether or not the title of Jeff's book is an oxymoron
Jeff defends himself over calling his new book a book baby
How to make the most of a contract reveal photo
Which is better: LaCroix or Tim Horton's?
If it's pronounced "GIF" or "JIF"
A few of the books mentioned on today's episode:
Humble Calvinism by J.A. Medders
The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy
Still Foolin’ ’em by Billy Crystal
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
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
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 email or DM @malContentsPod on Twitter.
59 min
February 04, 2019 Do humble C- – – – -ists exist, contract reveals revisited, and pronouncing GIF
We are living on the edge on this episode recorded in balmy downtown Minneapolis during the Bethlehem Pastor's Conference. Why? Because we're talking to Jeff Medders about his new book, which features a word I (Aaron) avoid using.
59 min
January 30, 2019 What to read in the airport, getting started with comics, and squatting at outlets
It's -100000º in Minneapolis, Aaron and Barnabas may or may not have had at least one flight canceled already, and fear having it happen again. So what do you read when you're stranded in the airport? Aaron, Barnabas, and guest malcontent Jeff Medders discuss on today's bonus episode of the podcast.
27 min