Dave and I are back in the studio, and we've brought along a friend—Joel J. Miller, Chief Content Officer of Michael Hyatt & Company. Dave and Joel are old pals, having worked together at another publisher back in the day, so listen in as they reminisce, while discuss:

• Joel's career in publishing (and what he misses from his time in the industry)
• One of the authors Joel really regrets working with (but it's cool for him to share this since the dude he mentions went to jail for defrauding his congregation)
• What are some good books to read to help someone understand the Eastern Orthodox faith
• Joel's near-encounter with Owen Wilson
• What were the most controversial and/or fun books Joel worked on
• The resurgence of the library
• The importance of editors
• Our hot takes on Star Wars

Plus, a challenge for our listeners: One of you needs to find a copy of this movie and send it to Dave. (Send it to us via work: 1 LifeWay Plaza, Nashville TN, 37234)

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Useful Group. Whether you’re looking for a new website, or need help developing your marketing strategy, they want to be useful to you. Learn more at usefulgroup.com.

• 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

Today, we're offering a special Dave-less bonus episode featuring our friend Nick Rynerson. Nick was in town on business, and we decided that we should to something amazing: we should go to McKay's, one of my favorite bookstores!

Get ready for the weirdest episode we may have ever done as we:

• Offer hot takes on books we see
• Recommend books for one another
• Describe our approaches to bookstore browsing
• Search for David Foster Wallace books and other titles Nick can't remember
• Get a totally off-brand book for Dave that he has to read (because it's a gift, and it would be bad form to do otherwise)

All while wondering how long it's going to be before someone kicks us out.

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What's my problem with the weird books that tell men how to be men? Bill Delvaux joins Dave and me in the studio to talk books for men, faith, and gender stereotypes (a little). Listen in as we discuss:

• What I (Aaron) really thinks ofWild at Heart

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Useful Group. Whether you’re looking for a new website, or need help developing your marketing strategy, they want to be useful to you. Learn more at usefulgroup.com.

• 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

Nancy Guthrie, who is already in the running for best guest ever after last episode, returns for another round of talking books, banter, and throwing shade at Dave (well, actually at me, but I like to pretend it was directed at Dave). Listen in as we talk:

• Why it's taken us so long to have her on the show
• Why we like having guests in-studio instead of joining via teleconference
• If/when one of us will be invited onto Nancy's podcast, Help Me Teach the Bible
• The story behind Nancy's upcoming book, Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Useful Group. Whether you’re looking for a new website, or need help developing your marketing strategy, they want to be useful to you. Learn more at usefulgroup.com.

• 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

At long last, Nancy Guthrie joins us in the studio this week! Nancy is a Bible teacher, host of Help Me Teach the Bible, and the author of many books, including the upcoming Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus, which we'll talk about a bit next episode. But this week, we're talking about a lot of different and important topics, including:

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Useful Group. Whether you're looking for a new website, or need help developing your marketing strategy, they want to be useful to you. Learn more at usefulgroup.com.

And be sure to check out all of Nancy's books on Amazon or wherever you purchase your books (but if you go with Amazon, you'll be supporting the show, so there's that).

Our friend Nick Rynerson joins us as he auditions to take over for our former co-host (but still friend of the podcast), Barnabas. Listen in as we discuss:

All this and the usual silliness and mockery that goes on between everyone on this show.

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Useful Group. Whether you're looking for a new website, or need help developing your marketing strategy, they want to be useful to you. Learn more at usefulgroup.com.

It's time for our last new episode until 2020, and it's time for the three of us to have "the talk."

Wait… what?

What kind of talk are we talking about?

You'll have to listen to find out.

But in addition to that, a few other important things happen on the show:

• We play another round of our favorite game, "Leadership Book or Captain Picard"
• We discuss if we've embraced the "no hugging, no learning" rule (or if we're okay with side hugging)
• We talk about why Chevy Chase is terrible

And what's the deal with the doll Barnabas is holding?

Because we didn't really talk about any books on this episode, we'd encourage you to check out any (or all) of the following written by us (and leave a 5-star review on each one!):

• Epic: The Story that Changed the World
• Epic Devotions
• Awaiting a Savior
• Contend
• The Curious Christian

Finally, 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

'Tis the season for exhaustive lists of top- something or others from bloggers and podcasters everywhere. So, we're getting right down to business on this episode as we present to you our completely self-serving end-of-year book lists. Along the way, we also discuss:

• When Aaron sounds most pretentious
• How we rank Tim Keller’s books
• The challenge of enjoying poetry
• Our happiness about our friend Scarlet being okay after a health scare
• What we thought about The Last Jedi

While you're at Amazon (or wherever you buy your books), be sure to also pick up copies (and leave a 5-star review) of a few of the books by me (Aaron) and Barnabas, all of which make for great gifts and/or stocking stuffers:

• Epic: The Story that Changed the World
• Epic Devotions
• Awaiting a Savior
• Contend
• The Curious Christian

Finally, 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

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