Table of (Mal)Contents

About Table of (Mal)Contents

Join Aaron Armstrong, Dave Schroeder and friends as they talk about the books they love (and many they really don't) to help you be a better reader.

Publisher

Aaron Armstrong

Category

arts · religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Feb 2019

Latest episode

19 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

2 of 138 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   19 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Friendship in a Time of War (and Christmas)

   It's Christmas-time, which means it's time for a very special episode featuring our good friend and special guest, Joseph Loconte. Joe joins us to discuss his latest book, The War for Middle-Earth, the relationship between J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and how their experiences in the first and second world wars shaped the stories they told and their faith, and more. Recommended reading: The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945 (https://amzn.to/3Y4fUgo) by Joseph Loconte The Space Trilogy (https://amzn.to/3MNraLC) by C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters (https://amzn.to/48Xn8Yw) by C.S. Lewis The Hobbit (https://amzn.to/4qavqDa), The Lord of the Rings (https://amzn.to/490uMBl), and The Silmarillion (https://amzn.to/4qgsDZf) by J.R.R. Tolkien Tales from the Perilous Realm (https://amzn.to/4p907bd) by J.R.R. Tolkien (which includes Leaf by Niggle) Dominion (https://amzn.to/457uxTS) by Tom Holland Bel Canto (https://amzn.to/4p2AxV2) by Anne Patchett About our Guest: Joseph Loconte, PhD, is an author, historian, and filmmaker. He serves as Director of The Rivendell Center in New York City (www.rivendellcenternyc.org (https://www.rivendellcenternyc.org)). He is a Presidential Scholar at New College of Florida and a Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute. Mr. Loconte’s commentary appears in outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Affairs, The New Criterion, National Geographic, Law and Liberty, The National Interest, and National Review. For ten years Mr. Loconte served as a commentator for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he divides his time between Washington, DC, and New York City.

2. 

   21 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Present and Accounted For

   It seems like only yesterday that we released our latest episode… or was it? We really don't know anymore. But what we do know is that Dave and Aaron are here with another episode of Table of (mal)Contents. Watch and listen as we discuss two incredible celebrity biographies and memoirs, Lorne by Susan Morrison and The Uncool by Cameron Crowe. Also in this episode: Our ranking of the best Cameron Crowe movies The problem with sequels to Mike Myers movies What we were reading when we recorded this episode All this, and the return of a favorite segment, the Jack Reacher Sucker Punch of the Week™, in which Aaron calls out a certain type of writer. Get the books discussed (affiliate links): Lorne by Susan Morrison: https://amzn.to/48rL86Y The Uncool by Cameron Crowe: https://amzn.to/48w8ojh Faith Simplified by Aaron Armstrong: https://amzn.to/4ia064Z

3. 

   24 Oct 2025

   Maybe a Year, Maybe Yesterday

   Does time still have meaning? Absolutely. We might be time-bound, linear beings, but that doesn't mean our podcast feed has to be. Join us for a very special episode of Table of Malcontents we recorded a while back that took way longer to edit than expected (because we tried something new—video, which you might find on YouTube if Aaron gets it uploaded before 2026). In this episode, Dave and Aaron talk about Aaron's most recent book, Faith Simplified: What We Believe and Why We Believe It, as well as updates on what it's like working together again, Aaron's citizenship journey, and, of course, what we're reading. Get your copy of Faith Simplified everywhere books are sold, and learn more at faithsimplifiedbook.com. As for when our next episode drops, who can say? Maybe a year—maybe yesterday…

Inside a recent episode

Friendship in a Time of War (and Christmas)

Published 19 Dec 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] S. Lewis and Tolkien go to war in their own ways you already shared some of these things yeah tell us more about what their role is in certain of providing hope for people everything let me give another example of how they're exposing and how this is affecting you know their lives think about C .S. Lewis now it's 1940 and by this time Francis Fallon Germany controls Central and Western Europe America is on the sidelines Hitler gives a speech in the summer of 1940 it's triumphant it's filled with his usual hatreds of the Jews etc and it is broadcast over the BBC simultaneously translated into English and guess who's listening to that speech C . […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

101 ratings

Contact Table of (Mal)Contents

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Table of (Mal)Contents