Save Me From My Shelf

By Abigail Boucher and Daniel Jenkin-SmithComedy Arts Books

Save Me From My Shelf episodes

February 11 Episode 76 - Much Ado About Nothing
Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our seventy-six episode and Valentine's Day Special, we go back to basics with a Shakespeare romcom: Much Ado About Nothing (i.e., a lot of fuss about a vagina). We lament the lack of effort given to masquerade balls, Daniel makes endless fart jokes (to Abby's increasing annoyance), grow weary of the Beatrice and Benedick schtick, and give some massive side-eye to Claudio and Hero's twisted relationship.

Cover art © Catherine Wu.

Episode Theme: Philip Pickeet & Musicians of the Globe, excerpts from 'Nutmeg & Ginger', https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inleiding_Nutmeg_%26_Ginger_(audio).mp3
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 11 min
January 21 SMFMS Bookends 27: The Phantom of the Opera
The twenty-seventh episode of SMFMS Bookends, the satellite show for Save Me From My Shelf. Here we read emails, answer listener questions, talk about what we're currently reading, watching, and playing, resuscitate the Bad Sex Awards™, and provide further outtakes and analysis cut from our Phantom of the Opera episode.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
31 min
January 14 Episode 75 - The Phantom of the Opera
Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our seventy-fifth episode and opener for Season 7 (a whole year of fan favourites and camp classics), we look at something a bit highbrow (the opera) in the pulpiest, trashiest way (through this book). We introduce our new imaginary producer, Diane, wonder if this should be our first musical episode, and learn that Raoul is more than just the most hated man on all of Broadway: he's also the most hated man in literature.

Cover art © Catherine Wu.

Episode Theme: Verdi, 'Overture' in La Forza Del Destino.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 17 min
December 24, 2025 SMFMS Bookends 26: Uncle Tom's Cabin
The twenty-sixth episode of SMFMS Bookends, the satellite show for Save Me From My Shelf. Here we read emails, answer listener questions, talk about what we're currently reading, watching, and playing, resuscitate the Bad Sex Awards™, and provide further outtakes and analysis cut from our Uncle Tom's Cabin episode.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
35 min
December 17, 2025 Episode 74 - Uncle Tom's Cabin
Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our seventy-fourth episode, and last in our season on banned books, we celebrate (?) Christmas with the inappropriately summery Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). There are ample Simpsons and South Park references, we reveal that everything we knew about this book we both learned from The King and I, and Daniel gets annoyed by a Bookends slight AND by his own previously poor skills in name analysis.

Cover art © Catherine Wu.

Episode Theme: 'Ol' Man River'.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 20 min
November 26, 2025 SMFMS Bookends 25: Lord of the Flies
The twenty-fifth episode of SMFMS Bookends, the satellite show for Save Me From My Shelf. Here we read emails, answer listener questions, talk about what we're currently reading, watching, and playing, resuscitate the Bad Sex Awards™, and provide further outtakes and analysis cut from our Lord of the Flies episode.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
36 min
November 19, 2025 Episode 73 - Lord of the Flies
Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. This season, we are only looking at banned and controversial texts. In our seventy-third episode, and to celebrate Internation Men's Day, we look at our blokiest book yet: William Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954). Our accents get a workout, we debate the correct pronunciation of 'conch', and learn that they don't teach this kind of thing on Nickelodeon (or, indeed, Nick At Nite).

Cover art © Catherine Wu.

Episode Theme: Kampen Boys Choir, 'O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem'.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 14 min
October 22, 2025 SMFMS Bookends 24: Dante's Inferno
The twenty-fourth episode of SMFMS Bookends, the satellite show for Save Me From My Shelf. Here we read emails, answer listener questions, talk about what we're currently reading, watching, and playing, resuscitate the Bad Sex Awards™, and provide further outtakes and analysis cut from our Dante's Inferno episode.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
31 min
October 15, 2025 Episode 72 - Dante's Inferno (and rest of the Divine Comedy)
Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. This season, we are only looking at banned and controversial texts. In our seventy-second episode, we invite Friend of the Podcast (and Abby's best friend/medieval historian) Justine back to the show to school us on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. We focus primarily on the 'Inferno' section and get really caught up on Dante being a civil engineering girlie.

Cover art © Catherine Wu.

Episode Theme: Motet, 'Ypocrite / Velut stelle / Et gaudebit' (14th century)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 23 min
September 24, 2025 SMFMS Bookends 23: Catcher in the Rye
The twenty-third episode of SMFMS Bookends, the satellite show for Save Me From My Shelf. Here we read emails, answer listener questions, talk about what we're currently reading, watching, and playing, resuscitate the Bad Sex Awards™, and provide further outtakes and analysis cut from our Catcher in the Rye episode.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29 min