Save Me From My Shelf

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our sixty-second episode and Christmas Special, we plunge through the ice into Louisa May Alcott's bildungsroman and first strong example of girls' YA fiction, Little Women (1869). We declare an ethno-feud on the Germans, figure out which March sister is the Wario, and discuss which is worse (in Alcott's universe): hitting or hitting on a minor.Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode Theme: Émile Waldteufel, 'The Skaters' Waltz', Op. 183 (1882)

The thirteenth 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 Heart of Darkness episode.

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our sixty-first episode, we finally cover the most glaring omission on the show: Joseph Conrad's 1899 pre-modernism Imperial Gothic novella, Heart of Darkness. We close the circuit on our Things Fall Apart episode from S2 and get a cool International Man of Mystery sting which can sadly never be used in another episode.Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode Theme: Karol Szymanowski, 'Nocturne and Tarantella, Op. 28', 1915.

The twelfth 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 The Bloody Chamber episode.

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our sixtieth episode and Halloween special, we examine Angela Carter's feminist novella and Bluebeard retelling (which is NOT an adult version of a fairy tale), The Bloody Chamber (1979). In this episode, Daniel expresses Carter-fatigue and we praise Carter's depiction of sex with someone gross.Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode Theme: Bela Bartok, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, an Opera in One Act, 1965.

For the remainder of S5, we need to release all episodes at the end of every month, rather than in the mdidle.

The eleventh 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 Don Quixote, Part Two episode.

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In the second part of our fifty-ninth episode, we tackle the remainder of the biggest book we've ever featured on the show: Miguel de Cervantes's Picaresque adventure, Don Quixote (1605).Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode Theme: Manuel de Falla y Orquesta Nacional De Espana, 'Overture' in El Retablo De Maese Pedro (Master Peter's Puppet Show), 1957.

The tenth 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 Don Quixote, Part One episode.