From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler with Adam Schatz

03/18/25 • 61 min

Musician, writer, and record producer Adam Schatz drops in to talk about From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a 1968 middle grade book by E.L. Konigsburg about two siblings who run away from their suburban Connecticut home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Are the kids kind of annoying? Yes. Do they talk about money a lot? Also yes. But there's something so charming and grounded about this book that has allowed it to endure as a classic since its release. Adam discusses why this is a real New York City book, how often he goes to the Met (almost never!), and what he forgot about this book before re-reading it for the podcast.

Buy From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Listen to Adam's music (as Landlady).

Follow Adam on Instagram.

Read Adam's advice.

See The Geometry of Circles.

This podcast is hosted by Rebecca Thandi Norman, produced by Kate Krosschell, and sound engineered by Winther Robinson. Title music is by DJARTMUSIC. We'd love to hear from you! If you have questions or comments, reach out at [email protected], or follow us at @bookimprintpodcast on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buy From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Listen to Adam's music (as Landlady).

Follow Adam on Instagram.

Read Adam's advice.

See The Geometry of Circles.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Playing for Keeps with Michael V. Pina

Senior Staff Writer at "The Ringer" Michael V. Pina share the book that showed him what he could do one day, if he worked hard - write about basketball. Playing for Keeps by David Halberstam is the seminal 1999 sports biography that's not exactly a biography - it's about basketball, it's about the NBA, and it's about how sports brings people together. Michael talks through what he loves about the game, if he really thinks Michael Jordan is the GOAT, and the exact moment this book changed his life (it was on an airplane!).

And what is a book about Michael Jordan, if we never hear the voice of Michael Jordan? His absence is a question mark that lingers throughout the book....

Read Playing for Keeps by David Halberstam

Read Michael's work at The Ringer

Follow Michael on Instagram

Michael's GQ article on "The Last Dance" and Bill Russell

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Next Episode

The Handmaid's Tale with Bonnie J. Baker

Content warning: this episode contains references to sexual assault, child abuse, and suicide.

Nashville-based songwriter Bonnie J. Baker comes from an ultra-convservative Christian background and knew she had to leave; Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale gave her the push she needed, reflecting back to her the oppressive system she lived in, allowing her to identity it and understand that she wasn't alone.

In this episode, Bonnie and host Rebecca Thandi Norman discuss how reading this book in college was a seminal moment in Bonnie's life, the history it reflects, and the future it foreshadows for us in the US right now. They touch on the patheticness of power, Atwood's cut-glass writing style, and the differences between reading this book as a young person and later in life.

Read The Handmaid's Tale.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.