Sometimes I joke that it’s easier to steal an author’s bio from their website than to write one of my own. If I could steal the Storyteller section of Lynne Jonell’s website I would (complete with drawings). It’s a charming and fun-to-read introduction to this author of books for younger readers. Since I can’t copy and paste it, I’ll just wait for you to go read it yourself (make sure to click the more links).
Okay, good. So now you know a little about Lynne Jonell. Did you know her most recent book, Hamster Magic has been nominated for a Minnesota Book Award in Young People's Literature? It is. Want some more fun trivia? President Obama bought her book The Secret of Zoom when he was at Prairie Lights bookstore last year. Which is pretty rad. So is the fact that she answered the 6 questions we always ask.
What book(s) are you currently reading?
At the moment, Treason’s Harbour by Patrick O’Brian. I’ve had a miserable, hacking cold for two weeks and to make myself feel better, I’m swilling Nyquil and steadily working my way through the whole Aubrey/Maturin series. I’m starting to feel a certain uneasy empathy for Stephen Maturin with his laudanum problem.
Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who?
Sir Percy Blakeney in Baroness Emmuska Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel, no question. What a swashbuckler, and inwardly tortured, too– what’s not to love?
If your favorite author came to Minnesota, who would it be and what bar would you take him/her to?
My favorite author is C. S. Lewis; dead, alas. But if he came back to life, I’d bring him to Sunsets in Wayzata, because it’s comfortable, close to home, has a nice selection of beers, and a fire in winter. I’m pretty sure he’d go for comfortable over trendy, any day.
What was your first favorite book?
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter. It was the first book I read on my own, and I still have it. I still remember the thrill of decoding the word “the” and seeing it everywhere.
Let’s say Fahrenheit 451 comes to life, which book would you become in order to save it from annihilation?
Is it possible to admit, in this all too public forum, that I haven’t read Fahrenheit 451?
What is one book you haven’t read but want to read before you die?
Fahrenheit 451, obvs.