The most unabashed joy I’ve ever felt was that first 24 hours of magic after our son was born in California last June.

I hope the happiest moment is still ahead of me.

On my honeymoon in Lapland.

If it wasn’t for coronavirus, it would be right now. All my life I’ve felt a pressure to achieve. It’s gone now, and that gives me a sense of freedom. Whenever I, for short moments, forget about corona and climate change, I’m happy.

I think part of the meaning of life is actually the search for the meaning of life. That may sound glib, but I truly believe it. Curiosity and looking for the meaning—even if we never find it—is the meaning.

Being willing to listen to my ideas and tell me when they are good and when they are dumb.

To me, part of what I love about puzzles is that they fuel my curiosity and I’d say curiosity and gratitude are my two favorite virtues. My last book was about gratitude; this book is all about curiosity. Curiosity is what drives puzzlers. They’re like, ‘Why is it? What is it?’

Saying something dumb on Twitter and getting yelled at by thousands of strangers. Also, catastrophic climate change.

I was the answer to one across in the Dec. 26, 2017, New York Times crossword puzzle.

I was 13 when this book came out in your country in 1981, and I fell in love with it. It’s one of the books that made me love puzzles.