After growing up in Québec and then living in Vancouver for a while, Marie-Josée Beaulieu has been fortunate enough to call Rossland home for the past 10 years.
She is delighted to now be a member of the Rossland Public Library board and share her love for books and passion for reading!
Marie-Josee feels that libraries are a wonderful place, providing a whole community with the opportunity to access books that take us on surprising adventures into imaginary worlds, help us access unlimited knowledge, or touch us with great and inspiring stories.
Marie-Josee hopes her participation in the board will help support our community in accessing a greater diversity of books and genres.
When Marie-Josee is not reading, she loves to play piano, get moving (climb, ski, swim, play tennis), play board games, or enjoy a great meal and a glass of wine with friends!
• What book did you most enjoy in school?
1984 by George Orwell. It was my first contact with a dystopian novel, and I found it to be such an eye opener. It helped me lose some of my teenage innocence while I was slowly moving into adulthood.
• Name one classic you’re embarrassed to say you’ve never read.
Harry Potter… Ha-ha! I know, how is this possible? I’m just not into fantasy and magic AT ALL! What do you mean it’s fun to enter some magical world that is so different from our own!?
• What book do you read over and over?
It’s very hard for me to read books many times because there are so many on my wish list! A book I have read many times is Novecento: pianiste (trans: Novecento), by Alessandro Baricco. With every read, I discover new details about the characters which make them even more special. I also find that it’s a book that you feel from within, so your interpretation is limitless, depending on the mood you’re in when you read it.
• Name the last book that made you cry.
Many books have made me cry, but I picked the one that made me cry the most, which is L’élégance du hérisson (trans: The Elegance of the Hedgehog), from Mureille Barbery. I believe it’s one of the most beautiful books ever written. It’s a simple story but the connection between the characters is so deep and touching. Really beautiful.
• Name one book everyone should read.
I would say any book from Amin Maalouf, a wonderful Lebanese-born French writer. He wrote both fiction and non-fiction and I find his philosophical and historical analysis of our society to be so relevant! I also love his writing style …And if you like jazz, it’s worth listening to his nephew (Ibrahim) who is a great trumpet player!
• What book do you wish you had written?
I wish I had written The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis because it’s so funny! I love politics and public affairs and thought Angus McLintock, the main character, was hilarious. I enjoy cracking a few jokes in real life and would love to write a book that makes people laugh.
• What books might people be surprised to learn you love?
Books about war crimes and genocides…although I’m a very peaceful person. For many years, I worked as a high school Social Studies teacher, and I have been fascinated by international conflict. I believe the only way to prevent and stop crimes from happening in the future is to be knowledgeable and develop a critical mindset, which includes reading about the topic.
• What book do you like to give as a gift?
Les dix droits du lecteur (trans: The Rights of the Reader), by Daniel Pennac, especially when it’s for people who don’t like (or think they don’t like) to read!
This book destroys all the myths associated with the act of reading, such as to feel guilt when skipping pages, not finishing a book, reading a book in a random order, etc.! It’s wonderful!
• Name one book you couldn’t finish.
This is the hardest thing for me, I just can’t do it! I always finish books, even if I hate them because I worry that if I don’t finish a book, the ending might be awesome, and I might miss out on the best part of the story!
• Where is your favourite place to read?
Everywhere! I almost always have a book with me in case I have a couple of minutes to read! I have, in fact, had some minor incidents as it’s not always that easy to read while walking…
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