Finished off the last bit of "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks on the way to work this morning.

I guess those around and close to me know by now that I've added Nicholas Sparks to my list of favorite authors, along side Mitch Albom, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, etc... and of course, not forgetting 琼瑶. (Some may say that her books are all similar, weepy, long-winded, just a love tragedy after another.... but I love her books because they include the most poetic and mesmerizing Chinese phrases / sentences..... but that is for another blog entry).

Some authors write a book or generate a bestseller based on a good plot, like maybe Dan Brown or even JK Rowling. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great, and I'm definitely amazed by how far the imaginations of these authors can stretch.

But these are books that I mentally classify under the "Diamond" category. Because as far as "value-for-money" goes, I won't choose to invest my money in such books. These books are like diamonds - dazzling, bomb-sheller, looks great on your bookshelf / finger, and perhaps even create great conversation topics. But to me, the value of such books only goes as far as the mystery of the plot itself. Once read and the plot revealed, their value immediately drops to zero.

On the contrary, I would choose to place my (very limited) money on books that are in the "Gold" category - timeless, endearing, believable, close to the heart.

That was how I felt with "The Choice". Plot-wise, it was maybe just "okay", probably some twists here and there, but generally quite predictable. This is a love story. Not a Romeo & Juliet, Jack & Rose love story, nothing overly dramatic or earth-shattering (惊天动地). Just an everyday, small-town love story. But it was in this book that I found several, even many, snippets and parallels to my own life. I don't want to be a spoiler and spill out the entire plot of the book. But suffice to say, though the book was full of normalcy, it was very inspiring. Throughout the book, I found myself remembering, recalling, recollecting my own love story. I thought about the times that we shared, conversations we had, memories we created, and those to come, and above all, the reasons why we fell in love with each other.

And that is what a good book should do.

It should make you think, make you reflect, and most of all, it should touch your heart and stir up something within your inner most being.

P/S: The above are just my personal opinions. I don't profess to be well-read at all, or to be an expert in giving book reviews. And I don't deny that I do derive enjoyment from reading Dan Brown and JK Rowling books as well. They just don't evoke passion from within.

And I have nothing against diamonds (in the physical sense). In fact, I half-agree with the song "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". I would say "Diamonds are a girl's friend, just not her best friend". I believe girls were created to love all things bright, sparkly, glittery, and pretty. There is nothing wrong, sinful, or offensive in that. It's who we are.