A Walk to Remember

written by Nicholas Sparks

In preparing for my June backpacking trip, I stopped at the library in search of some light reading, literally and figuratively. I needed something that wouldn't require too much concentration and wouldn't add too many unnecessary ounces to my backpack. This book met both requirements, so I added it to the small pile of stuff on my ping-pong table that I would eventually shoehorn into my pack (which, incidentally, ended up tipping the scales at a mere 27.5 pounds, even after adding the book).

It was classic Nicholas Sparks - definitely a chick book, and a tearjerker on many levels. If you haven't read any of Sparks' books, think Message In a Bottle, the movie from 1999, which was based on one of his novels.

This story's about an unlikely match between two high-school students in the 1950s: an affable, underachieving boy and an angelic but dowdy and hyperreligious girl. In a sweet but far-too-perfect romance, they end up facing a horrific situation together (spoiler warning): she finds out she has leukemia and has only a short few months to live, but they end up marrying anyway.

Lots of cliche here, to be sure, but if all you want is a quick read and don't mind the schmaltz, it's not bad. As for me, it suited me fine for a backpacking trip (anything that doesn't mention bear attacks or predatory mountain dwellers pretty much qualifies as okay reading) but I don't know if I'll be shopping for more Sparks books.