On the stand displaying the new arrivals, I noticed quite a few books sharing something in common - their titles all contained the word "nailao", which means "cheese" in English.

Taking a closer look, I found the cheese-oriented titles worth chewing on.

"Whose Cheese Can I Move?", "I Don't Want to Move Your Cheese", "I Don't Bother to Move My Cheese", "Who Dare to Move My Cheese", and the so-called ultimate edition of a book entitled "No More Cheese!" were all there for the perusing.

Thank God my memory is still fresh, allowing me to remember the first of the cheese-disturbing books, a nationwide bestseller, "Who Moved My Cheese", written by American writer Spencer Johnson.

Billed as a wise post-industrial-revolution fable and an indispensable psychological guide for individuals in the information era, "Who Moved My Cheese" swept the domestic book market to become a big hit after being introduced to China early last year.

But it seems that the book's success has made many business-savvy writers realize the potential value of cheese.

They seem to have racked their brains to compile books as quickly as possible that relate to the bestselling cheese book, when the latter has yet to turn sour.

What makes cheese so powerful? How come so many clever minds are looking to find profound philosophical meaning in cheese?

I haven't read those quickly written books, so maybe I shouldn't pass judgment, however I cannot help but believe the basic motivation of those cheese-creations was money. I doubt the writers, capitalizing on the public's interest in books using the word cheese in the title, cared much about quality.

My experience in the bookstore seems to mirror earlier media reports regarding the increasing number of convenience stores springing up citywide.

Like the cheese-book phenomena, two or three such stores can be found side by side in some places with little difference in their services or products.

I do not understand if operators of those stores think that such a business model is the only way to make money and worth risking the inevitable cut-throat competition, certain to result in closure.

People who lack innovation have little future. In a market economy, people can hardly make money if they fail to equip themselves with original ideas before blazing a business trail.

That's why I admire Spencer Johnson and the first man or woman who initiated the business model of convenience stores, yet for their followers, the only thing I can do is to wish them luck.

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