I don't think this is a spoiler, it's only the first chapter, but if you're sensitive to such, better not read further.
The protagonist's sister dies, aged 15, and he then reads her books, over and over: I found the list very interesting, because I had read all but one of them myself, and several, "Stranger in a Strange Land" particularly, are among my own Very Very Special Forever books: "Stranger" is one of the formative influences of my life. Another interesting thing is that "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" is nonfiction, history, intense and difficult reading, while the rest are all fiction. "Breakfast of Champions" I've never even heard of (other than in the context of Wheaties), but if it occurs in that list, ultimately, of course, originating with OSC, though he was probably selecting from a major mental list of his own to denote something of the sister's personality, I think I'm going to have to hunt it up.
Lord of the Rings
I Sing the Body Electric
Chronicles of Narnia
Fountainhead
The Crystal Cave
Pride and Prejudice
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Stranger in a Strange Land
Gone With the Wind
Childhood's End
Breakfast of Champions
It also occurred to me when typing that all but "Breakfast of Champions" are in my own shelves, I'm not just remembering things I took out of a library (I do remember taking "Gone With the Wind" out of the library _first_, before I acquired a copy)
Reading List from "Treasure Box"
Reading List from "Treasure Box"
It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
Sibyl
Sibyl
Okay, replying to myself, I just looked up (and ordered from Amazon) "Breakfast of Champions", and it's by Kurt Vonnegut, which explains why I drew a blank on it. I had a bad reaction to Vonnegut many years ago, and have avoided anything and everything he wrote since then, though I've been aware of his reputation. I probably wasn't old enough when I read him to have the maturity necessary, since I've had the distaste reaction for many years.
It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
Sibyl
Sibyl
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