The LOST Book Club

Okay, so I have a near-obsessive interest in the TV show LOST. I've read plenty of theories, and I even follow J. Wood's intensely literary blog about the show. I've even bought books based on seeing them on the show -- The Third Policeman and VALIS, to be specific. But it looks like I'm not alone! Now there's a community just for LOST nerds like me: the LOST Book Club!

Although some may see this as a ploy for ABC to move some paper, it's also a nice one-stop-shop for literary references within the show. As long-time viewers know, LOST often features books onscreen -- Sawyer is a bookworm, and the hatch had its own library -- and many fans have sought out the show-referenced books on their own, in an attempt to glean clues about the hidden meaning of the show. There are also many books that have clearly influenced the writers, but haven't been shown onscreen -- like The Wizard of Oz, which is the source of character names like Henry Gale (remember when we first met Ben?). Well, rejoice, LOST book nerds: now there's a message board where you can discuss these books at length.

LOST Book Club titles include gems such as A Brief History of Time, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, and Watership Down (the last of which has apparently been referenced in both the pilot episode and "House of the Rising Sun" -- clearly it's a big deal!). If the LOST Book Club itself isn't geeky enough for you, I'd highly recommend Living Lost: Why We're All Stuck on the Island by J. Wood. Wood's comes to the show with a background in literature and philosophy, and he turns each episode into a journey through those disciplines. See also: the LOST Book List.

Question for fellow fans: have you read a book after seeing it on LOST? If so, what did you think? I read The Third Policeman a few weeks ago and it kinda blew my mind.

Update: witness the grandeur of _floss reader Aurora's project: Live Together, Read Alone: A LOST Book Blog.