Lost is a TV show that is full of literary references.  In fact, within the first 4 seasons there are more than 40 books weaved throughout the episodes. The incorporation of the books is done in several ways; 1) Books read by the characters, 2) Books on shelves seen in the show, and 3) Connection to themes of the series.

If you’d like to catch up on some Lost reading, I’ll get you started with a slightly shorter “to read” pile than the 40 books and list only those connected with the island’s most avid reader, Sawyer. (It still offers an incredible variety!)

James ‘Sawyer’ Ford’s Books

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Bad Twin by Gary Troup

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Lancelot by Walker Percy

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Watership Down by Richard Adams

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

Penguin’s director of sales in Australia, Peter Blake, came up with the idea for ‘Popular Penguins’ 10 years ago, but higher-ups were skeptical whether the idea would be a success. Blake’s plan entailed re-releasing 50 titles (25 fiction, 25 non) in the original, now retro, orange & cream coloured covers. As a result, the idea was only approved last year, and so far only in Australia, New Zealand and India.

The books are only $10 each, and given the average cost of books in Australia, that’s a bargain. Also, in a time of some global economic worry, uncertainty and the like, appealing to people’s sense of nostalgia is a winning move.

“They are instantly recognisable and have an emotional pull,” Mr Blake said. “Most people or their parents have got second-hand or old Penguins at home that have the same livery.

But it’s not only pulling on that nostalgic lever, it’s also got that retro coolness. We’ve found that younger readers have been really drawn to them.”

I really like so much of what Penguin does. Their Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions that they’ve been putting out over the past few years are fantastic, and make me want to own them all. Check out some of these covers:

Any time I see one of those in a bookshop it makes me salivate. One day I want to own them all. But really, what a brilliant idea – releasing a bunch of classics, that people have probably been “meaning to read” anyway, but putting them in such irresistable covers. Of the above selections, I only own One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and my copy is falling to bits. The others are all books I’ve been wanting to read for ages (with the exception of New York Trilogy, which is new to me), and now, finally, I have the motivation to own them and get on it. My bookshelf will be so beautiful.

Paris courts ruled that Les Mis is now in the public domain and therefore Cérésa has the right to continue the story of Cosette and her lover, Marius in his books Cosette or The Time of Illusions and Marius or The Fugitive.

Read the news article on CBC.ca