The Lost Bookclub

It's that time again... discussion post! Hopefully at least some of you got a chance to finish up October's book, VALIS by Philip K. Dick.



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Keep discussion of this book in the comments to this post. Obviously comments are going to contain spoilers for the entire book; they'll probably also have spoilers through all of the aired episode (5.16 "The Incident") but please do not include any spoilers from upcoming episodes in your comments (or if you do, be sure they are well marked/blacked out/whited out/etc. etc.).

Hey guys, just a reminder that this month's book is Philip K. Dick's VALIS. If you haven't read it yet, it's about time to start scrounging up a copy. I have yet to start on it (swinging by the library this afternoon, hopefully), but I went on a bit of a PKD binge over the summer so am rather excited to finally check this one out. Hopefully you'll all get a chance to read it over the next few weeks, and then we'll have a discussion post at the end of the month to muse over its relevance to Lost.



Title: VALIS
Author: Philip K. Dick
Year Published: 1981
Plot Summary: [via Amazon.com] The proponent of the novel, Horselover Fat, is thrust into a theological quest when he receives communion in a burst of pink laser light. From the cancer ward of a bay area hospital to the ranch of a fraudulent charismatic religious figure who turns out to have a direct com link with God, Dick leads us down the twisted paths of Gnostic belief, mixed with his own bizarre and compelling philosophy. Truly an eye opening look at the nature of consciousness and divinity.
First Appearance on LOST: 4.04 Eggtown, [via Lostpedia] John Locke selected VALIS for Ben to read from his own bookshelf. Locke gave it to him while he was imprisoned in the basement of his own house in the Barracks. Upon receiving the book, Ben said flatly, "I've already read it." Locke responded sarcastically, "You might catch something you missed the second time around."
Coming Up Next: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

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Catch-22

(I still have to finish this...)

So I thought we'd mainly just finish up the list of books. I also thought we'd stick to the schedule of 1 book = 1 month. It's how a lot of book clubs operate, and I think the schedule of "three weeks for this book, two weeks for this, four weeks for this" was getting confusing for people.




Which leaves us with the month of January. Anybody have a suggestion for a final book? I was thinking Our Mutual Friend, but I'm not sure if there'd be interest in continuing next summer, so if there was, we could save it for then? It has to be the last thing we ever read :P

We could also do the Epic of Gilgamesh, The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Shape of Things to Come by HG Wells, Ulysses by James Joyce, A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda.... the list goes on.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

And if anybody wants to "lead" the discussion of one of the books, let me know.

Lets get crackin :)

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Evil Under the Sun

Ugh. Late again. :(

I know this is a wee bit late, but I'm still "ending" it on Thursday as scheduled... it's a very short book, and I don't want to get off on the scheduling like we did last year. So if you have it, read it! And if you don't, pick it up!



Title: Evil Under the Sun
Author: Agatha Christie
Year Published: 1941
Plot Summary: A quiet holiday at a secluded hotel in Devon is all that Hercule Poirot wants, but amongst his fellow guests is a beautiful and vain woman who, seemingly oblivious to her own husband’s feelings, revels in the attention of another woman’s husband. The scene is set for murder, but can the field of suspects really be as narrow as it first appears?
First Appearance on LOST: 3x14. This is the book Sawyer is reading when he is interrupted by Nikki.
Coming Up Next: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

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Stranger in a Strange Land

My bad, this is late. :( Thanks to sitar_tattoo for reminding me :)

Title: Stranger in a Strange Land
Author: Robert Heinlein
Year Published: 1961
Plot Summary: It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised by Martians on the planet Mars, upon his return to Earth in early adulthood. The novel explores his interaction with — and eventual transformation of — Earth culture.
First Appearance on LOST: Episode title of 3x09. Some of you may better know it as "that shitty episode with Bai LIng where Jack got his tattoos."
Coming Up Next: Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

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The Stand

Did anybody read this?

Title: The Stand
Author: Stephen King
Year Published: 1978
Plot Summary: Stephen King's most popular book, according to polls of his fans, is an end-of-the-world scenario: a rapidly mutating flu virus is accidentally released from a U.S. military facility and wipes out 99 and 44/100 percent of the world's population, thus setting the stage for an apocalyptic confrontation between Good and Evil.
First Appearance on LOST: Podcast and Season 2 DVDs. Damon and Carlton have confirmed the book as being a major influence on the show and their writing.
Coming Up Next: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein