ABC wants Lost fans to spend the show's long hiatus curled up with a good book. The network has created the Lost Book Club, a resource for viewers who want to know more about the drama's numerous literary references. The book club website contains a list of the books seen or referred to on Lost. You can peruse the list according to season or based on a number of categories (background, dialogue, and show theme).

In a brief letter to fans, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse mentioned that the club is informal and that the books should be used to enhance the Lost experience, not provide answers to the show's mysteries.

Each book description includes a reminder of where and when the book appeared on Lost and provides a short synopsis of the work. Another fun feature of the book club site is a message board that fans can use to discuss the relevance of books like Through the Looking Glass and A Brief History of Time. With over fifty books listed, the club should keep any die-hard fan busy for quite a while.

I'm not sure if I'll get around to reading Bonjour, Babar, but some of the most frequently mentioned books are worth a closer look.

[via Pop Candy]