Two and a half years ago, I blogged about why I love Lost as a writer. I’m still a fan, so I was excited to see this post in GalleyCat today: Lost Season 6 Premiere: The Most Literary TV Show?

There was a recent interview with Nikki Stafford, author of five unofficial guides to the show, on the role of literature in Lost. The quote the excerpted quote from the GalleyCat post:

“The books are essential. The second season was the first time they came out a head of time actually told viewers that they would flash a book and they should watch for it…in the beginning of season two…Desmond chucks a whole bunch of things into his backpack, one was a copy of the book, ‘The Third Policeman.’ This was a book that came out in the 1960s by an Irish writer [Flann O'Brien]. I interviewed an editor at that publishing house and they sold 20,000 copies of that book in the weeks leading up to the episode.”

My previous post about the show had focused on how it’s written — the character development and use of backstory. But I absolutely should have included the books themselves. As Stafford said, they’re essential. Like everything else in the show, the books are details that add depth to the characters and the scenes.

For books to have such an important role in a show with the “if you were stranded on a deserted island…” premise, is a huge win for writers and bibliophiles everywhere. The network even started a Lost Book Club on their site, featuring titles that make a cameo on the show. Anything that promotes reading gets a virtual fist-bump from me.

And how much sexier was Sawyer for reading all the time in the earlier seasons?

From Friends of Irony:

And from the classic world of LOL Cats:

Need more laughs? Here are my three favorite websites o’ hilarity in my Google Reader:

Cake Wrecks

The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks

and the newest member (thanks to Amy!): Oddly Specific

Have a great weekend!

There are never too many holidays, right? The latest addition to the calendar is the declaration of January as National Train Your Dog Month by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).

The year is full of days, weeks, and months that have been designated for various animal awareness causes. Some make more sense than others. So, do we need a National Train Your Dog Month?

Considering how many dogs are turned into shelters for behavior problems? I’d say yes. And considering that people not only think TV trainers can solve all of their problems, but believe that celebrity training books qualify as curriculum for public schools? Double yes.

With dogs in millions of homes, they’re an important part of our society. But they are a different species, and it’s important to understand the way our dogs think, what motivates them, why they need socialization, and why training is so crucial, even if you don’t mind sacrificing a shoe now and then in the privacy of your own home.

In honor of National Train Your Dog Month, APDT has provided a lot of great resources for trainers and for dog owners. Even with fewer great links, this initiative would have gotten my stamp of approval just based on the adorable customizable e-cards they created for the month. Have fun sending them to every distressed dog owner you know (and then direct them to Patient Pup Training for assistance)!