Introduce Yourself to G.K. Chesterton

This is another post in The Bookish Mum series, where we talk about making time for reading and books as moms. Why reading is important, how to make time to read, and challenging yourself through reading are all topics touched on so far, make sure to check them all out!

As the biggest self-proclaimed G.K. Chesterton fangirl, I often get asked about what one should start reading if interested in Chesterton. You've seen his great quotes everywhere, but reading his writings in their entirety can be so much more rewarding, so I thought I'd hand out my professional advice as to what to read and a little bit of information about the great writer who may also become a saint!



Who Was G.K. Chesterton?

Born in 1874, Chesterton was raised in a loving, but not especially religious family. By the time Gilbert was old enough to attend art school he had dabbled in occultism and seemed to be firmly agnostic. While at art school however, he became seriously depressed which spurred a spiritual conversion and a firm belief in God's existence, he returned to the Anglican Church where he was baptized. He married his wife Frances in 1901, she would always be his constant support and anchor throughout his hectic life and prolific career, but they would never have children.

He began writing articles for newspapers and would go on to write novels, poetry, plays, literary biographies, the famous Father Brown detective stories and innumerable essays. He wrote his apologetics classic Orthodoxy before coming into full communion with the Catholic Church in 1922. He wrote on every conceivable subject from war to cheese, the Catholic faith to economic theory. His wit and ability to convey common sense to an increasingly chaotic society makes his writing still relevant today. His life is now being more closely examined as there is now an investigation into his personal holiness which is the beginning of the official process of becoming a canonized saint in the Catholic Church.



What G.K. Chesterton Wrote

There's really no genre or topic that Chesterton didn't write or write about. His incredible talent lent itself to plays, poetry, detective stories, novels of faith, country, and spies, biographies of saints and novelists, apologetics classics, and books of essays commenting on America, the Church, art, politics, and the economic theory he supported; distributism.

Regardless of the genre, Chesterton always stood for the truth, and had a gift for imparting the truth with confidence, logic, and wit that always made the reader think. He stood up for natural law, biblical principles, and the teachings of the Church in the face of many modern problems, or heresies as he saw them. In his fiction, he brought these ideals and philosophies to life in a diverse array of characters and often amusing stories. His Father Brown detective stories are what people usually recognize him for, and they are wonderful examples of his ability to weave in his impeccable understanding of human nature and it's need for truth.



What to Begin With

The question when faced with Chesterton's epic bibliography is where to start? I think after reading him for more than ten years I'd recommend a few titles depending on what genre you'd feel most comfortable with. For easier essays with a wide variety of topics Tremendous Trifles is a treat. I'd also heartily recommend his Autobiography, especially if you are looking for a conversion story. I've recently read his biography on St. Francis of Assisi which isn't so much a detailed biography of events but a inspiring foray into Franciscan thinking and a great starter if you're looking for Chesterton's writing on Catholicism. If you'd like to start with his fiction I'd recommend his Father Brown stories to begin with, then dive into his masterpiece; The Man Who Was Thursday.

As another tip, you might want to take Chesterton in small doses. His was a towering intellect and I still catch myself rereading many passages I've read before simply because his writing can be mind blowing; both philosophically and in it's technical prose. But don't take that to mean he is intimidating. He is imminently humble in his writing, and there is something for you in his writings!

If you're looking to understand more of Chesterton's thinking in a more general, cohesive way there's no better place than to begin with Dale Ahlquist's books on Chesterton. They are a great introduction into Chesterton's way of thinking and writing that can really help us get the perspective we need for what Chesterton was writing about specifically.

I've also subscribed to Gilbert, the magazine of the American Chesterton Society for years now and I love how it brings together contemporary views with Chesterton's writings in a good mix of well written articles, stories, and book/tv/movie reviews. It's a great way to get to know Chesterton in a more casual, easy way that arrives conveniently every few months!

One More Profession of Fangirl Love

This has been quite possibly the shortest diversion upon the great subject of all that is Chesterton, but I hope it's helped you recognize his name and spark your curiosity to read more. I have a deep love for Chesterton and his writings; for his ability to communicate so emphatically and clearly the beliefs we hold dear, for the love of life he had bursting forth from his every cell, for his ability to show us the beauty, mystery, and wonder in the everyday. There is so much wisdom, truth, and goodness in his writings that I think there really is something for everyone, so if you've been curious about Chesterton give him a try because I think he'll make your life better.








I've written a little about Chesterton's ideas in the past, here's some posts:

Chesterton on Parents and Education

Chesterton on a Child's Imagination

Chesterton and How to Celebrate Christmas

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Loving Your Inner Book Nerd: Challenging Yourself Through Reading {The Bookish Mum}

Welcome back to The Bookish Mum, a series on reading for moms! We've discussed why reading feeds our soul and why we should keep at it in the midst of babies and diapers, and we've tried to come up with solutions for the tough question of finding the time to read when you're a busy mom.


Today, let's talk about how to nurture lifelong learning and challenge yourself through reading.

We all want our children to grow to be lifelong learners and people who love learning. And like most things in parenting, we are our children's first and best example when it comes to learning. It's possible to expand your knowledge and channel your inner nerd just by reading books. Trust me, you won't even look nerdy to your kids.

It's so wonderful to feed our souls and our hearts with reading what gives us enjoyment, pleasure, and relaxation, but we can also use these opportunities to expand our knowledge and to challenge our intellects. This challenge doesn't have to involve tedious textbooks by any means, it usually just means finding good books that may be outside our scope of knowledge or what we typically read.

Once we've developed a habit, routine, or even a bit of time we devout to reading on a regular basis is becomes easier to switch things up a bit. I can't guarantee that every book we pick up we'll love and find enjoyable immediately, but I can say that even if we have to take a couple rejects back to the library because they didn't strike us the right way or pull us in, we will find great books out there that will expand our minds.

Embrace Your Inner Book Nerd

Sometimes the most difficult part about branching out your reading can be figuring out what to read.  In a sea of book covers it can be hard to even get a direction about where to start. I think it can be helpful by starting to think about interests you've always had but haven't had a chance to pursue or by taking a wild leap into something completely different from what you've read in the past.

Reading allows us to pursue interests we may have just glimpsed in college or even high school. I've always been a history lover even though I didn't specialize in college, one day I picked up a biography on Catherine of Aragon and was completely sucked into a world I'd never thought twice about before. Now I enjoy biographies of monarchs like new seasons of Parks and Rec. Sure, it sounds nerd-y but I've come to know an amazing breadth of history through simply reading about the lives of queens. I can't get enough of those dysfunctional upbringings!

In choosing something that is completely different to what we normally read, be it subject or genre, we are taking a blind leap into learning something that could surprise us. Expanding our knowledge and interests becomes easy through a good book. Pretty soon one book leads to another, leads to another: almost effortlessly you've become a book nerd.

Finding Inspiration on What to Read

One of the many, many things I love about blog reading is that there is a profusion of great book blogs out there, and so many smart women talking about the books they love. In reading about others' love of books, you can't help but be inspired and thrilled by their enthusiasm for whatever topic a book may cover. I've found so many great books from recommendations I've read from others. It's also so much easier to trust someone's opinion on a book when the topic is completely new to you. So why not try a recommendation from someone and see how you like it, let inspiration strike you no matter the direction!

Some of the best books I've read in recent years have come from recommendations from blogs. If you're looking for some book starting points Modern Mrs. Darcy always has a new book in a new genre. If you're looking for a good gathering of lots of different voices on any book no matter the genre Housewifespice runs a weekly linkup of What We're Reading Wednesday. I really enjoy The Deliberate Reader's extensive reviews of a great variety of subjects too. For a great reporting of Catholic books all books under the sun, Julie at Happy Catholic and Happy Catholic Bookshelf never lets me down.

Why not try a biography, a book of essays, spiritual readings, detective fiction, a survival story, a cooking memoir, or a book on education? You're one book away from opening up a whole new interest, hobby, and world of knowledge.

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Finding Time to Read in the Nitty Gritty - The Bookish Mum

We're back talking about how to love reading and books as a mom, the first part of this series on why we should keep reading can be found here.

Now for the tough part -- actually figuring out when to read while you're cleaning up messes, nursing babies, containing meltdowns, and making supper in a haze of exhaustion from no sleep at night!

You don't need free hours - but stolen minutes add up faster than you think

Before we begin practicing new habits in our daily routine it's easy to believe we need to clear out empty blocks of time in order to do accomplish one more thing. But what happens more often than not is that we can accomplish and enjoy things even in small amounts of time. This is definitely a skill I've gotten better at since becoming a mom, and in some ways it necessitates a letting go of ideals of perfection we may have, and only tackling things we can finish properly.

We don't need to expect that reading requires endless free hours to devout to thick, impressive books. Sometimes all we can manage is to read five minutes here, five minutes there. Maybe instead of picking up the phone as the kids play outside we read a few pages of a novel. These few minutes add up to pages, then chapters, then books faster than we'd think. As little as ten or fifteen minutes a day spent reading can refresh your mind and see you through a good book faster than you'd think.

If we want to be successful at building a routine of reading everyday it's best to look at your day and the demands of your kids and babies and find the spot where it is typically easiest to get a couple minutes to yourself. Of course every day changes, and you don't have to read every day, but if the routine of reading is built into your normal day you'll find it easier to read and build the habit of reading books into your life. Just like in prayer when we turn our minds to God at regular times, our prayer life then becomes much easier, so too any other habit that we wish to get better. If a regular time of day allows you to sit, sip a warm drink, enjoy some peace and quiet (or as close as you can get) while reading you'll feel much more successful.

For many moms nursing a baby provides a good time to sit. If you're driving kids to and fro and have to wait in a car -- bring a book. Maybe you have a built in relaxation time of a hot bath after the kids are in bed-- that is a perfect time to read. Or those twenty minutes the kids are enjoying a little screen time could be devoted to reading instead of folding laundry. Sometimes we need to reorganize that chores come second to caring for ourselves when we have peaceful time in our day. There will always be laundry, but the precious commodity of quiet time needs to be spent in the way it serves you best. It's your best bang for you mama buck, so to speak!

These are just some ways to help you discover time you might not have thought of, but it really depends upon what suits you best. I get a little squirrely if I don't read even a little every day, I usually manage to fit in a couple minutes in the afternoon during my mandated quiet time for the kids while the babies nap when I'm not out of the house, but I always read before going to bed. I'm a major creature of habit and I've found if I don't read in bed I can't fall asleep anyway -- my nerdiness impacts my sleep.

Don't worry if you're not plowing through books at a harrowing pace. Sometimes it takes me months to finish a book, but the time spent reading it was much more rewarding than the end goal of a finished novel.

Read what you love with no guilt

I know most of us moms are brilliant. We've got degrees, we've got blogs, we've got past jobs where we worked circles around other people, we may still be working circles around people and so we feel as if we should be reading "Important Books" all the time. But the beauty of being at home, being our own bosses of our days (my two year old just laughed at me typing that), and being able to freely pursue what we love means that we can choose to use our reading time and our minds on what we find the most enjoyable, not just what seems practical.

Do you love young adult fiction? What about favourites from your own childhood? If you're a fan of mysteries or thrillers, then by all means start reading them! There's nothing wrong in giving yourself the time to relax and enjoy the light-hearted beach read or the science fiction you'll never admit to reading.

If we're going to feed our souls with the wonder and inspiration that comes from story, then reading should bring us joy -- not a feeling of burden. Choose to read what brings your heart happiness.

These tips aren't groundbreaking, but I think that these three ideas of appreciating the small, short moments we can use for reading, building a routine of reading into our day, and reading what we love are the easiest ways of picking up reading again or reading more as a mom in the midst of a busy day. What works best for you? Or, what doesn't work at all? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

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The Bookish Mum: Reading to Feed Your Soul and Intellect - A Series

Welcome to a little series where I hope we'll be able to explore why reading is important to mums, how to make time for reading books, and how to find books you'll love. I'm hoping to write a couple posts here and there that can be part a series that will help us all feel a little more encouraged in making time for ourselves through reading. Many people have asked me how I make time to read, and although this isn't groundbreaking I'm going to try and answer some questions and if you come up with more ask away!


First, let's talk about why reading books is still important for Mums.

In the midst of babies, toddlers, small children, and all that comes with them like the sleepless nights, the every day need for food at least three times a day, (or if you're two years old, 50 times per day), maintaining some level of household cleanliness, and maybe even getting out of the house every once in a while, there comes the question: How do you find time to read?!

We all know that motherhood completely changes every part of our lives. It changes our everyday to the point where we have to re-evaluate all our priorities. Discovering this new everyday mothering rhythm where we find that sweet spot of nurturing and loving our babies while taking care of ourselves can take awhile. It took me until after the birth of my first, second, and even third child, to figure out my mothering rhythm where I could make time everyday for things I enjoyed, like reading.

It's good to remind ourselves that when we become mothers we still remain ourselves. Our personalities, interests, passions, and hobbies are all still there but need to be refocused. Reading can help in pursuing our interests as well as continuing our love of learning but often gets sidetracked. But once we haven't read in a while it can be daunting to get back into the habit. Or we may have misplaced pressure from our reading days at college, or our previous profession. If we begin to look at reading as an opportunity in our days to feed both our soul and mind without the pressure of jobs, deadlines, and papers reading can become both easier and a source of personal renewal.

Reading really does feed our hearts and souls. We spend busy days and exhausting nights giving to our children. Books invite us to enter into someone else's story; to feel joy, sadness, excitement when our days feel remarkably alike. Our hearts grow through stories, we see humanity in a new light, and experiences in a way that which we could never imagine. Moving outside of ourselves in this way can bring us relief on the tough days.

It can be really difficult to find quiet and solitude in the everyday when we're raising small children. Another advantage in reading is the solitude and quiet is can give us in the midst of chaos. Spending even 15 minutes while babies nap, or while older kids are enjoying quiet time of their own, or an occasional dose of Dora, can refresh us in surprising ways. The concerted effort it takes to create quiet time for ourselves is so important for our peace of mind and sanity sometimes. The refreshing of our attitude is good not only for our souls but our kid's as well.

Another way of looking at the value of reading as a mum is thinking about how we're trying to raise our children. We want to encourage the growth of the whole child;  his heart, his moral understanding, his manners, his physical well-being, and of course his mind. We see the natural curiosity of children as a beautiful gift that should always be welcomed and supported, we have the goal of raising life-long learners with a passion for wisdom, knowledge, and truth. Why then would we let our own minds flounder? It can become easy to coast through our days without the intellectual stimulation of the workplace, or ignore our interests and curiosities. Reading is an easy way to keep our need to learn alive and continue to pursue what interests us. There are always new books to read, new things to learn, and it can happen at home in the midst of our mothering lives.

We can't abandon our intellect when we become mothers just like we can't abandon other important aspects of life. We don't want to let how we look and feel about ourselves through fashion slide, or give up working out and fitness, so too we have to view our intellect as an integral part of ourselves. Just like it can take a little time to regain our confidence with style, or getting back in the groove of working out after having babies, we can get back on track when it comes to exercising our intellect.

Although we need to look at our intellects as a vital part of ourselves that need attention, I also don't want us to look at reading books as another thing to add to our already too long to-do lists. Reading should give us refreshment and add to our lives, not feel like drudgery or another chore. In the next instalment of this series I'll talk about concrete ways to sneak reading into our busy days and I hope we'll be able to share what works best for us bookish mums!

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