::READERS REVIEWS::

A Century of Wonders - 2009 marks the hundredth anniversary of this book from 1909, which is a collection of columns the author penned for a British newspaper, the Daily Mail. As such it's a mixed bag; some of the writing is, in my view a 3, and some a 5, thus my rating of a 4. Sometimes I don't know what he's talking about. Other times I find myself quoting a paragraph in an e-mail. This book contains my first encounter with Chesterton, a brief essay called "On Lying in Bed", which I still think one of his best. But when I began this book, although I avidly devour G.K.'s novels, and some of his nonfiction, like Orthodoxy, this one didn't hold me.

I returned to it now and then, as one does, after reading rather more gripping reads. Then its magic kicked in, and in my view, some of the later essays, particularly those that are travelogues, are the best. Other readers will have their favorites; some of mine are:" The advantages of Having One Leg"; "The Twelve Men"; "The Wind and the Trees"; "In Topsy-Turvy Land"; "The Tower"; "The Orthodox Barber"; "Humanity: An Interlude"; "The Little Birds Who Won't Sing"; "The Travellers in State"; "The Prehistoric Railway Station"; "A Glimpse of My Country"; and "The Ballade of a Strange Town".

That's my dozen keepers from these 39 essays, a rather good haul from a book a century old. The difficulty in this volume is that the references, as in most newspaper columns, are to current controversies, culture, and even jokes of the day. The reason this book celebrates a centennial when so many others of the era are forgotten, is because for Chesterton, those passing fancies, all the rage at the moment, are signposts to conditions common to humanity. That's why he remains so quotable. But neither did he write vaguely about universals; he observed and commented on particular people and places in his time. That's why he remains readable.

Few read the sort of column collected here in our day, and fewer now write it. What one notices on reading any Chesterton, however, on dipping into any book almost anywhere, is his delight in living, and looking, and reuminating. This is not a self-help book, but any reader who helps him or herself to it, may be helped regardless, to see more, and enjoy life more. Because his message at bottom is it's OK to enjoy life, to see it as a good gift, to be thankful and revel in it. This is not the frantic optimism of a prescriptive self-help book. To Chesterton, it's simple realism. As he writes in "The Ballade of a Strange Town":

"The false optimism, the modern happiness, tires us because it tells us we fit into this world. The true happiness is that we don't fit. We come from somewhere else. We have lost our way." A hundred years later these words still ring true. Which is why we're still reading him.

A Tremendous Achievement - Those familiar with G. K. Chesterton probably know him for his novels (The Man Who Was Thursday), his stories (The Complete Father Brown Stories (Wordsworth Classics) (Wordsworth Collection)), and his non-fiction ORTHODOXY). Even the fans may not be aware that his chief profession in life was as a journalist. Indeed, Chesterton wrote a stunning 3,000 columns during his lifetime. Many collections were published at the time, and others have been added since then. It is said, by the true fanatics, that all 3,000+ are quite good. I wouldn't know, since I've only read a hundred or so. But I can say this. Among all essay collections by any author that I've ever read, "Tremendous Trifles" is the best.

"Tremendous Trifles" is, to put it simply, a series of reflections on everyday life. In "The Twelve Men", Chesterton recounts the story of his call to jury duty. Being chosen merely because his name starts with 'C', he ends up hearing the case of an accused bicycle thief. "We did indeed, well, and truly try the case of the Crown versus the defendant in the issue of stealing bicycles, and we concluded, after much debate, that the Crown was in no ways implicated." Several cases later, Chesterton has an epiphany and realizes why we need juries rather than judges. To professional judges, judging seems ordinary. Only a jury of normal citizens can remember that putting men on trial is an extraordinary thing to do.

In "On Lying in Bed", Chesterton reflects on the ceiling, and the joys of observing it from a bed. In "The Extraordinary Cabman", he tackles the philosophical question of whether anything is actually real, and answers with a definite yes. It's hard to pick the best essay in a collection like this, but I can definitely pick the best title: "The Advantages of Having a Broken Leg". But regardless, every essay is well worth reading, and the whole book is a worthy addition to any library.

Wonderful writing makes for wonderful reading - If you're a fan of great writing, you'll be a fan of this collection. Each story within the collection is short, maximum 4 pages, and they get right to the point. However, like any great story, they save the best for last and you will find yourself looking forward to reading the last paragraph within each story as it is truly the best and most invigorating. Chesterton's control of the English language is stunning and his direct matter of proving a thing is awe-inspiring. If you're a fan of his other works, you may like this one even more because it doesn't take as long to get the same great Chesterton-messages out of the reading. I give this book 5 stars because it really is wonderful when you don't have all day to read, yet still want to learn something or be motivated that the world is not all bad throughout the day. If you've got 15 spare minutes, thats enough to flip through one of these stories and feel better about yourself and the world.

G.K. Lite - Anyone new to Mr. Chesterson's writings will find this book fun and entertaining. It will give you a glimpse into the genius of Chesterton's brilliant mind. Then you must move on to the more meaty, weighty, substantive philosophic works: Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man.

Classic Chesterton - This is a compilation of essays written for his newspaper column. I am always impressed by his poetic and detailed descriptions of the world around him. He covers a variety of subjects and always turns the observations about life into truths that I did not expect. Among my favorites: A Piece of Chalk--where a drawing exercise turns into a lesson on the nature of truth, The Dragon's Grandmother--on why we should read fairy tales to our children, and Twelve Men--the best explanation I have read on why we have juries made of our peers and not professional jurors.