Reading Proposal: The Secret of Father Brown

Devona has favored me with the chance to nominate the next book. I must admit, I feel a bit inadequate to choose as I have read very little fiction in the last several years. (That's why I joined, to inspire me!) But, I remembered that Tim suggested at some point doing a work by Chesterton, perhaps The Everlasting Man, or Orthodoxy.

Now, there's no one I'd rather read than Chesterton at any given time. It seemed a bit much, though, to have our second selection be a full-length non-fiction book. So instead, I'm going to nominate some short selections of Chesterton fiction that will give a sampling of his style and philosophy and be an enjoyable read.

The Secret of Father Brown is a collection of short-story mysteries within a frame story. I suggest reading the first chapter, "The Secret of Father Brown," three selected stories in the middle, "The Mirror of the Magistrate," "The Red Moon of Meru," and "The Chief Mourner of Marne," and finally the concluding chapter, "The Secret of Flambeau." One can sometimes find The Secret of Father Brown as a separate book, but you'll probably have better luck looking for a complete Father Brown collection.

As for a date, how about two weeks from now to find a copy and get started? Since there's multiple stories we can start discussing the early ones before people have finished reading the later ones.