5 Amazing Books I Read in April 2022

I don’t always finish five books in one month, but did this month because:

1. The weather’s been cold and wet. Bad for exploring, great for reading.

2. I got to tag-a-long with Ted on a work trip and did a lot of reading by the pool (it was amazing).

3. The first book listed was a short one.

4. I’ve been reading Think Again, and the Ivan book, slowly over the several months, and finally finished them both this month.

5. Two books were so good I couldn’t put them down, and stayed up way too late to finish them.

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Here are my reviews of the five books I finished in April:

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Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets by Andy Stanley

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Rating: 10/10

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Review: SO MUCH wisdom packed into this short book. It’s wonderful, and HARD to read/listen to as Andy asks some really tough questions. I recommend this one to anyone who wants to grow in their character and decision making ability!

Here are 8 points that really impacted me:

1. Private decisions almost always have public outcomes. If you have children, the outcomes of your decisions are outcomes somebody you love will be forced to live with.

2. Your legacy, your mark on the future, are determined by the decisions you make. 

3. What story do you want told about you? The good news is, YOU get to decide – one decision at a time. 

4. The decisions you make in the VALLEYS are the stories you tell on the mountain. 

5. When confronted with anything or anybody that has a strong emotional appeal, press pause, not play.  

6. Paying attention to that unexplainable, seemingly irrational tension, is important for all of us. I will pause even when I can’t pinpoint the cause of my hesitation. I will explore, rather than ignore my conscience.  

7. Ask: what is the wise thing to do. Regret is always preceded by unwise decisions.

‘In light of my past experience, my current circumstances and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do? ‘

Andy Stanley

8. Jesus did not leverage His God-card. He leveraged His example – how He loved. What does love require of me? 

Write a story you are proud to tell.

Andy Stanley

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Think Again by Adam Grant

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Rating 9/10

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Review: This book is filled with interesting stories and humor. Adam presents a case for why it’s helpful to be a lifelong learner and open to change vs. someone who is ‘set in their ways’ or a ‘know-it-all.’

Here are 9 points from the book that stood out to me:

1. Cognitive laziness – hanging onto old views over the difficulty of grappling with the new ones.

2. We listen to views that make us feel good instead of ideas that make us think hard.

3. We often favor feeling right over being right.

4. Scientific thinking favors humility over pride and curiosity over closure.

5. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think.

6. A successful relationship requires regular rethinking. For example: Learning not to be late. Or, being open to moving and planting roots in a new community. 

7. People find happiness when they prioritize social engagement over independent activities.

8. It’s our actions – not our surroundings – that bring us meaning and belonging.

9. Be a lifelong learner. Learn something new from each person you meet.

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Click here and leave a comment if you’d like to win a copy of Think Again!

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

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Rating 8/10

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Review: After finishing Home of the Brave with Clark, I decided to check out this book by the same author. I read it with my younger two boys who are animal lovers. It’s a sweet story of friendship between an ape and an elephant.

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The Choice by Dr. Edith Eger

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Rating: 10/10

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Review: An outstanding book written by a survivor of Auschwitz. She writes about her escape “physically” from prison, and how she later learned to escape the prison of the mind. She is the female version of Victor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning). There are parts of this book that are really hard to read, but it’s also a book filled with hope and redemption.

The sign above the entrance to the author’s prison camp in Aushwitz says: Arbeit Macht Frei, meaning: Work Will Set You Free.

Dr. Eger writes:

Work has set me free. Not the work the Nazis meant, but the inner work. Of learning to survive and thrive, of learning to forgive myself, of helping others do the same. When I do this work, I am no longer a prisoner. I am free.

Dr. Eger

Here are a 10 gold nuggets I pulled from the book:

1. You can live in the prison of the past, or you can let the past be a springboard that helps you reach the life you want now.
2. Get the feelings out. Expression is the opposite of depression. You can’t heal what you don’t feel.
3. You can’t feel love and fear at the same time.
4. It’s easier to hold someone or something else responsible for your pain than to take responsibility for ending your own victimhood.
5. How easily we can cling to – worship- the choice we think we could or should have made.
6. Our painful experiences aren’t a liability, they are a gift. They give us perspective and meaning, an opportunity to find our unique purpose and strength.
7. Doing what is right is rarely the same as doing what is safe.
8. The biggest prison is your own mind. In your pocket is the key: the willingness to take absolute responsibility for your life, the willingness to risk, the willingness to release yourself from judgment and reclaim your innocence, excepting and loving yourself for who you really are – human, imperfect, and whole.
9. No one can take away from you what you put in your mind.
10. Freedom is accepting what is, forgiving ourselves, and opening our hearts to discover the miracles that exist right now.

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You can’t change what happened, you can’t change what you did or what was done to you. You can choose how you live right now. You can choose to be free.

Dr. Edith Eger

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I guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet by Shauna Niequist

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Rating: 10/10

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Review: I already know this will be in my TOP TEN list for the books I read in 2022. I loved every.single.page. Shauna is such a phenomenal story teller. Each chapter is a story from her life, and what she’s learning in that story. I cried, I laughed, I stopped to think, pray, and express gratitude. Read this book.

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Thanks for reading these reviews. Which of the books listed above do you want to read? Leave me a comment!