The Power of Regret (& More April Reads)
I finished reading seven books in the month of April, including Daniel Pink’s The Power of Regret. Read on for my impressions of each title.
7 Books I Read in April
Please, Sorry,Thanks by Mark Batterson
I finished Mark Batterson’s Please Sorry Thanks on our flight to Washington DC. I enjoyed the book, and it definitely contained some biblical principles and good insights, but I told my husband that reading it felt a little like browsing through an extensive collection of motivational posters.
Unattributed quotes (such as “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.”) were plentiful. It felt like there were two to three such clichés on every page. So if you love that sort of thing, this book will be right up your alley. 😉
Seriously, though, Batterson argues convincingly that the words many a mother calls “magic” are far more powerful and transformative than most of us realize.
Keep Your Kids by Douglas Wilson
Another short but pointed book by Douglas Wilson, Keep Your Kids offers encouragement to parents who long to for their kids to develop into men and women of faith.
While fully acknowledging the need for God’s grace (for both parents and children) Wilson debunks the “therapeutic sentimentalism” that has pervaded so much of modern-day parenting in favor of Biblical principles and an eternal perspective that aims to train children to live for the glory of God and to make a difference in this world.
Sweet Child of Mine by Jennifer Flanders
I go through Sweet Child of Mine, my little devotional journal for moms, every year in April or May.
I read the text of the book, look up the referenced verses, peruse my previous entries in the journal, and complete a few new pages in the weeks between Easter and Mother’s Day.
This year was no exception. I’ve already finished re-reading the book cover-to-cover and will spend the next couple of weeks completing new pages. It’s a sweet reminder of how quickly my children grow up, and how important it is to savor each season before it’s gone for good.
The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink
When it comes to regret, some people seem to wallow in regret, paralyzed by their past mistakes. Others stubbornly refuse to feel remorse over any past actions, thereby missing an opportunity to improve.
In The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink contrasts both of these unhealthy extremes with the more balanced practice of learning from our mistakes, adopting an “at least” instead of an “if only” mindset, and using our regrets to improve our future performance.
Pink provides plenty of case studies. While I often disagree with the people he interviewed regarding what “moving forward” actually means, I did thoroughly enjoy reading the book.
Sudoku Variations Volume 4 by Djape
I’ve read that extremely difficult sudoku puzzles are supposedly good for staving off Alzheimers. If that is really true, this book has put me in good stead.
It contains the most intricate and challenging puzzles I’ve encountered yet. I normally keep a book going at all times and try to complete at least one or two puzzles a week.
After the first 30 puzzles in Sudoku Variations Volume 4, I was unable to finish any single puzzle in one sitting! The book contains 152 puzzles in all, though the majority combined as many as nine sudoku grids into a singular challenge.
The Essiac Story by Larry Thomas
I’ve been hearing a lot about Essiac tea ever since I was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before Christmas last year. So when I recently spotted The Essiac Story for just a few dollars on Audible, I bought and listened to it.
It tells the story of a nurse, Rene Caisse, who successfully treated countless cancer patients in Canada with this herbal remedy (recipe included!) and dedicated her life to doing research that verified its curative power.
The book includes information about half a dozen other herbal remedies that help fight cancer and can be used alone or in conjunction with standard medical treatments.
Psalms by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
In his book Psalms, Bonhoeffer takes a deep dive into what he calls “the prayer book of the Bible.” Jesus prayed the Psalms even as He hung dying on the cross. How can we do less?
Praying the words of scripture is powerful, and in the book of Psalms, we find examples of ever human struggle and emotion poured out before the Lord in prayer.
That’s it for last month’s reading. Do you love to read as much as we do? I’ve gathered all my best resources for bibliophiles into this post, or you can read more of my book reviews by following this link
Do you have trouble finding time to read? Don’t give up! Check out this post for tips on fitting reading into an already tight schedule: 10 Ways to Find More Time for Reading
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