The Best Books I Read In April 2022

One of the hardest months to pick a best read

April turned into a stressful month. I didn’t find much time to write, but I did find lots of time to read. Reading was the only way to calm myself down when I came home from work.

In April, I read five books and saved $120 from using my local library. One of my books I found at work by accident, too.

Most of the books I didn’t like right away. After putting one of them down, the first thing I said was, “I’m not the audience for this one.” I had to give myself time to think long after I finished the books.

Here are my best reads of April!

One Two Three By Laurie Frankel

Laurie Frankel has magical powers. She knows how to make you think about a situation without demanding your empathy. She did it to me in This Is How It Always Is, and she did it again with One Two Three.

One Two Three follows a set of triplets in the small town of Bourne. Twenty years ago, a chemical plant opened. The plant promised prosperity to the town. And then the water started smelling. Pets began dying, and people got sick until the people realized the plant poisoned the water.

At sixteen, a set of triplets watch as their mother fights to sue the chemical plant. When the owners move back into town, the triplets help their mother get the justice the town deserves.

The triplets call each other One, Two, and Three based on the syllables in their names. Mab, Monday, and Mirabel. Mab constantly studies for college. Monday is the town librarian, as long as all her books are yellow. And Mirabel uses computers and a wheelchair to move and communicate.

As I read this book, I thought about Flint, Michigan. It’s been eight years, and the city still doesn’t have clean water. Pending criminal charges got dropped in 2019. I often wonder what the city will look like after twenty years.

The message was clear in this book. There are consequences to choosing profits over people.

Permission To Feel By Marc Brackett, Ph.D.

Did you know your emotions can impact your health? I didn’t until I read Marc Brackett’s book.

Brackett talks about working with his uncle on connecting emotional health to physical health. After his uncle passed, he continued to study human emotions and started teaching his findings to schools across the United States.

Bracket created a Mood Meter and started using it in different school districts. Many schools that use this system reported better academic performances and better behavior. Workplaces and psychologists also noted better performances in their areas.

With more people learning how to label and regulate their emotions, we could see less need for psychologists. We’ll learn how to manage ourselves.

It’s a fascinating read for anyone who doesn’t want to go to therapy.

Honorable Mentions

Only two books? Yes, only two books. Yeah, I read five, but I had a hard time picking out the best book in this bunch. Even my honorable mentions aren’t ones I particularly liked. So here are my honorable mentions.

• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: I’m still reading this book, but I struggle. It’s supposed to be a great American novel, but it sounds more like war-babble. It’s as if Monty Python was in book form but not as funny.
• China in Real Life By Shang Guan Jie Wen: I loved reading this book. The only reason it’s here is that I wrote a review for it already. Here is the link for you.
• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong: I don’t think I was the target audience. It wasn’t a bad read.

Final Thoughts

I had a hard time finding a book I enjoyed this month, but that’s okay. Sometimes our months have flops.

This May, I’m doing a nonfiction month. Maybe I’ll have better luck this time around! I’ll let you know how my nonfiction month went in June. Until then, I’ll see you!

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