About halfway through April’s books, it struck me that nearly all the main characters had the same problem: they lacked impulse control.

Book 1: The Moon’s a Balloon by David Niven

This memoir is an absolute trip. David Niven found success in spite of himself. Over and over again, his unfiltered mouth got him in trouble.

From boarding school to the military. From the stage to screen. Story after story revealed Niven’s severe lack of impulse control.

All the same, a charming gent and magnificent storyteller.

Debonair till the end (poor fellow suffered from ALS in his final years), Niven was known for his roles in Around the World in 80 Days, The Guns of Navarone, and the Pink Panther movies.

At times, Niven’s stories seem too outlandish to be real. Either way, his version of life is a rollicking read.

Book 2: The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth

A few months back, I ran across an article about Anne Frank that mentioned this book. It poses the question: What if Anne Frank had survived the Holocaust?

In the madness of those final days and the many camp survivors who were barely alive, couldn’t Anne have awakened in a hospital months later and, believing her entire family to have been murdered, not trusted her story to a single soul?

Roth’s novel includes such a character as a troubled young woman, but never reveals her truth. Interesting concept, but somewhat disconcerting to see the different characters’ reactions to her struggles.

Book 3: A Separate Peace by John Knowles

This is another book I recall reading back in junior high. I remembered really liking it back then – yet, couldn’t remember any details.

Oof, impulse control (or lack thereof) really comes into play. Set in a New England boys’ boarding school, this coming-of-age tale set during World War II follows a friendship that reveals the dark side of unchecked competitiveness and jealously.

Book 4: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

This is a book I somehow missed in childhood.

Anne is an orphan who is adopted by an older pair of siblings who had “ordered” a boy (to help out on the farm).

Anne’s talkativeness and delight in just about everything is maddening to stern Marilla, but her shy brother Matthew finds the red-haired girl to be a breath of fresh air, as she does all the talking.

My favorite moment was when Anne – who had no impulse control, bless her – pointed out to a scolding Marilla that although the young girl made many mistakes (some quite serious), she learned from her missteps and never repeated the same one twice. Fair enough!

Book 5: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Here’s another book I’d heard about for decades but never read until this month.

Capote called this “a non-fiction novel,” and indeed may have sparked the beginning of our nation’s true crime obsession.

He noticed a blurb in the newspaper about the 1959 murder of four family members on a farm in Kansas.

Capote traveled to Kansas many times to interview the murderers and members of the small farm community shaken by the senseless massacre.

I still find myself triple-checking that our doors are locked …

Book 6: As Long As You Need by J.S. Park

This new book caught my eye on social media, with the intriguing subtitle “Permission to Grieve.”

Instead of being a self-help book, though, it’s the memoir of a hospital chaplain in his early years of offering comfort and care to patients and families going through impossible situations.

Each chapter starts with a “trigger warning.” About halfway through the book, I nearly stopped, as the stories were simply too heart wrenching. But I stuck with it and am glad I did. The author, who is Korean American, speaks from the heart as he reveals his personal struggles both at work and at home.

Book 7: The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

Back to Dame Agatha for a fun read as April drew to an end.

As much as I was hoping to crow that I finally figured out an Agatha Christie mystery, that was not to be. I did, however, question the intent of two of the characters early on and, indeed, they “done it.” Hercule Poirot does it again!

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