Eve Koguce's Blog, page 5

And Then You Were Gone by Ivy Logan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Have you ever felt alone even knowing that there are people who love and support you? Have you ever felt the pressure become too much to bear?

Nina, in “And Then You Were Gone” by Ivy Logan, goes through an even worse experience. She has to watch her daughter Sophie suffer while trying to walk on the thin ice of respecting her child’s privacy and searching for ways to help.

Nina has had her share of disappointment in love and life, but now she is content with what she has. Her daughter Sophie is the most important person in the whole world for her. And her career as a fantasy writer fills the rest, making her feel fulfilled.

Nina recognises the signs that something is wrong in Sophie’s life. Alas, like most teenagers, Sophie believes that her mother is the last person who can solve her problems. But she doesn’t take into account that her mom is a writer, a person whose imagination works differently. The girl can’t imagine to what lengths Nina would go to help her get out of the vicious circle where her friends-turned-enemies herded her.

On the canvas of this tightly-knit small family’s ordinary life, the author draws a thought-provoking story. With every brush stroke – book chapter – Ivy Logan unravels the path of a girl from being a generally happy teenager to a tormented soul stuck in the aftermath of the trauma she experienced.

To me, both Nina and Sophie felt very relatable. As a teenager, I experienced bullying, but, fortunately, not from my close circle. Besides, I was lucky that older friends stood up for me. Even though those few episodes didn’t cause irreparable damage to my psyche, the fact that decades later I still vividly remember them speaks for itself.

And now, as a mother, I can acutely feel Nina’s desperation which made her turn to extreme measures. Her plan didn’t work out as she planned, but in the frenzy of trying to help her daughter, it is understandable that she didn’t think about the variety of consequences her actions could lead to. Moreover, she did what she did to help herself find the solution. She didn’t expect her writing gift to turn against her.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who appreciates an emotion-evoking story that tugs on your heartstrings and makes you look at seemingly usual things from a new perspective.



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And Then You Were Gone

OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book has crushed me. Pressed me down like no other book has done – and I’ve read plenty. The story is so raw and so startingly real that if you have a heart, it can’t but start bleeding when you get to the last page.

“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is a mighty book. It tells more than a story of two men. It uncovers the whole layer, dealing with the topic which is timely, yet which nowadays is dealt with a ‘through rose-coloured spectacles’ attitude. Like so many other themes that scream to be addressed but with all the publicity they seemingly receive remain unsolved.

"His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought." I believe these words that describe one of the characters can be attributed to Steinbeck himself. The way he delves deeply into human nature, digging out the tiniest nuances that, in the end, make all the difference, speaks undeniably that his understanding was beyond the thought of any man.

"Ain't many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other." Even though George knew that mentally challenged Lennie was a burden, he still wasn’t scared to take responsibility for him. Without Lennie, he could have had an easier life. He wouldn’t need to leave the ranches where he got a job so often because Lennie forgot how to behave – again. Yet, George had chosen differently.

"Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus' works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella." Alas, having no sense also sometimes leads to a nice fellow committing something that can’t be reversed.

I was in tears reading the ending of this book. My heart ached and I desperately wanted the ending to be different – the world to be different. “Of Mice and Men” left me thinking if it is possible for us to ever treat the important issues scarring our society the way that can actually change something for the better. John Steinbeck hits us with the reality right in our faces. Yet, I’m afraid we aren’t ready to accept it. And without pragmatic acceptance, there is no hope for a successful problem solution.



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John Steinbeck

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Nowadays they say that the first line of a book is very important. I always brush it away as I do most of the ‘must-have’ things, which can’t be roughly applicable to a piece of art, in my opinion. Yet, here I am, hooked from the very first lines of the book I downloaded but didn’t plan to read right away.

“The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.”

Having just driven through the Salinas Valley, while taking in its green lushness and landscape diversity, and thinking about “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck I read before that trip, I couldn’t resist. I had to “return” to these valleys and “see” the endless farm fields and the mountains, brightly lit by the sun in the morning and shrouded in the misty veil of low hanging clouds in the evening.

“East of Eden” takes a central place in National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. I look through the photos we took there and think that I’d love to return there someday. After reading the book, I’d see the exposition with different eyes.

“East of Eden” is a poignant portrayal of people’s lives in the Salinas Valley drawn with a generous brush on a vast canvas. It spans over towns dotting this part of California and generations of the families who settled in this beautiful part of the world and call it home.

With a deep understanding of human nature, Steinbeck writes, "And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way."

And this is how the lives of the characters – and they are numerous – of this saga roll on among the fruit trees and the fields with all kinds of crops imaginable and the mountains. They trudge through the ‘dry’ years and indulge in plans and activities during ‘wet’ ones. And the ‘wet’ years for some can easily be the ‘driest’ for others.

All characters, even minor ones, are multi-dimensional and alive. Once you get to know them, they burst out of the pages and take a permanent place in your mind. Without lengthy descriptions, Steinbeck transforms them from characters into people.

"Her head was small and round and it held small round convictions." Doesn’t this short sentence draw a wholesome picture? Or "He was a vicious male gossip, insatiably curious and vindictive without malice."

It would be a futile and unnecessary attempt to retell the plot. This book is about people, the paths they take in life and the paths life forces them to take. It is about people’s dreams, plans, failures, and mistakes. It is about how some people learn from the lessons life and other people teach them and how others drift across the years as if they are in a boat without a sail or oars.

“You are one of the rare people who can separate your observation from your preconception. You see what is, where most people see what they expect,” says one of the characters. I think that this is true about Steinbeck himself. The way he writes about people belonging to different social classes shows how thorough his knowledge of human nature was and how sincerely curious he remained to learn more.

“East of Eden” is a masterful combination of an exciting story full of twists and unexpected turns and a profound exploration of Life and Man.



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John Steinbeck

River Faces North by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"But we could hope. Because that is what you do when you see the world has ended and you are still alive." The world Flo had known all her life has ended. Just like, one might think, Flo’s active life. No matter the positivity regarding the age that had been flourishing in that old world of hers, seventy-eight was considered the sunset of a person’s existence. But the world has ended, and in the new one, Flo has found herself to be more vigorous and inventive than she used to be in her youth. She must be this way, for she doesn’t have a choice.

In this new world, almost all of the things that could be enjoyed perished. You can’t have a cup of coffee in the morning. You can’t take a delicious drag of a cigarette. You can’t treat your kids to a birthday cake. You wear old tattered clothes.

But above all that, your life doesn’t belong to you.

In the year 2036, the oppressive cult – the Elect – rules over the land, which used to be the embodiment of human rights, democracy, and prosperity. The Elect decides what you eat and how much. The Elect chooses the field of duty for you. The Elect decides when your life ends – be it on the show arena, in a labour camp, or at a farm for the elderly where you will die uncared for and alone.

Flo has no intention to allow the Elect to make decisions for her. She is determined to fight, using the means at her disposal. It might seem she doesn’t have much. What can a seventy-eight-year-old woman do to change the world? Yet, those who think that forget that more often it’s the subtlety that wins.

Flo is not alone. Still, she feels that she is. "Trust is the first casualty of the revolution." Flo trusts no one. Not even those whom she is helping to survive, letting them live in her swamp. She checks on them, makes sure they are fed and clothed, but she keeps an eye on them. And when someone in her circle behaves suspiciously, she acts. Maybe it doesn’t make her a good person. But she doesn’t want to be good. She is a rebel grandmother after all. And rebel grandmothers do what must be done irrespective of losing the chances for salvation.

"Broken people did not always recognize and mend one another’s brokenness." Flo learns this truth the hard way. She had learnt it in her life before, when the love she and her husband shared broke, shattered against the things that shouldn’t have mattered more than the chance for happiness they had been given. Yet, life isn’t always fair – now, in 2036, it seems that it never is. And Flo learns it again after the world she knew has ended.

Dark, uncompromising, and shocking, “River Faces North” by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak is saturated with hope. Flo’s courage, her love for her granddaughter River, her faith in her son’s and his partner’s ability to bring the revolution home and wipe away the horrendous Elect are the rays of bright light that transform this story. From depressing it gradually becomes inspiring.

I’ve lived through the tough transitional times myself, and probably this made me feel Flo’s journey more acutely. The feeling that the world will remain grim forever is familiar to me. When every day is a struggle and every morning you wake up expecting another blow, it is extremely hard to keep the hope intact. Seeing the dishonest and undeserving climb up to the very top of life snatches that hope away. At times like these, you survive only if you have those who demonstrate rebellion against the ruling darkness. People who don’t succumb to the wrong side, no matter how alluring it might seem. They most probably are poor people. They don’t have more than you do. But only in the material sense. They still have the treasures of their soul to share. A quote from one of my favourite books comes to mind: “If you're in trouble or hurt or need – go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help – the only ones.” ― John Steinbeck, “The Grapes of Wrath.”

“River Faces North” by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak is book one in the Taggak Journey trilogy. I am looking forward to making the perilous journey North with the characters of book two and seeing if they can make the revolution work. The rebel grandmother Flo counts on them, and, a fictional character she might be, she has a permanent place in my heart from now on.



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River Faces North

Deadly Vendetta by Donna Scuvotti

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Jonathan’s life has certainly not been a safe harbour with calm waters. Not since he was thirteen. I really liked the first book “Just Jonathan”. Having lost my father at about the same age as Jonathan lost his mother, I could relate to his struggles on so many levels.

I had no idea what to expect from the continuation of Jonathan’s story. And what a surprise it has turned out to be! “Deadly Vendetta” by Donna Scuvotti is a wild ride that made me turn the pages way past my bedtime. The twists and turns kept accumulating, and the intrigue kept building up.

In his early thirties, a successful attorney, Jonathan lives in Portland, Oregon, content with his lifestyle and what he has achieved. The darkness of his past still haunts him in the form of nightmares. Still, he feels he has successfully overcome the trauma of losing his mother when he was a teenager and the shock of discovering and hunting down a serial killer in the woods surrounding his hometown. So, when his assistant dies in his arms in his office, he is totally unprepared for the turn his tranquil, established life is about to take.

Thrown out of the calm pattern of his everyday routine, Jonathan begins to understand that people who are behind his misfortunes won’t stop before destroying everything and everyone dear to him. He switches on the ‘learn-the-truth-at-all-costs’ mode, and together with Luke – my favourite character – they start painstakingly untangle the ugly knot of mystery and ruthless vendetta.

“Deadly Vendetta” by Donna Scuvotti is a fast-paced story with a seemingly unsolvable mystery which finally unravels to the reader’s complete satisfaction. As a bonus, there are beautiful scenes with dogs and horses, something that I appreciate being a true lover of both.

Donna Scuvotti has mustered the secret recipe of combining the exciting mystery and likeable characters and I’m looking forward to her next book.



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Deadly Vendetta

The Café at Kate's : Book 2 in the Sixpenny Bissett series by Caroline Rebisz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Sixpenny Bissett, the quaint little town in Dorset, my favourite county in all of England, and diving back into the life of Jenni Sullivan.

Jenni is fifty, and she has just started a new life after her old one ended with the death of her husband Reggie. She is doing a good job at carving this new life for herself. In book one of the series, she moved from Birmingham, where everything and everyone reminded her of her husband, to settle in Sixpenny Bissett. She discovered that living in the countryside is very different from living in a big city. Some things she loved right away, while others made her shed a few tears.

Now, Jenni is ready for the next chapter to begin in earnest. She is about to open her business. She hopes that locals will appreciate her baking skills and that her café will become a flourishing enterprise. But it is also important to her that her café helps to keep her friend Kate’s shop afloat. She is excited that with the opening of the café new business opportunities appear.

Jenni’s life seems too good to be true. But only from the outside. Amidst the chaos of opening her business, Jenni can’t neglect the fact that she will become a grandmother soon. She realises that with her son and his pregnant girlfriend living with her and depending on her, chances are slim not to be heavily involved in raising her grandchild. Even so, Jenni has no idea the extent of involvement in granny’s duties that will soon fall on her shoulders – already weighed down with too many responsibilities.

And then, there is Jenni’s love life. It is complicated, to say the least. Satisfied for now with her secret affair with a young and gorgeous Spanish gardener, will Jenni remain so considering that she still hasn’t gotten over the refusal of a man who is by far more suitable as a proper love interest material for a woman of her age and status?

I appreciated the development of the secondary characters’ stories in this book. The complicated relationship within the ‘love triangle’ between Paula, her ex-husband and her love interest kept me on the edge of my seat. And the General…oh, the General. But I won’t include any spoilers here.

“The Café at Kate's”, book two in the Sixpenny Bissett series by Caroline Rebisz is a cosy, heartfelt read – an excellent choice for those who love reading about family dynamics and relationships and enjoy a small-town setting.

I’m looking forward to reading the final book in this charming series.



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The Café at Kate's : Book 2 in the Sixpenny Bissett series

Being Ines: …if only life could be as simple as eating cakes and drinking rum by Eva Lauder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ines leads a wonderful life. She lives in London, one of the most vibrant capitals of the world. She owns a beautiful flat in a prestigious area. She has a successful career. She has great friends and her boyfriend looks like a swimwear model. Everything seems perfect, except that it’s not…

It was exciting – with a pang of nostalgia – to dive into Ines’s life, treading the familiar streets of London with her and reminiscing on my own experience of being a part of a busy office. Some characters felt oddly familiar. I giggled, visualising only too vividly colleagues’ banter, misplaced comments, and suspicious stares the ones who prefer to keep their distance from ‘groups’ get from the tightly-knit ‘cliques.’

It was sad – with a tinge of recognition – to read about Ines’s struggle to accept that her boyfriend, although drop-dead gorgeous, is a despicable sleazebag.

And finally, it was utterly heartbreaking to follow Ines along the path towards the diagnosis that can easily break even the most resilient person.

“Being Ines” by Eva Lauder is a story written with heart and optimism. It showcases life as it is, with days when we lose hope and when it blossoms in our souls like a flower in spring – often thanks to the kindness of people around us. After reading this book, my conviction that spreading kindness is the most important rule to live by has grown even stronger.



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Being Ines: …if only life could be as simple as eating cakes and drinking rum

Everywhere, Everywhere by Juliette Caron

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What should a good book do? First, it should make you forget the reality. Second, it must transport you to a different one and keep you there while you read.

“Everywhere, Everywhere” by Juliette Caron ticks both these boxes effortlessly.

Lately, I’ve turned back into a ‘before bedtime’ reader. There simply aren’t enough hours in a day. So, I try to choose the books that can put my mind off things while providing me with food for thought. It isn’t an easy task since ‘serious’ books tend to overdo it with seriousness. At the same time, ‘easy’ reads are usually too easy for me to even get into the story.

“Everywhere, Everywhere” is a perfect combination of both. It is an easy read that makes you turn the pages, dance with the main character at the masquerade ball, drive with her in her brand new ‘Mustang’ received as a school graduation present, and explore the quirky town that attracts tourists with its reputation of being haunted. On the other hand, the story delves into exploring human character. It tackles the issues of people’s behaviour, their motives, as well as dealing with grief.

Charlotte and Lucian believe no one knows them better than they know each other. They share every secret, every disturbing thought and every controversial concept that comes to their mind with each other. Charlotte and Lucian are in love – even though they have never met.

When Lucian, a young man she fell in love through letters, breaks up with her, Charlotte grabs at the first opportunity to drive to spooky Windfall in Colorado where he lives to find out the reason why or at least a closure. What she finds there, is very far from what she – and I’m sure the readers! – has expected. Determined to untangle the tight knot of mysteries and secrets Lucian has shrouded himself in, Charlotte checks in at the hotel where human occupants aren’t the only guests.

“Everywhere, Everywhere” is a beautiful, unusual love story that will change your perception of a happy-ever-after ending.




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Everywhere, Everywhere

George Michael: A Life by James Gavin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I’ve never been a fan of George Michael. To be honest, I had to find his videos on YouTube while I was reading his biography to remind me who he was and what he sang. Of course, I recognized most of his most popular hits, but, as I said, they’d never been on my playlists.

Having said that, I must confess that I am a huge fan of biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies. That’s why I picked up “George Michael: A Life” by James Gavin in the bookstore when I was choosing birthday gifts for myself and really enjoyed reading it.

This biography is extremely detailed. I think the true fans of the singer can appreciate it more since they crave to know every single detail about their idol. I don’t mind lengthy books, but this time, I felt that the author paid too much attention to the things I personally am not interested in.
It was heart-warming to read about George Michael’s kindness, generosity, and his big heart. I appreciate that the author stressed that throughout the book. He also did a good job drawing a portrait of a person who was so tormented by his inner demons that he failed to embrace the success his talent, hard work, determination, and persistence had brought him.

I always feel deeply sad when I read about talented people crushed by their come true dream. It shouldn’t happen this way. It is already a rare thing when a person becomes who they wanted to become, who they felt they truly are inside. And if the burden of it gets too heavy, it feels so unbearably unfair.

My strong belief is that if a person achieves such a level of success as George Michael, it means that they’ve deserved it. Okay, I’m not so naïve as to think that fame and fortune can’t be achieved by dishonest means. But when we talk about obviously talented singers/songwriters, actors, writers, painters, the results of whose work and talent can’t be faked since they are on display, I believe that when these people become rich and famous, it means they’ve spent tons of time and effort to get there. And my heart aches when I read that the stardom turned out to be a bitter pill for them.

I would have preferred if there were fewer details about ‘cottaging’ culture and George Michael’s inability to cope with his dark side. It was painful to read and not always easy to justify.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this biography, and it left me with extensive food for thought about the essence and the dangers of success.




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George Michael: A Life

ONE MORE LIFE TO LIVE: A TIME TRAVEL SECOND CHANCE NOVEL by Steven Decker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What if, after our life is over, we could live it again? But differently. In a body and under the circumstances we have no power to influence. Probably those who had an easy – even if a little boring – life would feel cautious. Why spoil what has already worked out quite nicely… Edward Stubbins has nothing to lose when, after he has died, he is offered a second chance.

Edward’s life has been controversial. He’s been through so much that the good things that happened to him couldn’t erase the hurt and the disappointment. Even so, he doesn’t jump at the offer to live again without thinking. For him, life doesn’t have anything worth going through its troubles again. Some kind of inner spark, which doesn’t die out completely even in the worst cynics, makes him grab the unique opportunity. And then, Edward receives the most extraordinary gift – one more life to live.

“One More Life to Live” by Steven Decker is surely a magnificent gift for readers. I’ve read other books by this author, and every time, I’m amazed at how masterfully he combines a page-turning story with the deep undertones that make readers think. Often, a meaningful narrative means a long and boring text. It isn’t so in the books by Steven Decker! His stories make you turn the pages even after your eyelids have been drooping for a while, at the same time planting musings about the significant things in life in your head.

You’ll want to read “One More Life to Live” as quickly as possible to find out how the story ends for Edward and Rufus. And both characters will evoke strong – absolutely different! – emotions in you. At the same time, you will keep thinking about the questions this book raises for a very long time after you read ‘The End’.




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ONE MORE LIFE TO LIVE: A TIME TRAVEL SECOND CHANCE NOVEL