G. Wayne Miller

Thanks to NetGalley, G. Wayne Miller and Crossroad Press. This book was extremely enjoyable. The characters were fantastic and I was able to connect and sympathize with them immediately. There was literary commentary on grief, mental illness and spirituality throughout.

The storyline was really unique. I found myself constantly changing my opinion on whether what Mary was experiencing was mental illness caused by trauma, demonic possession or if she was being influenced by some other entity. It definitely keeps the reader on their toes.

I also enjoyed some of the other small details the author provided. Especially the inclusion of news reports from local papers and TV studios. Also loved the cast of characters at the beginning. I wish more authors would do this, it is always included for plays so why not novels?

This would easily be a 4 star read for me but I think it needs some polishing to get there. The timeline is hard to follow from time to time and I felt like there were age discrepancies and some jumbling of dates off and on. That being said I absolutely loved the story, the combination of trauma and science fiction was a blast for me.… (mehr)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot about the history of Hasbro and the Hassenfeld family. I was really young when the toys started coming out. Although, I do remember playing with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads. Me and my sister would be entertained for hours mixing tons of different combinations with the parts. I did briefly play with GI Joe as well.

Mr. Miller gave me tons of information but in a way that made it enlightening and interesting to read. I did not feel like I was reading a history book. Every time I thought that was an "ah ha" moment, there was another one in that I would read about a few pages or chapters later. For anyone who is still a child at heart or wants to read the history of Hasbro should check out this book.… (mehr)

A biography of the truly astounding heart surgeon Walt Lillehei who pioneered so many aspects of open heart surgery. What is particularly strong is the risk taking and the inventiveness, the search for simple solutions and the dedication. The story is compelling in part because though Lillehei was extraordinarily gifted (and confident) he was also an early cancer victim who was saved by the drastic surgery of his department chief. What Miller doesn't delve into is the psychology that also made Lillehei so self destructive .He drank, cheated on his wife and was convicted of tax fraud even though he had been a darling of the press for a decade or more. The box is very strong on the supporting cast of ingenious men who helped Lillehei in his quest to make open heart surgery workable. The fact the machine that ultimately allowed him to proceed used a dairy pump and beer hose is wonderful. I came to this after reading Walk On Water about another extraordinary heart surgeon, but part of the momentum of back story here was that Lillehei had been in the World War II and seen the destruction of the human body in all its variety.… (mehr)