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Formula Of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks

A Book Review for The Randleman Review

Formula of DeceptionMost of the time, I read books that create an opportunity for growth and give me things to think about. But occasionally, I feel the need to throw a fictional novel or two into the mix and simply enjoy a good story. That is what I have done for the past couple of weeks, and especially so with this book, Formula Of Deception, by Carrie Stuart Parks. I have only read a couple of her books, this one and When Death Draws Near, which I reviewed in the fall of 2016. And so far, I have enjoyed them both.

Formula Of Deception is a story set in Alaska in modern times, but with a family secret that has been lurking under the surface since World War II. Murphy Anderson is trying to survive life after the death of her twin sister, and is having trouble getting her feet underneath her. When she falls into the opportunity to use her artistic skills as a forensic artist, she stumbles upon a secret that has been buried for more than half a century.

As she discovers more and more, she falls deeper into the grip of a family determined to keep the truth hidden, and begins to question her own sanity in the process. With several plot twists and turns that will catch you off guard, the story that Murphy Anderson unravels will keep you riveted to the point that you won’t be able to put this book down.

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What Blooms From Dust by James Markert

A Book Review for The Randleman Review

What Blooms From DustRecently, I have enjoyed reading several books by a new author to me, James Markert. This week, I was able to read another of his novels, What Blooms From Dust. I really enjoyed the previous two novels from Markert, All Things Bright And Strange and The Angels’ Share. But this one was a bit different.

In the end, this one may be my favorite of them all; it just took a while to get to that point. I even considered giving up on trying to finish it, but am really glad I stuck it out.

What Blooms From Dust is a story set in the Dust Bowl era of western Oklahoma in the mid-1930s. It begins when a man named Jeremiah Goodbye escapes from prison after nearly dying in the electric chair. With the flip of a coin, he returns to his hometown in the panhandle of Oklahoma, where there are a lot of secrets, mysteries, and tensions, especially among his own family, and even the whole town.

What happens while he is there is nothing short of miraculous. And the town needs a miracle, especially after years of relentless dust storms and drought. Jeremiah learns something about his family, and the town learns something about Jeremiah, and they all learn something about love and kindness.

For the first half of What Blooms From Dust, the story plodded along at a miserable pace, and I found it extremely boring, almost to the point of giving up. But as tensions began to rise, the plot began to pick up, and by the end of the book, I was thoroughly intrigued. Again, it might just be my favorite of all his works that I have read.

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Coffee Break – 07.09.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1808, the leather-splitting machine was patented by Samuel Parker. In the doughnut cutter was patented by John F. Blondel. In 1877, Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Thomas Sanders and Thomas Watson formed the Bell Telephone Company. In 1878, the corncob pipe was patented by Henry Tibbe. And in 1941, British cryptologists break the secret code used by the German army called the Enigma Key.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Sugar Cookie Day!
Is any cookie more iconic than the sugar cookie?

The Upside Down AeroPress Coffee Brewing Tutorial – I love the Aeropress, and if you don’t have one, you should (grab one from Amazon). But don’t use it like the directions tell you to. Your coffee will be much better if you invert it. So go get one, and then read this article for some of the best coffee you’ll ever brew.

How To Build An Interchangeable Wardrobe – One of the things that I have found to be true in my life is that I buy too many things that I don’t need or use as much as I should, especially when it comes to clothing. RMRS has a solid point when they show that a versatile wardrobe is best, for both use and budget.

Most Female And Male Occupations Since 1950 – Demographical studies intrigue me, and this study of males versus females in the workforce since 1950 is full of interesting information.

A Life In Numbers – This was an interesting little video with an excellent point at the end. However, I could live my entire life without the sports, and they forgot the coffee. Maybe it’s an even substitution…? Nah, I spend way more time than that on coffee.

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Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:69-72

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

The first half of this stanza, in verses 65-88, the psalmist began to examine the goodness of God in the midst of suffering. In this second half, we will see two more examples of God’s goodness. Take at look at this passage in Psalm 119:69-72:

Psalm 119:69-72

While this theme of suffering and affliction will carry on through the next two stanzas, this ninth stanza centers the subject properly in the goodness of God. It is impossible to understand affliction properly without understanding, at least as much as possible, the goodness of God. Otherwise, we will fall into hopelessness and despair. Only with a proper perspective of the goodness of God can we see clearly to navigate the badness of a fallen world.

This knowledge of God’s goodness brings us to obey and understand the Word of God. The psalmist stressed obedience to God’s Word in verse 67, and here, in verse 71, he stresses an understanding of Scripture. Those might seem to be be reversed, but in actuality, they are not. What the psalmist is saying here is that his affliction caused him to turn to God’s Word, and to obey it. As he read and studied it, it led to a deeper and more full understanding of it, which in turn led to a more complete obedience. It’s an ever deepening cycle.

In the first half of this passage, the psalmist used the word “good” in three separate statements, revealing that God uses our sufferings to our own benefit because of his goodness. In this passage, we find two more of these statements in verses 71 and 72.

It seems as if anger is the currency of the day, and everyone expresses it freely. But doing so isn’t what God desires of us. So how do we control our anger? Dr. Jim Newheiser gives some brief insights into a gospel-centric approach to controlling our tempers.