Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb

Would it surprise you to learn that J.D. Robb is actually Nora Roberts? No, I thought not. Fans of both know who the author really is. How can they help but find out when they go to the library for their Nora Roberts fix?  

While she uses distinct styles for each name, it’s easy to spot the genius that is Nora Roberts--and true fans know that. Just as Eve Dallas knows how to track down her killer, so does J.D. Robb know how to weave a story that rocks. 

A futuristic thriller, Rapture in Death, pits the beautiful-yet-brooding, heroic cop, Eve Dallas, against a beautiful and charming sociopath out to use everyone and everything for her own, fiendish benefit. Robb’s blunt and funny approach to life, in the mansion and the station house, is a fresh change from the “Nick and Nora” type of setting. Her cast of characters are charming and off-beat, but be warned: you’ll want to cuddle them like teddy bears. Delia Peabody, Eve’s sidekick, is an intelligent cop mentored by the brilliant Ms. Dallas. Although the dynamic is reversed when Ms. Dallas plays straight-man for the witty Ms. Peabody. 

When the day is done, poor Eve goes home to her mansion and gorgeous, sexy, and seriously-rich husband, Rourke. And ladies, Rourke has an Irish accent that melts butter, a past that is way past choirboy, and a love for Eve so deep, it tugs the heart. 

Pick up a J.D. Robb book. You’ll be glad you did. Better yet, pick up the book on CD and let reader, Susan Ericksen, lull you into a fantasy with her sharp portrayal of these rich characters.

One Year Alone With God, 366 Devotions on the Names of God by Ava Pennington

Ava Pennington is a clear, concise, and gifted writer. Maybe that's because she is a clear, concise, and gifted speaker. With a background in Human Resources, she has led the employment direction of many firms, some international. Ms. Pennington also provides guidance to women of faith through Bible studies, and in the process, explains the everyday practices of a faith-based life.


     But why does He have so many names? Used as a daily devotional, the reader discovers, over the course of the year, just how God fits into their life in so many ways.  This study goes further by de-codifying the Bible for the average reader. What do the Apostles mean when they relate a story about Him? What does it mean to the reader?


     Through Ms. Pennington, the Lord has reached out His hand to you, the reader, and offered a personal escort to His door.

The Genius in All of Us, by David Shenk, a book on tape

Nature versus nurture? The question has been on the tip of scientists' tongues since it was first coined by English Victorian polymath Francis Galton, cousin of the famed Charles Darwin.

Shenk challenges this simplistic philosophy that has been used and abused by scientists, politicians, and the media. And instead asks, “How smart can you be?” With annotations to studies, scientific trials, and educating facts, he highlights the public frenzy to recognize "geniuses" and the fallacy behind the heredity-versus-environment controversy.

Creating dynamics between the two is not as simple as it looks. In an attempt to map the human genome on the double helix, scientists are learning what mental or physical characteristic each determines - or are they? According to Shenk, a protective coating around each, called an epigenome, can be changed by environment and affect the characteristics. The resultant characteristics can be passed on, thus changing future generations.

Shenk uses his voice to make a complicated subject understandable. Heady stuff in this day and age. Shenk puts it so simply, I wonder if life will change as we simply know it.

If you like to listen to books on tape, this is a good one to try while you are in the middle of a mundane task. Both will fly by!