You're a fast reader, Keetha!!!

I can't believe all the books you read this weekend. I'm sooo glad that you read Where the Heart is (and that you enjoyed it, too!!) I'm not surprised that a few eyebrows were raised as a result of that beating that her friend took. I read it through once and I was so upset I almost scanned it, not getting the details, especially where the kids were concerned...that REALLY upset me. I'm not sure what was intended there...perhaps to warn women that they can be needy and lonely, but if you bring a stranger into your home, don't forget that you are still a mother?(!). I still am not sure if I'll read Honk and Holler next, but I will let you know.
I'm sorry that you were mixed on Rapture...It's funny that you focused on the Southern setting. To be honest, when I was reading it, I never thought, "Oh those Southerner are so wacky, it could only happen there!" because I think that if the author had changed the setting to perhaps, Utah, then people would say, "Oh, those Mormons" but again, I never believed that a sect really did exist in the South, I thought it was set there as a plausible way for the community to eke out a living, what with harvesting the tobacco and all.
Re: Black and Blue...such a powerful novel. I really like it...again, I recommended it (like I did Rapture) and I got mixed reviews. I haven't read anything else by Anna Quindlen though. I expected the part where her husband finally found her, but I didn't expect the son to be taken from her (permanently?). That part was just so wrenching, all that she went through and he STILL "won". Sadly, I'm sure that story was based on someone's true story.
And, last but not least...I'm tearing through "Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing" by Melissa Bank. It's on the Best Seller's list now and I can really see why. Her voice is so clear and fresh. It's a very readable book. A real satisfying summer read. Thumbs up!