Time and Place | 8 a.m. at my desk, enjoying an obligation-free weekend at home.

Eating and Drinking |  Black tea, with plans to make scrambled eggs and sausage in a little bit.

Reading | I finished two books this week! The first book was a memoir, Without You There Is No Us by Suki Kim (Oct. 14 from Crown), about a woman teaching English at a university in North Korea. It was really wonderful. The second book was A Deadly Wandering by Matt Richtel (Sept. 23 from William Morrow), the story of an early legal case about texting and driving and an exploration of the current science of attention. I had a few quibbles with the style of this one (it felt very repetitive in places), but overall it’s a good read on an important contemporary issue.

Watching | I kept away from the television most of the week, but I did indulge in several episodes of Castle yesterday. Nathan Fillion is one of my favorite people.

Listening | I made good progress getting caught up with my favorite podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour, while I was cooking and eating breakfast. I’m still many episodes behind, but closer.

Cooking | Because I finally had a weekend home with no plans, I spent quite a bit of time yesterday afternoon doing meal prep for the week. I cooked up some slow cooker taco meat and cauliflower rice, cut up vegetables, and prepped to make some chicken today. My Whole30 only officially goes through Monday, but I’m trying to stick to a mostly Paleo diet when I’m finished.

Blogging | This week I shared some true tales of madness and murder for every reader and reviews of a couple of books outside my comfort zone — Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes and The High Divide by Lin Enger. I didn’t get around to doing the big behind-the-scenes blog update I’d planned this weekend. I used that time to write some blog posts instead!

Promoting | This is not an official announcement, just more of a heads up: Nonfiction November is coming back this year! Leslie (Regular Rumination) and I will be joined by two new co-hosts, which I am so excited about. We’ll have more details soon.

Loving | I finally found a pair of khaki pants that fit and seem to look good on me. This has taken a long time.

Wanting | Is there a way to get more time in a weekend? I got a ton of stuff done yesterday, but I still feel like I need another day or two to really feel caught up with life.

Waiting | Doing a Whole30 has been really good for me (details on this at the end of the week), but man, do I miss putting sugar in my tea. I can’t wait until Tuesday when I can ease up just a little bit.

Anticipating | Next weekend I will be having a girls weekend with some of my best friends from high school. We got a hotel room downtown and will just be hanging out for an evening. I’m excited about it.

Today I am going to share some thoughts on two books that pushed me out of my reading comfort zone in two entirely different directions. The High Divide, a historical novel about the great American west, let me explore the history of the region that I call home. Broken Monsters, a contemporary murder mystery, played around with supernatural elements in a traditional murder mystery novel. Since I don’t read much historical fiction or crime fiction, I thought these two matched up well for some reviewletts.

The High Divide by Lin Enger

In 1886, Gretta Pope wakes one morning to discover that her husband is gone. Ulysses Pope has left his family behind on the far edge of Minnesota’s western prairie with only the briefest of notes and no explanation for why he left or where he’s headed. It doesn’t take long for Gretta’s young sons, Eli and Danny, to set off after him, following the scant clues they can find, jumping trains to get where they need to go, and ending up in the rugged badlands of Montana. Gretta has no choice but to search for her sons and her husband, leading her to the doorstep of a woman who seems intent on making Ulysses her own. Meanwhile, the boys find that the closer they come to Ulysses’ trail, the greater the perils that confront them, until each is faced with a choice about whom he will defend, and who he will become.

I probably wouldn’t have picked up a copy of The High Divide if it hadn’t been for the persuasive pitch for the book from friend and fellow book blogger Leslie (Regular Rumination). While we were at Book Expo America, Leslie (who at the time had a publishing connection to Algonquin) told me she thought I’d really like this book — a story that begins on the plains of Minnesota and meanders throughout the American west. I was further charmed by the fact that the author, Lin Enger, knew exactly where I live (no one knows that my small town even exists) and was very articulate when speaking about the inspiration for this book.

With all of those positive vibes helping it out, I’m happy to report that The High Divide was a good read. The members of the Pope family each approach their odyssey with a different mission, but come together in a satisfying way. And I really enjoyed the way that Enger set their fictional story against a strange historical footnote that I didn’t know anything about. It’s a pretty traditional story, full of fathers and sons and contemplation on America and identity and choice that I think will resonate with many readers.

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

Detective Gabriella Versado has seen a lot of bodies. But this one is unique even by Detroit’s standards: half boy, half deer, somehow fused together. As stranger and more disturbing bodies are discovered, how can the city hold on to a reality that is already tearing at its seams? If you’re Detective Versado’s geeky teenage daughter, Layla, you commence a dangerous flirtation with a potential predator online. If you’re desperate freelance journalist Jonno, you do whatever it takes to get the exclusive on a horrific story. If you’re Thomas Keen, known on the street as TK, you’ll do what you can to keep your homeless family safe — and find the monster who is possessed by the dream of violently remaking the world.

Given a lot of the hype I’ve been reading online, I went into Broken Monsters expecting to be scared. Weirdly, that didn’t happen. I kept turning pages long after I should have been asleep or getting ready for work in the morning because I thought it was good book… disturbing and a little creepy, but not scary. I probably watch too many serial killer dramas on tv. Anyway, I loved the way the city of Detroit was a character in and of itself. Given what little I know about Detroit from reading Charlie LeDuff’s book, I think it was the perfect place to set a story that is fixated on a world that is deeply broken. I also, in a twisted sort of way, particularly loved Jonno the “douchey new media journalist”, because he was just a total jackass.

Disclosure: I received a copy of The High Divide from the publisher while I was at Book Expo America. I received a copy of Broken Monsters through my work at Book Riot. 

This post originally appeared on Book Riot. 

I’m already on the record over over at Book Riot as being a fan of the subtitle – the longer and more absurd the better. Two words that I cannot resist in a subtitle are “murder” and “madness,” especially when they’re used together. Usually you find “murder” and “madness” slapped on history books to jazz up what otherwise might seem like boring stories… and the marketing trickery works on me every time.

Here are a few books that have caught my eye:

For murder, madness and the presidency, check out Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard, the story of James Garfield’s rise from a poverty-stricken childhood in Ohio to his 200 days as president of the United States.

For murder, madness and architecture, check out The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson, a story about the a deranged serial killer and the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.

For murder and madness in small doses, check out The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann, a collection of essays about “people whose fixations propel them into unfathomable and often deadly circumstances.”

For murder, madness and doctors, check out The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber, a true crime story about a registered nurse implicated in the deaths of 300 patients.

For murder, madness and the entertainment industry, check out Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William Mann (Oct. 14 from Harper), a new story about an unsolved Hollywood murder in the 1920s.

For murder, madness and religion, check out Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge by Don Lattin, the inside story of The Family International.

For murder, madness and a dysfunctional Puritan family, check out The Notorious Elizabeth Tuttle: Marriage, Murder, and Madness in the Family of Jonathan Edwards by Ava Chamberlain, the inside story of a “minor villain” in the life of a great Puritan theologian (this book is on the academic side, so be aware of that if you pick it up).

And as a bonus title on murder, madness and the Oxford English Dictionary, check out The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, which was originally titled The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Love of Words.

What are some of your favorite tales of murder and madness?

Time and Place // 8:25 a.m. at my desk working on my laptop, since I still haven’t managed to get a new wireless card for my desktop computer. #procrastinator

Eating and Drinking // I’ve got my usual Whole30 (day 22!) breakfast again this morning: three fried eggs, an apple, Trader Joe’s almond butter, and some cranberry blood orange black tea. I found some bacon with no added sugar when I was shopping last weekend, so I’ve added that to the eggs. It’s an awesome addition.

Reading // I may have finally busted out of my reading slump! I made a point to keep the television turned off this week and instead focused on finishing a galley of Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes (Sept. 16 from Mullholland Books). After that, I started a galley of Without You There Is No Us by Suki Kim (Oct. 14 from Crown), a memoir about teaching English to the college-aged men of North Korea’s privileged class. It has a slow start, but it’s picking up.

Watching // Last weekend I was in the Twin Cities to see The Book of Mormon with my sister. It was so very funny, but, as you’d expect with a musical by the South Park guys, incredibly offensive. On Sunday, we both settled onto her couch (along with her giant orange cat, Merlin) to watch the first games of the football season. I have many thoughts on the state of football right now… but that’s another post.

Cooking // One of the things that I’ve enjoyed about my Whole30 experiment (30 days of only eating protein, fruits/vegetables and healthy fats) is that it’s made me spend more time cooking. Nothing fancy, just enough to remind myself that yes, cooking simple meals is possible and more healthy that going out to Subway all the time.

Blogging // Last week I gushed about Margaret Atwood’s new short story collection, Stone Mattress. This week I’m hoping to do some mini reviews of some September titles I’ve finished and perhaps share some more details about my Whole30 experience.

Promoting // The next Bloggiesta starts this Thursday, Sept. 18! While there are a ton of blog projects I could work on next weekend, I’d like to focus on updating my blog to a new theme and dealing with all of the annoying tasks that come with that process. I think this theme update is going to be a major pain, so it’ll be good to set aside a few days to problem-solve.

Hating // Minnesota (and much of the Midwest) had a nasty cold streak this week. It was only 38 degrees one morning! It’s supposed to warm up this week, thank goodness, because I am not ready for that.

Loving // The boyfriend’s parents came to visit this weekend, which has been really great. In addition to spending lots of time eating good food, we took them out to see our local horticulture display garden and have plans to go to a movie this afternoon. It’s been fun having them around — we don’t get to see them much because they live pretty far away.

Wanting // The weather turning did get me in the mood for fall clothes. I am coveting a cool, comfy blazer kind of like this one, but less expensive. I’m also getting a lot of inspiration about adopting a minimalist wardrobe from this blog.

Anticipating // I have a haircut scheduled for next week. I love getting my haircut.

Happy Sunday, everyone! What are you reading today?