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I've been busy and sad. One recent night, I dreamed I was lost, far from home and wearing the wrong shoes. Deaths in the family and a transition at work have me struggling to find the tools to cope with changes. Finding the time to write has seemed unmanageable and unimaginable. Reading, however, transports me.

Since I last posted, I have read:

"Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen. I borrowed it in hardcover from my friend Randy. Members of a white, middle-class suburban family make each other miserable. I loved it.

"What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal" by Zoe Heller. I got it from PaperBack Swap in CD. Hilarious, sarcastic, dark story of a teacher who has an affair with her teenaged student, then falls under the power of a so-called friend. The British-accented reader's (Nadia May) take on the friend made this book. I loved it.

"My Life as a Fake" by Peter Carey. I borrowed it in CD form from Dekalb County Public Library. Poetry  magazine editor unravels the mystery of a writer who invented a great poet Frankenstein-style, then, Frankenstein-style, regretted it. I didn't like it. I didn't like Shelley's Frankenstein either. Though, I admit, I read that in high school and thought it was boring. Perhaps I should rethink.

"The Sorrow of the Elves" by Brian Bouldrey. I bought this in paperback from Gemma Media. This is my friend Brian's lovely and sad story written for adults learning to read. When illiterate adults learn to read, they would like to read something more grown-up than the "Magic Tree House" series. Ever think of that? Brian did.

"Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage" by Hazel Rowley. I read this with my book club in hardcover. Ann organized a group purchase from Amazon.com with free shipping. I was shocked to learn that Rowley died today. Everybody in my book club loved the book, which is pretty rare. It's a fascinating, detailed peek at the Roosevelts' unconventional marriage. It also reveals a lot about what life was like for the very rich and powerful in the early 1900s.

"A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire. I borrowed the CD version from Dekalb County Public Library. It's the third book in the "Wicked" series, which is Maguire's reinvention of the Wizard of Oz story for grown-ups. Don't bother reading if you haven't read the first two. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it. If there's a fourth book, I'll read it.