1)  Misc:
We've had quite a bit of bad health here (terrible flu season, huh?  who hasn't had bad health?) so things on the writing/reading front slowed to a crawl then sprawled on road, but we're recovering nicely now (knocking on wood).


2)  free e-book
I love free things, especially free books!
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/infected/downloads/infected_novel.pdf
by scott sigler
Only available for 3 more days (until the end of march). 

3)recent reads:
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
(got the e-book free from tor.com)
Great, great, great.  Since I've been writing, I notice things in books that make it harder for me to fall under the spell of the story.  Not the case here.  Sanderson did a great job.  Really nice, descriptive, evocative language.  Compelling story line w/multiple arcs.  I loved that his magic system had very definite limitations and drawbacks so we have powerful people but not invincible ones.

Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro:
This was lukewarm for me.  She does a great job w/worldbuilding and description.  Perhaps it was just a little too romance-y for me.  Not that I don't like romance in stories, but I tend to like SF/F stories w/a side of romance, not romance w/a side of SF/F.  That's just me though.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
It was okay.  The omniscient viewpoint just kept me a little more remote than I like for a reading experience.  Yvain was the character I felt the most interest in and sympathy for as a character, but very little time was spent with her.  Also, I did find it a bit predictable.  It was obvious quite early who the stormhold heir successor would be.