I haven't read Tom Sawyer in ages, but I remember reading a few Twain books in a row because I enjoyed it so much. And then I moved on to Rudyard Kipling because they felt like they had something in common. It's funny, how a book can bring up such memories.

I think it's very important for books in a series to be able to stand alone. Otherwise, it can be too frustrating to wait or to have to move on to the next one. But I guess my definition of a series book standing alone is different from some. As long as it doesn't end with a cliffhanger, and it at least temporarily ties up the story arcs, I'm happy.

:( I hope you take some time to rest up. Get well soon, Josh! And geez, why are you worrying about a blog post when you should by lying down?

Excellent, you have a great kid. And what a smart idea from the teacher, having the kids read books from the banned list! That's a real lesson for the kids.

I second the Dr. Who recommendation. I normally despise time travelling stories because of the butterfly effect (NOT that movie, but the short story was the start of that, darn you Kutcher fans), but in the Doctor's case, it gets addressed and is quite funny. GL with the new story. Challenging ourselves as writers means stretching those boundaries. I'd say being scared sh*tless is part of the Writer Angst Train and probably you're on the right path to become even better at it. :)

So does that mean if I say Craig is 'nummy', I'm safe? ;) No seriously, I remember last year's decision being between Gulliver's Travels and True Grit. I told my mate we should consider retiring the movie tradition. True Grit won out.